Human Rights & 21st Century Challenges: 20+ Years After the UN World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, CSW58

in collaboration with the New School and in conjunction with CSW58

Event Details

  • Time

    03:00pm

  • Date

    19 Mar, 2014

  • Location

    • Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall at The New School
    • 66 West 12th Street New York, NY
  • Contact

    WLP

Mahnaz Afkhami

Founder and President of Women’s Learning Partnership and former Secretary General of the Women's Organization of Iran and Minister for Women's Affairs (Iran/USA)

Lina Abou-Habib

Executive Director of the Collective for Research and Training on Development–Action (CRTD-A) (Lebanon)

Radhika Balakrishnan

Executive Director, Center for Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers University (USA)

Yakin Ertürk

President, Asylum and Migration Research Center, former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women (Turkey)

Gay McDougall

Professor of International Law, Fordham University School of Law, former United Nations Independent Expert on Minority Issues (USA)

Naeem Mirza

Chief Operating Officer, Aurat Foundation (Pakistan)

Jacqueline Pitanguy

Founder and President, Cepia, and former Minister of Women’s Affairs of Brazil

During meetings at the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Women’s Learning Partnership and The New School will convene leaders from across the globe to discuss the present state of human rights, measures needed to strengthen the human rights movement as a foundation for human security, and development of peaceful and democratic societies. 

Since 2001, there has been a marginalization of human rights at multiple levels of governance, local to global. Post 9/11, the 1990s trend toward more robust language and policies grounded in the human rights framework gave way to an international emphasis on “hard security.” A decade later, we are witnessing the inadequacy of military-centered security to promote peace or guarantee individual safety and national security. Today, there is need for greater attention to the status of universal human rights, and consideration of rapidly changing technological, political, and economic conditions on lives, rights, and freedoms of populations around the world. 

In addition to WLP representatives, the following speakers will participate:

Renzo Pomi (Uruguay/USA) 

Ken Roth (USA) 

Miriam Ticktin (USA)  

AGENDA:

3:00 PM  Introduction

  • Miriam Ticktin (USA), Professor of Anthropology and Gender Studies Department Chair, The New School
  • Mahnaz Afkhami (Iran/USA), Founder and President, Women’s Learning Partnership and former Secretary General of the Women's Organization of Iran and Minister for Women's Affairs

3:15 PM  Panel One followed by Q&A: Current challenges and the future of human rights

Given the current environment, where competing paradigms such as national security, neo-liberalism, and cultural relativism infringe on the applicability of universal norms, how can momentum for human rights be revitalized at national and international levels?

  • Radhika Balakrishnan (USA), Executive Director, Center for Women's Global Leadership, Rutgers University
  • Yakın Ertürk (Turkey), President, Asylum and Migration Research Center, and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
  • Gay J. McDougall (USA), Professor of International Law, Fordham University School of Law, former United Nations Independent Expert on Minority Issues
  • Renzo Pomi (Uruguay/USA), Representative at the United Nations for Amnesty International 

4:45 PM   Coffee Break

5:05 PM   Keynote Conversation: Ken Roth (USA) Executive Director, Human Rights Watch

5:20 PM    Panel Two followed by Q&A: Making human rights locally relevant

This panel identifies the gap between universal rights and local realities and explores possible theoretical and practical approaches to bridge the gap between the two.

  • Lina Abou-Habib (Lebanon), Executive Director, Collective for Research and Training on Development–Action
  • Asma Khader (Jordan), Senator in the Parliament of Jordan, Secretary General of the Jordanian National Commission for Women
  • Naeem Mirza (Pakistan), Chief Operating Officer, Aurat Foundation
  • Jacqueline Pitanguy (Brazil), Founder and President, Cepia, and former Minister of Women’s Affairs of Brazil
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