What pressing issues face human rights today? From AI to climate change
Human Rights Education
At the frontier of international human rights is a myriad of valuable development practices that extend and deepen our knowledge of human rights protection.
Post-graduate training and academic research in human rights provide students with a comprehensive understanding of human rights theory and law, enabling them to analyze and address complex human rights issues. In addition to formal education, human rights education also encompasses informal learning opportunities, such as workshops, seminars, and conferences. These events provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences among human rights practitioners, academics, and activists.
Moreover, human rights education contributes to the development of a global human rights community, which is essential for the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide. By fostering a culture of human rights, education empowers individuals to become agents of change, advocating for the rights of others and working towards a more just and equitable world.
Human Rights Reporting
Human rights reporting is essential for holding states accountable for human rights violations. Organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch conduct investigations into human rights abuses and provide detailed accounts of human rights violations.
Journalists also play a crucial role in reporting on human rights issues, exposing human rights abuses that might otherwise remain hidden. In 2021, Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta (which is now run out of Europe after the Russian Federation revoked its license) won the Nobel Peace Prize, alongside Filipino and American journalist Maria Ressa, for their “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”
However, human rights reporting is not without its challenges, as journalists and human rights defenders often face significant risks in their work. Ensuring the safety and protection of those who report on human rights violations is essential for the continued effectiveness of human rights reporting.
Through their work, human rights organizations and journalists apply pressure to governments and shine a light on human rights abuses.
Human Rights and Technology
Technology has had a profound impact on human rights, particularly in the realm of digital rights. Social media and other digital platforms have revolutionized the way people communicate and access information. However, this increased connectivity has also led to concerns about the potential for the spread of misinformation, which damages trust in institutions and weaken democracy. As of 2019, over 50% of the world’s adult population say that they have witnessed fake news on television.
As is often the case with nascent technologies, digital currencies have attracted both human rights advocates and critics. Supporters argue that digital currency can fund human rights activists inside of countries with corrupt political and economic regimes. Opponents say that central-bank backed digital coins could allow governments to track a citizen’s spending habits and surveil their private life.
As technological development continues, a mature and open conversation is needed between governments, technology companies, and citizens to decide on the level of digital integration into civic life.
Human Rights and Climate Change
The impact of climate change on the world and its inhabitants is worthy of its own investigation. Yet climate change will have a particular impact on human rights.
Climate change has far-reaching consequences for the rights to life, health, food, water, and sanitation, among others. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is playing a key role in addressing the human rights implications of climate change. Climate change can exacerbate existing inequalities and vulnerabilities, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities and those living in poverty, alongside those living close to sea-level, for example Pacific Islanders. This can lead to internal displacement, refugee crises, and loss of life.
Access to food, water, and sanitation is also affected by climate change, as changing weather patterns and environmental degradation can undermine agricultural production and water availability. This can lead to food and water insecurity, with serious implications for the enjoyment of the rights to adequate food and clean water.
The Future of Human Rights
The 21st century presents a range of challenges and opportunities for the future of human rights. One of the most pressing challenges is the decline in global democracies and increasing levels of distrust of authority, fueled by the spread of misinformation.
The rapid development of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, has the capacity to affect the lives of everyone, worldwide. And while these technologies have the potential to better identify solutions to human rights issues, they also raise concerns about privacy, surveillance, and the potential for built-in discrimination.
In order to navigate these challenges and opportunities, the human rights community must remain vigilant and adaptive, developing innovative strategies and solutions that protect and promote human rights in an ever-changing world. Knowledge siloes should be broken down and the free exchange of ideas encouraged. Governments, charities, activists, academics, and individuals must be realistic about what they can achieve, whilst centering the rights of the individual in all of the decisions they make.
Democratic institutions need to be protected and strengthened, individuals in positions of power need to be held accountable, and individuals, from every corner of the earth, need to ensure their voices are heard and respected.
