Human rights under fire

Humanitarian crises did not slow down during the global pandemic of 2020 and 2021, and neither did human rights violations: authoritarian governments world-wide have tightened their grip; indigenous peoples’ lack of access to justice and proper care (land rights, water rights) has been exacerbated by the pandemic (see our “Tipping points” webinar on desertification and drought); the situation in Afghanistan has suspended the rights of millions of women and is potentially leading to a humanitarian catastrophe. “The combined shocks of drought, conflict, COVID-19 and an economic crisis in Afghanistan, have left more than half the population facing a record level of acute hunger”, according to a new UN assessment published on October 25, 2021. Is the particular combination of environmental strife and man-made violence, which climate-change is bound to exacerbate, the greatest yet challenge to Human Rights since the 1948 declaration ?

Speakers:

• François Croquette, former French Ambassador for Human Rights (2017-2020), current General delegate for ecological transition and resilience for the City of Paris.
• Laura Lohéac, director of PAUSE Program at the College de France

Moderated by:

• Paul Hayes, director of Debate at the George Washington University
• Emilienne Baneth, vvice-president in charge of SDGs partnerships at Université PSL

Program: 

• 6 p.m.: Introductory words by Paul Hayes and Emilienne Baneth (moderators)
• 6:05: "what are the greatest human rights challenges facing our generation?". Two students from George Washington University and two students from University PSL will start the conversation with two advocacy speeches on human rights topics
• 6:30: Laura Lohéac and François Croquette will share their experienceand insights on the multiple crises the world is currently facing
• 7:10: Q&As