Latest News From INHR
INHR Profile: Eric Richardson
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What is your favorite part about where you are from?
The kind of Midwestern common sense I learned growing up in small cities in Michigan is important to who I am now and to who I was as a diplomat. First, in small cities, human beings and values are important. So, naturally, are human rights. People where I’m from don’t want the Government to tell them what to do so they appreciate individual liberties. Second, because relationships matter in a small town, I learned to talk to anyone. This carried over into my overseas postings where I talked to people in their local language and from all walks of life – including people from countries I disagreed with -- and it made me a better diplomat. Considering that kind of common sense and values is why I’m glad the US Government is considering making Michigan one of the first states on the Presidential primary calendar. Finally, growing up in Michigan helped me to be a Blue-Collar lawyer. To win in any competitive environment, you need to outwork the other side, country or party.
2. Can you summarize your professional activity and key achievements?
My first job was as a journalist for The Tuscola County Advertiser and then as a News Editor for The Stanford Daily. In the late 1990’s I worked as a Political and Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Israel and New Zealand. I met John on our team, who chose me to be the Clinton Campaign coordinator. We worked in DC in government together; I was in the State Department and John in Congress. I then met Hans on our team when I worked as the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Officer in China. We worked on rule of law programs and religious freedoms there together and as a result of this work I was named State Department Human Rights and Democracy Officer of the Year for 2005. I retired in 2018 and then started INHR with both John and Hans.
3. What experiences have shaped your professional life the most?
In Caro, Michigan where I grew up, we had a State Championship debate team and that experience opened many future paths for me, including going to Stanford, Michigan Law and becoming a diplomat. Working for the law firm of Morrison & Foerster taught me the value of the hard work required to produce top quality legal analysis. Serving as a diplomat in China was a dream for me.
4. What were the biggest challenges you encountered?
I expected that working on human rights might be a challenge with respect to governments who disagreed with US positions. But what surprises and saddens me to this day is when U.S. officials are willing to set aside human rights or the rule of law for their own opinions or power. It shows that all of us can do better.
5. What has been your favourite aspect of INHR so far?
I really believe in our levelling the playing field initiative at the UN. It allows us to provide greater accessibility and support smaller countries and delegations as the ‘underdogs.’
6. What foreign languages do you know?
I’m certified by the State Department in Chinese and French. I once was fluent in Hebrew and German but have forgotten them. I speak a little Arabic still from my time in Tunisia.
7. What are your hobbies?
I love water skiing and snow skiing. I like to travel and I like playing board games with my family. I love music.
8. What is your favorite quote?
The US Ambassador I worked for in China used to say “Tolerance is a symbol of strength.” I really like this quote because it highlights how respect and tolerance for different opinions can make countries and institutions stronger. Respect for every individual and community is fundamental when advocating for human rights.
9. What would be your advice to young professionals starting a career in the humanitarian field?
I think getting experience in the field, if possible, can be really valuable. Immersing yourself in the culture and language of a country, perhaps living in a place with tougher conditions, can provide you with life skills that will benefit you throughout your life. Working in China, North Korea, Libya, the Middle East and the UN in Geneva has shaped the skillset that I can now bring to INHR. I recommend that you challenge yourself and take any opportunity like that if you can, in order to get real experience that you can bring to any work that you do.
INHR's Human Rights Council Side Event
On March 24, INHR held a side event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 'Challenges Faced by Small Delegations and Innovative Solutions'. We had a panel of our Student Legal Advisors and Ambassadors from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Cabo Verde and Republic of the Maldives discuss their experience with our program, a free initiative to help small delegations. Read more about the INHR Virtual Legal Intern Program.
Welcoming our new Senior Technology Advisor, Dr Barry O’Sullivan
INHR is excited to welcome Dr Barry O’Sullivan, who has recently joined us as Senior Technology Adviser. Barry is a PhD in computer science and Professor at University College, Cork (UCC), Ireland. He is founding director of the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics at UCC and the SFI Centre for Research Training in AI. Barry served as Vice Chair of the European Commission High-Level Expert Group on AI and is a Fellow and a past President of the European AI Association.
Together with INHR President Prof. Eric Richardson, they have organized the workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Diplomacy during the annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, on 13 February 2023, in Washington DC . This workshop sponsored by INHR focused on opportunities and challenges of AI in Diplomacy. Experts addressed why the UN may not be the best entity for regulating AI at the international level and how tech experts can support diplomacy with data, crisis management, privacy and other analysis.
