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    2020 Feb 27

    The New Geopolitical Order

    4:15pm to 5:30pm

    Location: 

    Knafel Center | 10 Garden Street Cambridge, MA 02138

    The new geopolitical environment taking shape in many parts of the world tends toward increasing authoritarianism and nationalistic competition. Inwardly focused governments are pursuing individual agendas, and eventually, these differing agendas will collide.... Read more about The New Geopolitical Order

    The Pandemic Needs a Global Response
    Kathryn Sikkink. 4/15/2020. “The Pandemic Needs a Global Response.” The New York Times . See full text. Abstract
    As the coronavirus crisis erupts worldwide, the world's most powerful international institution, the UN Security Council (UNSC), is reeling.

    The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has described the pandemic as one of the most important challenges the United Nations has faced since its creation. Several coordinated multilateral efforts have been put in place between the WHO and the UN, and the UNSC, the body that centralizes all the efforts of the United Nations on international peace and security and addresses global crises like the one we are experiencing. However, today, when the world faces the greatest threat of our time, the Security Council is missing. It is time for the Security Council to rise to this crisis. The Dominican Republic, which currently holds the presidency of the UNSC, has a historic opportunity to lead global efforts against the Coronavirus and mitigate its repercussions on world peace and security. The Dominican Republic should its position to unify the Council around a presidential statement calling for a coordinated global response as the first step in Council action. If the presidential statement is framed in a forward-looking manner, they can perhaps get permanent members on board, making it possible to take stronger action in the future.

    There is a need for a decisive declaration that calls for working together could make all the difference: legitimatize recent General Assembly decisions, reinforce the authority of the secretary-general, and strengthen the efforts of specialized UN agencies to save lives. This presidential statement should first endorse Secretary-General Guterres' call for a worldwide ceasefire in all conflicts around the globe. The Coronavirus hit the developed world first, but it can ravage war-torn regions even more. A functioning global ceasefire can help ensure that medical personnel has safe and unhindered access to the sick in these areas. Without it, the disease will exponentially spread. Civil society groups and even some warring parties are responding positively to the Secretary General's proposal, but so far, the Security Council has had nothing to say. Without Security Council backing, other warring parties may not lay down their arms. Now more than ever, we need unity and leadership from the Security Council. The security of the world and the legitimacy of the Security Council depends on the capacity of its members, including the small, to assume the responsibility for our shared future. 

    This article has been translated from its original text in Spanish.

    2020 Jul 30

    The Pompeo Commission on Unalienable Rights: A Selective Vision of Human Rights

    Registration Closed 4:00pm to 5:00pm

    Location: 

    Virtual Event (Registration Required)

    The establishment of the Commission on Unalienable Rights (“Pompeo Commission”) in 2019 prompted concern among human rights advocates and academics that the Commission could redirect U.S. human rights policy in ways that would be self-defeating and would create serious damage to international cooperation for the protection of human rights.

    The Commission released a draft report last week accompanied by a ...

    Read more about The Pompeo Commission on Unalienable Rights: A Selective Vision of Human Rights

    Registration: 

    2020 Jun 24

    The Struggle for Black Lives: A Conversation with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

    Registration Closed 12:00pm to 1:00pm

    Location: 

    Virtual Event (Registration Required)

    Join us for a conversation with Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Bobby Kennedy and President of RFK Human Rights, Wade McMullen, Senior Vice President, Programs and Legal Strategy, and Sancia Dalley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Partnerships to discuss Bobby Kennedy's legacy, the urgent work to topple systemic injustice in the criminal justice system, and the work being done to shift investor perspectives and actions to create a more just economy and society.

    Panelists:

    • Kerry Kennedy |  President of RFK Human Rights and...
    Read more about The Struggle for Black Lives: A Conversation with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

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    2020 Jun 03

    The Struggle for Black Lives: Historical Legacies to Future Possibilities

    Registration Closed 11:00am to 12:00pm

    Location: 

    Virtual Event (Registration Required)

    The tragic killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville have sparked protests across the country. Join the Carr Center for a conversation with two leading scholars on the history of racist policing in the United States, the killing of black people by police and vigilantes, the role of social and civil rights movements in advocating for change, and ways in which we can envision a just future.  

    Panelists:

    • Keisha N. Blain | W.E.B. Du Bois Fellow, Harvard University; President, African American...
    Read more about The Struggle for Black Lives: Historical Legacies to Future Possibilities

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    2020 Jun 17

    The Struggle for Black Lives: Reimagining Systems and Institutions

    Registration Closed 2:00pm to 3:00pm

    Location: 

    Virtual Event (Registration Required)

    According to Alan Jenkins, Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School, "it is time for a Third Reconstruction: a fundamental reconsideration of our Constitution, systems, institutions, and practices to uphold human rights and ensure equal opportunity for all." Join us in a conversation with Professor Jenkins to discuss how we can reimagine systems and institutions, and the leadership that is needed to move the needle on racial justice. 

    Panelists:

    • Alan Jenkins | Professor of Practice, Harvard Law School
      • ...
    Read more about The Struggle for Black Lives: Reimagining Systems and Institutions

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    The Urgent Need to Transfer Vulnerable Migrants from Europe’s Largest Migrant Hotspot
    Jacqueline Bhabha and Vasileia Digidki. 4/24/2020. “The Urgent Need to Transfer Vulnerable Migrants from Europe’s Largest Migrant Hotspot.” The BMJ. See full text.Abstract
    Humanitarian organizations are being denied entry to Moira, one of Europe's largest migrant camps. Jacqueline Bhabha addresses steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

    Lesvos, the small Greek island notorious as Europe’s primary landing point for forced migrants from Asia and Africa since 2015, confirmed its first COVID-19 related death on 30 March. Testing across the island quickly confirmed 10 cases among the local population, spreading fear of an uncontrollable outbreak in the densely and overcrowded migrant and refugee camps on the island.

    We were expecting this news. One of us is a Lesvos native. Both of us have worked on its refugee crisis for several years. We are painfully familiar with the conditions facing the refugee and migrant population on the island, and the particular dangers they currently pose. Although Greece responded more promptly to the pandemic outbreak than other southern European countries, thus controlling the spread of the virus and achieving one of the lowest rates of infection in Europe, this commendable past conduct does not assure a safe and healthy future. In fact, despite the efforts, on 21 April it was revealed that a total of 150 asymptomatic refugees living in an accommodation facility in a small town in southern Greece tested positive for COVID-19.

    Read the full article. 

     

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