Our published thinking addresses what some of the biggest challenges of our time require
Strengthening the human rights system
The Open Society Barometer, a 2023 poll of over 36,000 respondents from 30 countries, presents reasons for hope. The concept of human rights as a force for good remains widely popular, and a vast majority want to live in a democratic state. The challenge is limited faith in the ability of human rights to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives today, in a time of profound disorder and compounding crises. Identifying the specific role of human rights in addressing complex systemic issues, like poverty and corruption, as well as new challenges, like how technological advances are reshaping the human experience, will be key. How can we envisage a way forward for the human rights framework which builds on past strengths and popular support while engaging these dilemmas? This paper offers 10 proposals for a path forward.
Renewing human rights
The 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in December 2023, is a time to reflect on how the human rights system as it has evolved since 1948 can remain relevant to a world that is very different to the one in which the declaration came into being. This briefing paper argues that there is true opportunity for renewal. It examines how the human rights system should seek to achieve positive change; and proposes an agenda for how human rights can be applied to some of the greatest challenges now facing our world.
A human rights approach to loss and damage
There continues to be no official or universal definition of loss and damage. This is the time when it needs to be defined more precisely, and grounding it in human rights would be one important way of doing so. This client briefing suggests five ways that loss and damage could be underpinned by human rights.
Human rights diplomacy
In an era of increasing polarization between great powers, and amid profound and overlapping global challenges, principled leadership and careful diplomacy on human rights are urgently needed. The norms and tools of the multilateral human rights system offer ways to address global crises. But it remains in question whether, and how, human rights diplomacy can respond effectively.