For more details, visit http://osullivan.ucc.ie/AIDip2023/ and inhr.org/responsible-ai-standards.
INHR Student Legal Advisors arrive in Geneva
Five of the fifteen student legal advisors from this year's program have recently arrived in Geneva for their internships. After a semester of studies at the University of Michigan and UC Berkeley, they will now be supporting delegations of Marshall Islands, the Maldives, Kazakhstan, Bahamas and the Gambia at the Human Rights Council, contributing to leveling the playing field for SIDS/LDC delegations in the United Nations.
Read more about the INHR Virtual Legal Intern Program and see a dramatization explaining how it works.
INHR Brussels office is established
INHR has recently finalized proceedings for the official establishment of an office in Brussels.
The Brussels branch will develop closer and more continuous partnerships with the European Union institutions on issues in the purview of our areas of work, including human rights, humanitarian affairs and the environment. It will also work with other partners based in Brussels to increase policy dialogue and build strategic partnerships that fulfill the organization’s goals.
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Invitation to Artificial Intelligence and Diplomacy Workshop
Our founding President Eric Richardson is hosting a workshop on Artificial Intelligence weapons and related policy issues during the annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, on 13 February 2023, in Washington DOC .
To register please contact eric@INHR.org or barry.osullivan@gmail.com. Authors are invited to submit four-page issue papers or eight-page contributions to the workshop by uploading them to the following link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=aidip2023
INHR Announces Its Advisory Council
On June 30, 2022, INHR’s Advisory Council held its inaugural meeting. The Council, chaired by Ms. Paula Schriefer, the President and CEO of the Spring Institute, provides INHR with expert advice on our strategic direction and on enhancing our strong work in humanitarian affairs, human rights, and diplomatic matters.
Joining Ms. Schriefer on the Council are Ms. Fawzia Koofi, a women’s rights activist and former Member of Parliament of Afghanistan; Mr. Clement Voule, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association; Mr. Philip French, Director of the International Olympic Committee’s Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport Department; and Mr. Joel Millman, Press Officer with the International Organization for Migration; and Steve Schlozman, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School.
INHR is fortunate to welcome Advisory Council members with such deep, impressive expertise to the organization. We are already benefitting from their insights into key activities such as our student legal advisor program, our engagement with the Human Rights Council, and our global health monitoring, among others. With the Advisory Council’s ongoing support INHR is well-positioned to continue delivering cutting edge work.
INHR President’s book recommended by AFSA
INHR President, Eric Richardson’s book “The art of getting more back in diplomacy: negotiation lessons from North Korea, China, Libya, and the United Nations” is a recommended read by the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the professional association and exclusive representative for the U.S. Foreign Service, established in 1924. The book offers a unique insider’s account to theories and strategies of diplomacy, drawing from case studies from the author’s own experience. “It is a fascinating read, with implications extending far beyond the world of international relations.”, says Susan Schechter of the UC Berkeley School of Law.
See more details.
Speaking on Responsible AI in the Military at Bratislava's GLOBSEC conference
INHR President Eric Richardson led a discussion with Central European government and industry officials about Responsible AI in the Military. Sponsored by the Dutch Embassy in Bratislava, we looked at the use of drones in Ukraine and other AI military technologies in anticipation of the Responsible AI in the Military (REAIM) conference the Netherlands will host in February 2023.
INHR Profile: Hans Hogrefe
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?
I was born in Germany and grew up in the Ruhr valley known for its industrial activities like coal mining and steel manufacturing. My family were very politically active and often encouraged debate on international affairs at home.
