Category: Events

EVENT DETAILS: 

When: Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Where: Online Webinar
Time:  3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT 
Cost: Free and open to the public

Please register for the call here.

The U.S. Human Rights Network is hosting an introductory webinar on how to use the Universal Periodic Review to amplify your issue and advocate for justice. The webinar will answer the questions:

• “How can I hold the government accountable for its flagrant violations of human rights?”
• “How does the human rights framework relate to my issue?”
• “Why should I internationalize my issue?”
• “Why should I engage with the United Nations?”
• “What is the Universal Periodic Review?”
• “How can I get involved with the Universal Periodic Review?”

USHRN Deputy Director Salimah Hankins and independent expert Joshua Cooper will offer an introduction to the human rights framework, international mechanisms, and the Universal Periodic Review. 

This webinar is the first in a series of six webinars from July through September on the Universal Periodic Review. Each webinar will become gradually more specific and technical, aimed at assisting NGOs and activists with drafting their own stakeholder reports for the upcoming Universal Periodic Review of the United States. 

The July 10th webinar is open to the public including non-members. 

Click to watch a short video of Malcolm X discussing the value of the
human rights framework and the internationalization of issues.

“There are many of our people who are thinking more deeply and more broadly, and are beginning to see the importance of lifting [our issues] out of the national or domestic context, beyond the jurisdiction of the United States government. The only way this can be done is by internationalizing the problem and putting it at a level where it can be taken into the United Nations. Then, all of the other independent nations on this earth can involve themselves in our struggle and support us.” – Malcom X

Click here to view information about the call on the USHRN calendar.
 

Interested in helping shape the future of human rights education? Then consider nominating yourself or a colleague to join HRE USA’s Steering Committee. 

Our rules call for the election every summer of new Steering Committee members to replace retiring members. This year there are 2 open seats to be filled, and we invite all members to make nominations for their replacements. You may nominate anyone who fits the criteria for membership and can fulfill the responsibilities of Steering Committee members, including nominating yourself!

Brief biographies of current Steering Committee members can be viewed here. A ballot will be sent to all HRE USA members in July.

Elected Steering Committee members will serve a three-year term beginning in August 2019.

DEADLINE: TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2019

>> Learn more
>> Nomination Form

For further inquiries, please contact Emily Farell

Today, Monday, December 10th marks the 70th ANNIVERSARY of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A milestone document in the global history of human rights that is as relevant today as it was when drafted seven decades ago.  

Although the UDHR is not in itself legally binding, it has become the procreator of modern international human rights law, providing safeguards – and sometimes lifelines – for thousands of people from all walks of life when national laws fail them. It has parented 16UN human rights treaties that are legally binding, including the twin UN Covenants spanning economic, social and cultural and civil and political rights respectively, plus a host of regional treaties in Africa, the Americas, and Europe.

We now take for granted that such human rights standards can be used to hold our governments to account, but just 70 years ago there were no internationally recognized human rights norms at all. The very fact that the UDHR has stood the test of time is a testament to the enduring universality of its perennial values of equality, justice, and human dignity.

The promise of the UDHR, however, has yet to be fulfilled because, as all advocates know, human rights are not a given but rather require a continuous struggle to get and once that has been achieved to keep. In other words, it is down to us to promote its ethical vision as new forms of nationalism and populism threaten to challenge our world.  

At HRE USA we believe human rights education is key to ensuring a future in which all people’s rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled. Please consider supporting HRE-USA by making a tax-deductible contribution on our behalf to our fiscal sponsor, the Center for Transformative Action, a 501(c)3organization. Your donation will allow us to continue to advocate for and further develop programming that supports human rights education across the United States.

In honor of the 70th Anniversary and to help everyone celebrate the gift of the UDHR, HRE USA has created this online resource kit. You can also join the international campaign to #Standup4humanrights. 

 HAPPY HUMAN RIGHTS DAY