Leadership

The Evolution of the Global Human Rights Movement: A Three-Decade Perspective
Carr Center Human Rights for Policy. 2/8/2023. “The Evolution of the Global Human Rights Movement: A Three-Decade Perspective”. Publisher's VersionAbstract

Kenneth Roth gave a lecture at the JFK Jr. Forum, discussing the evolution of human rights work, the strategic challenges and opportunities facing Human Rights Watch over the decades, and the future of human rights. 

Roth's talk, co-sponsored by the Carr Center and the Institute of Politics, additionally featured an introduction by Mathias Risse (Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs and Philosophy and Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy), additional comments from Kathryn Sikkink (Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights Policy) and was moderated by Sushma Raman, the former Executive Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. A complete recording of the event is also available online.

Read the transcript of his lecture here.

Maggie Gates

Maggie Gates

Executive Director, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

Maggie is the Executive Director for the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Before joining the Carr Center, Maggie was the...

Read more about Maggie Gates
Not My A.I.: Towards Critical Feminist Frameworks to Resist Oppressive A.I. Systems
Joana Varon and Paz Peña. 10/17/2022. “Not My A.I.: Towards Critical Feminist Frameworks to Resist Oppressive A.I. Systems.” Carr Center Discussion Paper Series. Publisher's VersionAbstract
In the hype of A.I., we are observing a world where States are increasingly adopting algorithmic decision-making systems altogether with narratives that portray them as a magic wand to “solve” social, economic, environmental, and political problems. But in practice, instead of addressing such promise, the so-called Digital Welfare States are likely to be deploying oppressive algorithms that expand practices of surveillance of the poor and vulnerable; automate inequalities; are racist and patriarchal by design; further practices of digital colonialism, where data and mineral extractivism feed Big Tech businesses from the Global North; and reinforce neoliberal practices to progressively drain out social security perspectives. While much has been discussed about “ethical”, “fair,” or “human-Centered” A.I., particularly focused on transparency, accountability, and data protection, these approaches fail to address the overall picture.

To deepen critical thinking and question such trends, led by case-based analysis focused on A.I. projects from Latin America that are likely to pose harm to gender equality and its intersectionalities of race, class, sexuality, territoriality, etc, this article summarizes some findings of the notmy.ai project, seeking to contribute to the development of feminist frameworks to question algorithmic decision-making systems that are being deployed by the public sector. The universalistic approach of human rights frameworks provide important goals for humanity to seek, but when we look into the present, we cannot ignore existing power relations that maintain historical relations of oppression and domination. Rights are not universally accessed.

Feminist theories and practices are important tools to acknowledge the existence of the political structures behind the deployment of technologies and, therefore, are an important framework to question them. For this reason, they can serve as a powerful instrument to imagine other tech and other worlds based on collective and more democratic responses to core societal challenges, focused on equity and social-environmental justice.

Read the paper.
Carr Center 2021-2022 Annual Report
Carr Center Human Rights for Policy. 9/9/2022. Carr Center 2021-2022 Annual Report. Harvard Kennedy School. Publisher's VersionAbstract

The world is rapidly changing, and with it, the human rights landscape continues to shift. As these changes continue, so does the work of the Carr Center to bring human rights front-and-center into our everyday lives. Our 2021-2022 annual report highlights the Carr Center’s growing reach over the past year, thanks to the continued expansion of our programs and the dedication of our faculty, fellows, and students to human rights policy and research.

 

Our new research, publications, books, podcast episodes, and webinars over the course of the year—created in tandem with our faculty and fellows—have reached over 150 countries around the world, bringing the Carr Center’s mission into the homes, universities, and workplaces of thousands. To learn more about what the Carr Center accomplished during the 2021-2022 academic year, click the link below.

Read the report.

Conflict, Militarization, and Exploitation of Indigenous Land and Resources
Carr Center Human Rights for Policy. 10/12/2021. Conflict, Militarization, and Exploitation of Indigenous Land and Resources. See full text.Abstract

The 2021 Indigenous Women Convening for Peace, Justice, and Reconciliation Conference brought together Indigenous scholars and female leaders from seven Indigenous socio-cultural zones around the world. Together, they shared stories of war and conflict in their territories and discussed collective ways of ideating Indigenous conflict resolution and peacemaking processes.

The event was organized by the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy; the Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights; the Scholars at Risk Program; and the Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples, Gender, Justice, and Peace. Co-sponsors included the Center for the Study of World Religions; the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures; the Harvard College Writing Program; HUNAP; Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative; and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. The event was moderated by Jacqueline Bhabha, FXB Director of Research and Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Shelly Lowe, Executive Director of the Harvard University Native American Program. Opening remarks were provided by Raquel Vega-Duran, Chair of the Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights, and Sushma Raman, Executive Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.