2. Can you summarize your professional activity?
I went to the University of Münster in Germany, where I studied Political Sciences, English and History. After graduating I applied for a Congressional research fellowship with the American Political Science Association to work in the US Congress for about a year to study the American political system. Through this fellowship I ended up working in the office of my mentor Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA). Tom was the only Holocaust survivor ever elected to Congress. Chairman Lantos and his wife Annette, who worked in his office as an unpaid Senior Advisor, shaped my entire focus on human rights, my understanding of the US governmental system, and of foreign affairs. I worked for Tom and Annette on the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, which Tom had co-founded with then-Congressman John Edward Porter (R-IL) in 1983, and as a Senior Professional Staff Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. I am always aware and deeply grateful that I was given this unique opportunity to work on human rights issues for the only Holocaust survivor in Congress, given my German background. I of course also felt a sense of responsibility to continue their human rights legacy after Tom’s passing in 2008 and I was able to do that as the first Democratic Staff Director of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, when Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA) appointed me. Jim’s human rights leadership is an inspiration not just for me, but for the entire U.S. government and gives hope to so many people around the world. After leaving the Congress, I worked for Physicians for Human Rights and as a Senior Advisor at the Department of State in the office the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, and for Refugees International as Director for Policy and Advocacy. In 2018, I founded my own consultancy, Equal Rights Consulting LLC, and of course joined Eric Richardson and John Sciamanna in co-founding INHR.
3. How did you meet the other co-founders to set up INHR?
I met Eric in 2006 on a trip to Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. Eric was the Embassy control officer for this Congressional visit and was the Human Rights Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Eric helped to navigate and negotiate this very difficult visit during which a series of arrests occurred. Eric and I became friends during this trip and then colleagues when Eric joined the House Foreign Affairs Committee as a State Department fellow working for Chairman Tom Lantos and when I worked at the State Department. Eric then introduced me to John, who was a senior staffer in the U.S. Senate and who has done absolutely incredible work protecting the rights of children.
4. What has been your favourite project with INHR so far?
Developing training units to help NGOs to better interact with governmental institutions and providing background analysis for INHR partners regarding the U.S. Congress and the U.S. government. The best part of INHR though is that I am able to work with colleagues who have such incredible and diverse backgrounds with deep expertise in so many different fields. Every week I get to learn from them and discover more about their areas of expertise.
5. What are your key professional achievements?
I would say working for my mentors Tom and Annette Lantos, and my former boss Chairman Jim McGovern, who had a deep impact on me. I am very proud of my contributions to help establish the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and the trust Jim McGovern placed in me by appointing me his Commission Staff Director. I hope that this work, joined by so many of my former and current colleagues within and outside of the government has had a positive impact for individuals on whose behalf we had advocated, even if that impact was not always directly visible or permanent.
6. What is your favorite quote?
“The veneer of civilization is paper thin. We are its guardians and can never rest.” – (Rep. Tom Lantos). This quote is inspiring to me because it perfectly encapsulates Tom’s experience as a holocaust survivor. It is a constant reminder to be vigilant in the defense of human rights values and our democratic society. It requires all of our attention, all of our efforts to do the best we can in our respective circumstances. In light of so much global suffering, it is easy to despair and to just give up on the work for justice and human rights. But if we guard our humanity carefully and are ever mindful of the challenges, we can rise to the occasion and protect our values.
7. What foreign languages do you know?
I am bilingual in German and English.
8. What would be your advice to young professionals starting a career in the humanitarian sector?
My biggest piece of advice is to recognize that there is not one path alone that you need to take; there is no specific degree or first job that you need to pursue. To work in the field of human rights and humanitarian affairs fundamentally requires two main things: a) a passion to care about what happens to people around you as well as to those who you likely will never know personally; and b) a willingness to translate that passion into action, such as speaking out and spreading the world about the plight of others, to support policies to protect others, or – in the humanitarian sector, the dedication to provide assistance in often hostile places. The human rights and humanitarian sectors include people with a huge range of professional backgrounds and interests. The challenge is to find the field you want to make a contribution in. This can mean working in a refugee camp, or as a journalist reporting on human rights violations in the situation in that camp, or with a political science or legal background helping refugees to have their voices heard in the legal system, the legislature or in the halls of governmental power. The human rights and humanitarian sectors are notoriously underfunded and may therefore be harder to break into. It requires a lot of resilience. I would advise young people to think about what area might interest them most and how it fits within the broader area of human rights.
9. What have been your biggest challenges?
I think the biggest challenge for everyone working in the human rights field is the daunting feeling that overall, no real progress is being made despite all the efforts. That the world ultimately is hopeless, and human rights are aspirational norms that at the end of the day are not enforceable rights. But that is exactly as predicted in the Lantos quote, there will always be new threats and challenges, we will never reach a state where vigilance is no longer necessary. That aspect is not the downside or the failure of a human rights or humanitarian job, THAT IS THE JOB!
