Human Rights Month is an annual event hosted by the Academy on Human Rights & Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law, cosponsored by the American Society of International Law. This event  features conferences, workshops, a film festival, and a discussion of recent publications in the human rights sector. Through Human Rights Month, the Academy provides a forum for the education on and discussion of human rights theory. Participants have the opportunity to share first hand experiences, as well as network with fellow practitioners, scholars, and activists in the field. ----

The panels, which are open to the public, feature prominent experts in the field of human rights and will address relevant and timely issues.

Participants have the opportunity to share their experiences and network with students, lawyers, activists and internationally known scholars.

SCHEDULE (Click here for more information).

Tuesday, June 05 2012 / 12:30pm -  2:00pm

Assessing the Recent Work of the UN Human Rights Council: Achievements and challenges        

The UN Human Rights Council is now under review and has completed its first cycle of the Universal Periodic Report (UPR). Furthermore, it has played a notable role in the recent events of the “arab spring.” In the framework of these fluid international developments, the expert panelists will discuss the main achievements and challenges of the Council in its recent work and the prospects of the future agenda in emerging volatile situations around the world.

Thursday, June 07 2012 / 12:30pm - 2:00pm

Protecting the Right to Freedom of Expression in a Complex World: International and regional challenges        

Freedom of expression has become one of the most fundamental rights in the international human rights discourse, but at the same time, it has developed into one of the most difficult to protect in the complex world in which we live. Even if agreement exists as to the core values that freedom of expression embraces, the scope of protection of the diverse aspects of this right seems to remain under debate in light of the political, cultural and religious challenges presented in the different regions of the world. Experts representing the regional and universal human rights systems will explore those challenges and discuss the responses adopted to address the issues presented by the international protection of the right to freedom of expression.

Tuesday, June 12 2012 / 12:30pm - 2:00pm

The creation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) in 2001 served as a catalyst to connect issues of development with those of protection of economic, social and cultural rights. On the human rights side, the United Nations established new special procedures to monitor compliance with basic economic and social rights. Moreover, states adopted the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which allows individuals to bring complaints at the international level alleging violations of those rights. These international actions were matched by an active judiciary in many domestic jurisdictions that began adjudicating violations of economic, social and cultural rights on the basis of newly adopted constitutional provisions influenced by existing international standards. The adoption of these policies, procedures and treaties in the international sphere—as well as the development of new judicial approaches at the domestic level—have transformed the debate as to the centrality of the protection of economic, social and cultural rights. This panel will appraise the impact of those developments in the concrete realization of these rights and explore the challenges lying ahead.

A Look at the Recent Thematic Work of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Throughout its existence, the Inter-American Commission has successfully promoted and protected human rights in the western hemisphere. Specifically, one of its most effective promotion and protection tools has been the adoption of country reports assessing the general situation of human rights in certain countries and of thematic reports analyzing the status of protection of specific human rights or of groups exposed to greater vulnerability. In particular, the thematic reports have been essential in articulating the scope of human rights protection consecrated by the American Convention on Human Rights and other Inter-American treaties. The panel will discuss a selection of thematic reports developed by the Commission in the last year and assess the impact that these reports have had in the political work of the Commission as it monitors the general situation of human rights in the western hemisphere.

Thursday, June 14 2012 / 12:30pm -  2:00pm

The Reform Debate and the Inter-American Human Rights System: an appraisal of the recent reforms and an assessment of the need for more measures     

In 2009, both the Commission and the Court adopted new rules of procedures to improve the functioning of the human rights system and address concerns raised by users of the Inter-American mechanisms. Most recently, a new wave of proposed reforms has been debated by States at the Organization of American States. As a result of those debates, a set of reform recommendations has been presented for further consideration at the meeting of the OEA’s General Assembly. This panel will appraise the success or failure of past reforms and assess the need for further measures to reform the mechanisms of the Inter-American Human Rights System in the near future.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Panels are free to the public but registration is required.

Register at: www.wcl.american.edu/secle/registration