Engaging International Human Rights in the Aftermath of a Global Crisis

The emergence of contemporary human rights as an idea enshrined in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration for Human Rights have long been associated with the larger political economy of global capitalism and its contradictions. We are entitled to human rights by virtue of being human; yet from histories of structural inequality, to the absence of socio-economic rights, to the emergence of a G-20 world that has stratified entitlements and access according to other commitments, the categories of ‘the human’ and of ‘rights’ to be protected have fallen short of its goals.

This panel will engage with ideas about the definition and protection of human rights and some of the challenges related to it.

Panelists:

• Lionel Zevounou, Université Paris Nanterre, France
• Siba Grovogui, Cornell University, U.S.A.
• Nicola Palmer, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London, U.K.
• Kjersti Lohne, University of Oslo, Norway

Moderated By:

• Felix Ndahinda, Aegis Trust, Rwanda