Laurie Sheila Wiseberg, of Montreal but also of the world, passed away on October 11th, 2023, at the age of 81. Dr. Laurie S. Wiseberg was known as a human rights educator, defender, and advocate. She leaves behind her son, Jesse Scoble and his wife Roxanna, and their two children, Arianna and Aiden, whom Laurie (“Nama”) loved with all her heart. She also cared deeply for her stepsons and their families: Nate, Andy & Maia (and Penn), Matt & Gretchen (and Kyle and Nikki); and her nephews and niece and their children: Adam & Noriko (and Samantha), Michael & Cathia (and Maxwell), and Tammy & Monty (and Carter). She was pre-deceased by her devoted brother, Morty, her loving sister-in-law, Rivka, and her husband, the inimitable Harry M. Scoble, Jr.
Laurie's formal education included: McGill University, Montreal (BA), Honours Political Science and Economics, 1963; University College, University of London M.Sc. (Econ.) International Relations, 1965; University of Los Angeles (UCLA), Ph.D. Political Science, 1973 -- her dissertation was The International Politics of Relief: A Case Study of the Relief Operations Mounted during the Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970.
In 1971, Laurie and Harry began a 17-year collaboration on human rights. They created a documentation center and international network of NGOs called the Human Rights Internet. Laurie was HRI’s Executive Director from 1976 until 2000.
In 2000, Laurie left HRI and joined the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as NGO Liaison Officer for the World Conference Against Racism (Durban, South Africa, 2001). In March 2002, she took up the position of Head of the sub-office for OHCHR in Podgorica, Montenegro; and subsequently, as acting Head of Office in Belgrade, for Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo.
In April 2006 she joined a new UN inter-agency program, ProCap (Protection Capacity), intended to strengthen the capacity of UN agencies to deliver human rights protection in emergency situations. In the role of human rights advisor, Laurie worked in over 20 countries, until COVID forced her very reluctant retirement in 2018. These locations included: Kashmir, Pakistan; Darfur, Sudan; Juba, Southern Sudan; Amman, Jordan; Kathmandu, Nepal; Kabul, Afghanistan; Dili, Timor-Leste; Kotido, Uganda; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Lilongwe, Malawi; Mindanao, Philippines; Libya; Northern Iraq; Southern Turkey; the Solomon Islands; Colombo, Sri Lanka; and Nigeria.
Laurie and Harry’s work for HRI has been preserved since 2004 as the Laurie S. Wiseberg and Harry Scoble Human Rights Internet Collection at the University of Connecticut Archives & Special Collections to advance human rights research, educate students, and maintain this important and relevant history of the past century.
Laurie’s final works include an unpublished memoir: A Girl from St Urbain Street – Part 1: Fleeing the Nest, and a cookbook 25 years in the making: Food from the Field: Laurie’s Cookbook, A Modest Contribution to the Struggle Against Racism.
Laurie loved sharing a glass of red wine with friends. She loved cooking and baking. She was rarely without her camera, loved travel, and to see both the natural and architected wonders of the world. And she loved her family, and her grandchildren, most of all.
MEMORIAL
December 10, 2023
2:00pm-5:00pm
Côte-des-Neiges Community Recreation Center
2nd floor, rooms 1-3
5347 Chem. de la Côte-des-Neiges, Montréal, QC H3T 1Y4
A celebration of life memorial will be held for friends and family on December 10th, 2023, from 2pm to 5pm. It will consist of shared stories, reflections, and memories.
For those who cannot make it, a Zoom link will be provided.
If you would like to send a message, please contact Jesse (lswmontrealmemorial@gmail.com) in advance.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in her honor to one of the causes she believed in:
University of Connecticut Fund for Excellence in Archives and Special Collections
https://www.foundation.uconn.edu/fund/fund-for-excellence-in-archives-and-special-collections/
Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Canada