This publication features the 10 speakers of the conference and their profound statements on the state of human rights and peacemaking in their respective Indigenous zones.

Read the paper.

Here’s What Erick Erickson Gets Wrong About Dictators and Migration
Kathryn Sikkink. 12/4/2018. “Here’s What Erick Erickson Gets Wrong About Dictators and Migration.” The Washington Post. See full text.Abstract
In a recent op-ed, conservative writer Erik Erickson argued that the U.S. government should support the “next Pinochets” to create more stability in Latin America and stop the flow of refugees seeking access to the United States.

The remark was instantly controversial because Augusto Pinochet was a Chilean dictator who committed massive human rights abuses.

Read the full article here.

2018 Apr 11

Study Group on North Korean Human Rights - "From Pyongyang to Pyongchang and Back: Engagement, Security, and Human Rights"

3:00pm to 4:30pm

Location: 

Littauer 324 (Fainsod Room), HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

This study group, led by Carr Center Fellow, Jung-Hoon Lee, is open to all. It will meet three times during the spring, 2018 semester:

Read more about Study Group on North Korean Human Rights - "From Pyongyang to Pyongchang and Back: Engagement, Security, and Human Rights"
2018 Mar 29

Study Group on North Korean Human Rights - "North Korean Human Rights: Where are we Now?"

3:00pm to 4:30pm

Location: 

Littauer 324 (Fainsod Room), HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

This study group, led by Carr Center Fellow and Inaugural Ambassador for North Korean Human Rights, Jung-Hoon Lee, is open to all. It will meet three times during the spring, 2018 semester:

Read more about Study Group on North Korean Human Rights - "North Korean Human Rights: Where are we Now?"
2018 Apr 18

The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: Secretary Ash Carter - Human Rights and International Security - Some Perspectives from the Pentagon

1:00pm to 2:15pm

Location: 

Wexner 434AB, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

Fierce Urgency of Now speaker seriesThe Carr Center is excited to announce its 2018 Speaker Series: The Fierce Urgency of Now: Human Rights in 2018. The series will be faciliated by Professor ...

Read more about The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: Secretary Ash Carter - Human Rights and International Security - Some Perspectives from the Pentagon
2018 Apr 23

The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: Mathias Risse - Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence: Reflecting on Some Bleak Scenarios

5:30pm to 6:45pm

Location: 

Wexner 434AB, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA

Fierce Urgency of Now speaker seriesThe Carr Center is excited to announce its 2018 Speaker Series: The Fierce Urgency of Now: Human Rights in 2018. The series will be faciliated by Professor ...

Read more about The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: Mathias Risse - Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence: Reflecting on Some Bleak Scenarios
2018 Apr 17

The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: Jacqueline Bhabha - The Human Rights of Non-Citizens Under Trump

5:30pm to 6:45pm

Location: 

Bell Hall (Belfer 500), Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA

Fierce Urgency of Now speaker seriesThe Carr Center is excited to announce its 2018 Speaker Series: The Fierce Urgency of Now: Human Rights in 2018. The series will be faciliated by Professor ...

Read more about The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: Jacqueline Bhabha - The Human Rights of Non-Citizens Under Trump
2018 Apr 09

The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: Stephen Rickard - Make me do the Right Thing: Politicians and Human Rights

5:30pm to 6:45pm

Location: 

Rubenstein 414 AB (Democracy Lab), Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA

Fierce Urgency of Now speaker seriesThe Carr Center is excited to announce its 2018 Speaker Series: The Fierce Urgency of Now: Human Rights in 2018. The series will be facilitated by Professor ...

Read more about The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: Stephen Rickard - Make me do the Right Thing: Politicians and Human Rights
2018 Apr 16

The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: J. Bryan Hehir - The Time of Trump and the Papacy of Francis: Contending Conceptions of Rights, Duties and Relationships

5:30pm to 6:45pm

Location: 

Wexner 434AB, Harvard Kennedy School, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA

Fierce Urgency of Now speaker seriesThe Carr Center is excited to announce its 2018 Speaker Series: The Fierce Urgency of Now: Human Rights in 2018. The series will be faciliated by Professor ...

Read more about The Fierce Urgency of Now Speaker Series: J. Bryan Hehir - The Time of Trump and the Papacy of Francis: Contending Conceptions of Rights, Duties and Relationships

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