INHR Profile: Olga Bogdan de Millo Terrazzani
We are excited to announce that INHR will be establishing an office in Brussels. The Brussels branch will deepen our engagement with the European Union on human rights issues, humanitarian affairs, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Leading INHR’s new office is Olga Bogdan de Millo Terrazzani, a Moldovan national with over 15 years of experience working in the international arena. Her broad professional experiences include stretches at the World Meteorological Organization and the Permanent Mission of Moldova to the United Nations in Geneva as well as in academia and non-governmental organizations. We sat down to learn a little bit more about Olga.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What is your favorite part about where you are from?
I am from the Republic of Moldova, a tiny grape-shaped country in Eastern Europe. I have always been proud of my origins and have done my best to promote a positive image of my country abroad. I especially like that our people are very hospitable, kind, and generous. In addition, our food and wine are delicious, our nature is untouched, and our traditions are unique.
2. Can you summarize your professional activity?
I have sixteen years of experience in international organizations, human rights, humanitarian affairs, and climate change. Indeed, I have worked with the World Meteorological Organization and with the Moldovan foreign service as well as in academia and in various non-governmental organizations.
3. What are your key professional achievements?
At the World Meteorological Organization, I contributed to the development of a new procedure for monitoring and measuring the organization’s performance; set up the internal communication network of the organization, the Intranet; and organized various events with invited speakers, including with the UN Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the UN75 Anniversary, Mr. Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond.
As a diplomat at the Permanent Mission of Moldova to the UN Office in Geneva, I drafted over one hundred statements relating to human rights, health, and humanitarian affairs, one of which was a joint statement on the question of the death penalty on behalf of forty-four states. I also co-chaired negotiations of resolutions on the questions of the death penalty, on youth and human rights, and on the situation of human rights in Iran.
While at the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, I was a gender focal point and contributed to legal amendments that led to the establishment of a parliamentary gender quota and paternity leave. I also helped organize seventeen visits of UN and Council of Europe officials, including the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
In academia, I developed the curriculum and lectured for the first Model United Nations course in the Republic of Moldova. My teaching was wide ranging and covered UN history, its structure and functions, and its rules of procedure. I also taught research and preparation, position paper writing, public speaking and negotiations, resolution development and rules of procedure.
4. What academic experiences have shaped your professional life the most?
As Nelson Mandela once said: “education is the most powerful tool we can use to change the world.” I can recall two instances in which my academic pursuits opened doors for me.
The first time was upon completing a Global Undergraduate Exchange Program scholarship in the United States. As an exchange student I got involved in the Model United Nations and participated at conferences in Saint Louis, Chicago, and New York, while also obtaining the Outstanding Delegation Award. When I returned to the Republic of Moldova, I launched a national and then international Model UN, which was an entry point to my work in the Moldovan foreign service.
The second time was after completing my master’s in international affairs at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. My capstone research project on Gendered Impacts of Weather and Climate: Evidence from Asia, Pacific and Africa was published by the World Meteorological Organization. Through this publication I secured an internship and, subsequently, a job at the WMO.
5. What is your favorite show, movie, and book? Why?
My favorite show is “Friends” because it always cheers me up. My favorite movie is “Roman Holiday” with Audrey Hepburn because she is my favorite actress. My favorite book is “Lincoln on Leadership” by Donald T. Philips because it is a wise account of important leadership qualities. In addition, I like biographies and auto-biographies like “Enchantment: the Life of Audrey Hepburn” by Donald Spoto. In fact, it is my mother, a librarian by profession, who sparked my love for reading.
6. What do you do to relax?
I listen to music, watch the sea, and admire nature.
7. When are you happiest?
When I spend time with my family. When I am swimming. And when I see the result of my work.
8. What were you like when you were a child?
I was very active. My first teacher once said to my mother: “she’s the child that manages everything: on the table, under the table and still attentive to what I’m saying.”
9. What is your favorite food? What is your least favorite food?
Seafood and fish, as well as dishes from our traditional Moldovan cuisine, are my favorite food. I don’t like pasta and lamb.
10. What foreign languages do you know?
English, French, and Russian. I also speak Italian at a beginner level.
11. What are your hobbies?
Travelling, foreign languages, chess, and reading biographies.
