International Talks 2026

Die International Talks finden in diesem Sommersemester unter dem Titel "Three women – one Mission: Defending rights, democracy & justice on a global stage". Veranstaltet wird die Reihe gemeinschaftlich von der EvH Bochum, der Evangelischen Hochschule Nürnberg, der Evangelischen Hochschule Ludwigsburg, dem Friedensinstitut Freiburg, der Evangelischen Hochschule Freiburg, der Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana, der CVJM Hochschule, der Evangelischen Hochschule Dresden und der Evangelischen Hochschule Berlin.

• Vortrag 1: Yangtze as Actor: Religion, ldentity, and the Rights of Rivers
  Do, den 23. April 2026, 18:00-19:30 Uhr
  No registration required. Access under this link.
  
  Topic: "My doctoral research on the Yangtze River originated from a comparative curiosity. The Ganges River, revered in Hinduism as the embodiment of the goddess Ganga with purifying and salvific powers, invites the faithful to bathe in its waters. In New Zealand, the Whanganui River is regarded in Mäori tradition as a living ancestor. These worldviews have profoundly influenced modern approaches to river protection, inspiring debates about granting rivers legal personhood. In contrast, the Yangtze often called China's "Mother River" does not appear to carry such explicit religious connotations in contemporary discourse. This contrast led me to several questions: ls there a religious dimension to the Yangtze River? How does the river shape the identities of the communities along its banks? And could the Yangtze, too, be imagined as a legal subject?"
  
  Xinyue Lau (M.A.) is a PhD student in the Study of Religions at the University of Göttingen, Germany. Originally from China, she completed her Master's degree in Intercultural Theology at the University of Göttingen and the University of Applied Sciences for lntercultural Theology in 2020. Since 2021, her research has focused on human-river relationships along the Yangtze River, with particular attention to its religious and cultural dimensions.

• Vortrag 2: Climate Crisis, Justice, and Global Solidarity
  Do, den 07. Mai 2026, 18:00-19:30 Uhr
  No registration required. Access under this link.

  Topic: From devastating landslides and ecological challenges in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeastem Bangladesh to global injustice caused by industrialized nations' emissions, Yi Yi Prue has witnessed these realities firsthand. Motivated by these experiences, she, together with others, filed a landmark constitutional complaint in Germany in 2021, which was accepted by the country's highest court and highlighted the global responsibility for climate protection. In her talk, Yi Yi Prue shares her personal journey and explains why climate justice must be approached interjectionally: environmental protection, social justice, the rights of indigenous peoples, and global solidarity are inseparably linked. She calls for urgent action and a holistic approach that places marginalized voices at the center of the climate movement.

  Yi Yi Prue is a lawyer and climate activist working at the Dhaka Judge Court in Bangladesh. She belongs to the indigenous Marma community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Her work focuses on amplifying the voices of indigenous peoples, who are particularly affected by the climate crisis. In 2020, she submitted a report to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of lndigenous Peoples on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, discrimination, and climate change on indigenous coastal communities in Bangladesh. In 2021, she coordinated the constitutional complaint challenging Germanys insufficient climate policy. Through numerous lectures, articles, and panel appearances across Germany, she has made indigenous perspectives on climate justice widely known.
  
  

• Vortrag 3: Achieving Gender Equality in Kenia
  Do, den 11. Juni 2026, 18:00-19:30 Uhr
  No registration required. Access under this link.

  Topic: From the moment they are born until they die, African women and girls have to live with numerous challenges and deal with many inequalities on account of their gender. These range from unrecognized domestic labor, limited education opportunities, poor healthcare and sanitation to multiple forms of violence in both private and public spheres. While gender inequality is a problem the world over, African women remain particularly vulnerable in some crucial aspects of development. A look at maternal health, for instance, shows that in 2017 sub-Saharan Africa alone accounted for approximately two thirds of global maternal deaths (World Health Organization). According to the Institute of Economic Affairs, Kenya had a Gender lnequality Index of 0.545 in 2018 (IEA).Despite the many odds women have to overcome, they continue to play a key role in their families and communities, ultimately contributing to the economies of their nations and regions. Statistics indicate that African women rank relatively highly in the world in the workplace, with a female labour-participation rate of 0.76 (medium gender inequality) against a global average of 0.64 (high gender inequality) according to a 2019 Mckinsey Global Institute report. African women remain the main caregivers in their families and form a majority of workers in agriculture, which is the major economic activity in most parts of Africa. Given equal opportunities in education, employment and decision making, their status would be way more advanced than it is and not just for their benefit but for the entire population.

  Hellen Mugo worked as a Global South specialist in the Misereor department of Education from 2022 until 2025, as advisor on environmental and climate protection as well as sustainable energy. Hellen advocates for the full participation of women in development and equality for people of all genders. She studied commerce, followed by gender and development. She has previous work experience in the fields of climate change and sustainability, as well as teaching and research on a variety of topics including entrepreneurship, gender equality, and ecological sustainability. Hellen is originally from Kenya and currently lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.