Rights, Accountability and Justice

This paper looks at the human rights impacts of trade agreements and the role that effective monitoring systems can play.

The response of digital platforms to the US Capitol riots raises questions about online content governance. The EU and UK are starting to come up with answers.

The long-enshrined rights to freedom of thought and opinion should be protected in the design, use and regulation of technology and artificial intelligence.

Can the actions of corporate America in the recent US presidential election inspire genuine global action on civil society space in 2021?

As the economic recovery from coronavirus is worked through, careful steps are needed to ensure actions to enforce human rights commitments in trade agreements do not worsen human rights impacts.

This episode considers the obstacles to safeguarding human rights during trade negotiations.

COVID-19 demonstrates the potential power of tech companies as a force for good, but also that they have largely devised their own rules in vacuums of both standards and accountability. A new digital deal is both essential and inevitable.

Contact tracing apps highlight the importance of combining both technical privacy fixes and a grounding in the international human rights framework.

With a reawakened sense of our shared humanity and vulnerability, and the benefits of collective action, this crisis may translate into a comeback for human rights as a popular idea.

Although some digital platforms now have an impact on more people’s lives than does any one state authority, the international community has been slow to hold to account these platforms’ activities by reference to human rights law.

This paper summarizes key points raised during the ‘Our Shared Humanity’ conference exploring Kofi Annan’s legacy in the run-up to the UN’s 75th anniversary.

The ICC has been criticized for slow proceedings, weak management and ineffective prosecutions. The good news is that pragmatic reform need not entail fundamental treaty amendment; a culture change and more realistic expectations would go a long way.

There is growing interest in the use of human rights impact assessment to screen proposed trade agreements for human rights risks, and to ensure appropriate risk mitigation steps are taken.

Growing concern about the social, environmental and human rights impacts of trade policy has led to calls for greater public and parliamentary scrutiny of trade negotiations. Human rights impact assessment has a potentially useful role to play – but advocates should be wary of overpromising.

This paper looks at the challenges to address if a human rights impact assessment of trade agreements is to emerge as a robust and credible policy tool for states.

On the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Chanu Peiris examines how its principles apply to one of today’s burning political issues.

The US national security advisor’s recent threats look damaging but they may in fact strengthen support for the ICC from other states.