12. What is your favorite quote?
“The impossible is possible, the word itself says: I’m possible”. (Audrey Hepburn)
INHR In the News
INHR Hosts Side Event on Human Rights & Counterterrorism
INHR Report: How to Make Sure We Restore Human Rights When the Pandemic Ends
INHR Report: How to Make Sure We Restore Human Rights When the Pandemic Ends
In the March 2022 50th HRC session, INHR President Eric Richardson moderated this side event on human rights and terrorism. Case studies in Sri Lanka, North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa and the Middle East were highlighted (photo credit Afrique Education, Jean-Paul Tedga).
INHR Report: How to Make Sure We Restore Human Rights When the Pandemic Ends
INHR Report: How to Make Sure We Restore Human Rights When the Pandemic Ends
INHR Report: How to Make Sure We Restore Human Rights When the Pandemic Ends
Health Advisor Jane Galvao Letter to the Lancet on COVID-19
INHR Report: How to Make Sure We Restore Human Rights When the Pandemic Ends
U Michigan Law Students Support SIDS/LDC Delegation at the UN HRC
U Michigan Law Students Support SIDS/LDC Delegation at the UN HRC
U Michigan Law Students Support SIDS/LDC Delegation at the UN HRC
U Michigan Law Students Support SIDS/LDC Delegation at the UN HRC
U California Berkeley Highlights Student Legal Advisors w INHR
U Michigan Law Students Support SIDS/LDC Delegation at the UN HRC
U California Berkeley Highlights Student Legal Advisors w INHR
COVID-19 in Brazil
U Michigan Law Students Support SIDS/LDC Delegation at the UN HRC
U California Berkeley Highlights Student Legal Advisors w INHR
Atrocity Prevention in Afghanistan
Atrocity Prevention in Afghanistan
Atrocity Prevention in Afghanistan
INHR Director Hans Hogrefe co-authors op-ed on the potential atrocities associated with U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan - especially for women, girls and minorities. https://msmagazine.com/2021/08/02/congress-biden-administration-afghanistan-women-taliban/
INHR Press Releases
INHR Receives ECOSOC Consultative Status
We are proud to announce that on July 22, 2022, the United Nations Economic and Social Council granted ECOSOC consultative status to INHR. This follows the United Nations Non-Governmental Organizations Committee recommending INHR for consultative status on May 18, 2022 and completes INHR’s journey, begun in May 2020, for official status with the United Nations. At the time of our application in May 2020, our name was UNHR Geneva – a name we changed to INHR in accordance with UN guidance.
ECOSOC consultative status will allow INHR experts to participate and deliver statements in United Nations events such as meetings of the subsidiary bodies of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, regular and special sessions of the Human Rights Council, and special events organized by the President of the United Nations General Assembly. Our experts can also now obtain badges to enter United Nations grounds in New York, Geneva, and beyond.
INHR’s enhanced access to the United Nations positions us well to deepen our engagement with the international community. One area we are particularly excited to expand is our diplomatic support to small and medium-sized States engaging with the UN in Geneva.
INHR provides trainings to State delegations on how to effectively negotiate Human Rights Council resolutions and navigate the Council’s wide array of human rights mechanisms. INHR also increases the capacity of small and medium-sized delegations through our student legal advisor program, which pairs law students well-trained in international human rights to delegations. These student legal advisors assist their delegations in negotiations and legal analyses and help ensure that their delegation’s human rights priorities are properly reflected at the Human Rights Council, the World Health Assembly, and other humanitarian, labor, health, development and human rights agencies in Geneva.
With receipt of this ECOSOC special consultative status, we hope to deepen our engagement with United Nations bodies and continue to support other NGOs and delegations in their quest to improve peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development across the globe.
INHR Report on Restoring Human Rights Protections at the End of the Pandemic
As the world starts to emerge from the pandemic, many governments and institutions are maintaing restrictions on rights and liberties that were put in place because of the pandemic - for good and bad reasons. Learn about how international human rights law should address the situation in Emergencies End Eventually: How to Better Analyze Human Rights Restrictions Sparked by the COVID-19 Pandemic Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Helping Afghan Women and Girls
Our founder offers an opinion piece that challenges conventional wisdom and explains why the United States should consider partnership with China to make good on its 20-year investment in human rights in Afghanistan, and to not abandon Afghan women and girls to the Taliban.
