IHRC was founded by Wilda Christin Spalding. Born into to a family heritage of diplomacy, the arts, peace-building, & business in the city known as the “Athens of the West,” Berkeley, California, Wilda has been a lifetime International Human Rights & Peace advocate & educator. Both of her parents were involved in the first United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco in June 1945; Wilda was born six months later & became active in Human Rights advocacy even as a child, as her parents helped to found KPFK public radio in Berkeley. In 1957, she was the youngest participant representing the USA to the International Committee of the Red Cross’ “Future World Leaders International Congress.” As a young woman, she was an accomplished performing artist & athlete & grew up to study in multiple universities & academic institutions, in her home state of California, in Europe, & in the Middle East.

Wilda was involved in countless UN resolutions on myriad topics, most notably, related to the Human Rights of persons with disabilities, Indigenous People, & children. She has been recognized many times as being key to progress on these issues, as well as others. UN Special Rapporteur, Ambassador Leandro Despouy, asked Wilda & her team to assist in moving forward his key Study Series 6: Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities through to its successful UN General Assembly passage in the early 1990’s. This would be an important precursor to the later passage of the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In 1988, Wilda founded the Rehab Hope Fund, Inc., in order to assist individuals experiencing difficulties in obtaining access to needed rehabilitation services & in achieving independent living status. After a few years, it became clear to her that it was hope itself that needed rehabilitation, & the Rehab Hope Fund grew into the International Human Rights Consortium. As President of IHRC, Wilda began producing the annual Fete d’Excellence in 1998, in Geneva, Switzerland, awarding the gold Medaille d’Excellence to global leaders & organizations who strive to advance Human Rights. To date, International Human Rights Consortium continues to help individuals & groups through its ongoing programs & projects.

During the following years, Wilda was an NGO Delegate & Lead-Consultant of Delegations to UN International Human Rights *Fora Sessions, primarily held in Geneva, Switzerland, where she presented hundreds of session interventions (policy testimonials), including fourteen different interventions at the 1995 Sub-commission on the Prevention of Discrimination & Protection of Minorities session. She represented dozens of International Human Rights NGOs, helping them to draft resolutions, present Human Rights issues, & work toward the ultimate passage of several key UN resolutions, leading to Conventions, etc., including:

• Persons with Disabilities

• Indigenous Peoples’ Rights

• Minority Discrimination

• Human Rights & Culture of Peace Education

• Freedom of Religion

• Human Organ Stealing/Farming

• Comfort Women

• Contemporary Forms of Slavery

• Children’s Rights (especially, the Boy Child)

• Rights of Persons with HIV/AIDS

• Mental Health

• Disappeared Persons

• Torture

• Summary Execution

• Human Rights Worker’s Rights

• Worker’s Rights

• Disarmament

• Protection & Rights of Journalists & Media

• Human Rights & Youth, Nuclear Testing & Disarmament

Through her interventions, Wilda introduced a “triple bottom line” expansion of earlier environmental debt swap UN initiatives. Close to her heart & family tradition, she formally proposed the initial concept consideration of ‘Human Rights Ambassadors from the Arts’ & participated in (& trained) teams to assist with key caucus sessions & UN issues at the Human Rights annual sessions, especially within the UN Sub commission on the Prevention of Discrimination & Protection of Minorities & its Working Group. Wilda either participated in or hosted numerous workshops, global conferences & summits, & intercultural artistic gatherings, including in the UNOG Palais des Nations & at WHO, UNAIDS, ILO, ITU, & WIPO, & in the historic city of Geneva, Switzerland.  She also sent IHRC/CIDH delegates & media teams to South Africa, Vienna, Mexico, Tunisia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Kenya, Dubai, Geneva, & various locations in the USA.

In keeping with her family’s historic role in the revival of the modern Olympics, Wilda assisted in the writing, submission by Greece, & passage of a UN Resolution recognizing the Olympic Games & its Peace Truce for the movement’s 100th anniversary of the 1896 Olympics.  She was invited by Ambassador Andrew Young to bring the Resolution to Selma, Alabama, & to carry it accompanying him and a rainbow of joyous children during the Olympic Torch run as it passed over, up, & across the historic Edmund Pettus bridge.

She has organized representatives &/or media teams to participate in UN World Conferences/Summits in South Africa, Switzerland, Brazil, Costa Rica, & Kenya, to cover subjects including Racism, The Information Society, Rio+20, Indigenous Issues, Peace, & the Environment.

During her long career as a dedicated advocate for Human Rights, Wilda received numerous awards & recognition. A complete bio is available upon request.