Five Recommendations for the Biden Administration’s 1st 100 Days
For Immediate Release: December 10, 2020
Contact: Eric Richardson, Director
Phone: +1 503-442-3919
Email: UNHRGeneva@gmail.com
Website: unhrgeneva.org
In honor of International Human Rights Day, UNHR offers the Biden Administration five recommendations to undertake in its first 100 days that will help restore U.S. leadership on human rights internationally:
1. Rejoin the UN Human Rights Council and Restore U.S. leadership in Multilateral Human Rights Institutions
The Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the Human Rights Council weakened the international human rights system. The Biden Administration should move quickly to reverse this damage by re-engaging with the Human Rights Council and restoring the U.S.’s role as a core group member and key sponsor of important Human Rights Council resolutions on Internet Freedom, Freedom of Assembly and Association, and the Human Rights Situations in Syria and Sudan, among many others. The Biden Administration should also seek a seat on the Human Rights Council for the term 2022-2024. Finally, the Biden Administration should support the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights politically and financially. We should also thank those U.S. allies who protected the international human rights system during the U.S. withdrawal, including Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
Serious and substantive engagement with UN multilateral mechanisms would also involve the United States ratification of core UN Human Rights Conventions -- such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child -- and issuance of a standing invitation for UN Special Procedures Mandate Holders to visit the United States.
2. Integrate Health Diplomacy and Human Rights
The Biden Administration should promptly reverse the Trump Administration’s withdrawal of funding for the World Health Organization. The U.S. can use its renewed funding to press the World Health Organization to address human rights obstacles that prevent access to high-quality and affordable health care services worldwide. This means advocating for increased access to sexual and reproductive rights for women and girls as well as advocating for increased access to health services for racial minorities, youths, and persons living with HIV/AIDS. It also means promoting human rights essential to combating the Covid-19 pandemic, including freedom of information, which is one of the most important tools for combatting the spread of infectious diseases, and non-discrimination in the distribution of vaccines, tests, and personal protective equipment.
3. Expand the Use of Mediation and Atrocity Prevention as Tools for Addressing Conflict Situations
Despite historic U.S. commitments to protect populations at risk of atrocity, U.S. action to prevent atrocities in Rakhine State, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria, and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is not impressive. Populations continue to be systematically attacked by repressive regimes and security forces. The Biden Administration should establish a coordinated negotiation and mediation unit at the State Department and USAID focused on atrocity prevention, conflict resolution, and stabilization to help fulfill U.S. commitments to protect populations at risk of atrocity. At UNHR we have been at the forefront of negotiation and atrocity prevention efforts and we know that they are underutilized tools in U.S. foreign policy. We are convinced that mediation is consistent with, and can be practiced in a manner supportive of, the U.S.’s human rights goals in conflicts from Venezuela to Afghanistan, from Bangladesh to Libya.
4. Restore the U.S.’s Global Reputation for its Commitment to the Rule of Law
The Trump Administration abrogated international agreements and disregarded the U.S. Constitution, which has caused serious damage to one of the most important sources of U.S. power: our reputation as a country governed by the rule of law. The Biden administration needs to move swiftly to restore the U.S.’s reputation as a country that respects international law and that is governed by law – regardless of whether the force of law benefits the U.S. or is occasionally to our detriment. The caricature of a U.S. president preferring authoritarian leaders to allies and resisting a peaceful transition of power has done much to erode international respect for the U.S. and its credibility to speak on human rights issues. Given this crisis of confidence, the Biden Administration cannot defer progress on rule of law in the name of political and security interests but must address this at the highest levels and as an urgent priority.
5. Incorporate Human Rights in all Aspects of Regional Diplomacy
The Biden Administration must ensure that human rights concerns are raised in every meeting with a visiting foreign minister and in every foreign visit by Biden Administration Cabinet officials. Restoring America’s reputation abroad as well as a commitment to our values demands that every Cabinet official speak to those values, not only those with foreign affairs or justice responsibilities. When a Secretary of Defense speaks about human rights in Egypt and a Secretary of Commerce raises human rights concerns in China, the world will not only recognize that the U.S. is serious about practicing its values, it will also listen. A corollary to this approach is to ensure that all Congressionally mandated positions related to human rights are filled by appointees funded and empowered to carry out the mandate of their positions.