Approach to, and structure of, the topic on Human Rights

APPROACH

The main objective of the topic on Human Rights, within the framework of the World Social Topics Forum, is to evaluate and reflect upon the present- day discourse/s focus on Human Rights, their uses, instruments and procedures, and on the role played by or which may be played by them, in the building of a more just and equitable world; likewise , to reflect upon the various ways in which the varying social actors have embraced the language and the institutions of Human Rights, with the purpose of defending their own causes and interests. The goal is to present the points, the social actors and the decision making centers which on a world wide level play a relevant role in articulating and directing such treatment , and the interactions or actions of these social actors over socially, politically, economically and culturally excluded peoples. Additionally, reflection will be sought on the possibilities of interacting and resistance, from the standpoint of Human Rights, with respect to the centers of decision making and power. In this sense the WSTF is especially interested in reflecting upon the community and the international movement for Human Rights.

MAIN CONFERENCE, PANELS AND DISCUSSION TABLES

The main conference will address issues said before, promoting thereby a dialogue between discourses and action. It will start from an evaluation of the world’s Human Rights situation, on the basis of an approach laid out in the general focus of the critical aspects of the problem. Within this scheme, an examination will be carried out with respect to how the big power centers have acted, as well as what has been done by those peoples who have been victimized. The idea is to examine more closely how these peoples have taken up the subject, as well as the tools and procedures for Human Rights, how they have employed them and how successful they have been at protecting and guaranteeing their rights and interests. Likewise the role played in promoting and defending Human Rights by non- governmental organizations must be examined, including how much power they have managed to gain and how much success they have had as a result of their activities. On this account, an invitation has been extended to Ms. Mary Robinson, ex-commissioner of Human Rights of the United Nations.

Panels

• 1. Security and Human Rights.
  The purpose of this panel is to critically reflect upon the treatment, models and security action presently being assumed by the world’s governments, and their influence in respecting and guaranteeing human rights. WSTF is concerned with the fact that the dominant treatment over world security may be challenging the international consensus on the inviolability of human dignity, over the recognition of public liberties and over the obligations of the States and inter-governmental agencies so that such rights will, in effect, be respected. The WSTF is also worried by the superpowers who claim the States for themselves, which, in many cases, they have taken into their own right, evading the limits set forth, which arise from the rights and the private spheres of individuals. Throughout this discussion, the issue of terrorism will be present, its conceptual outlay, its treatments which have been woven around it, and the use they have been given to impose certain security policies which tend to put into question the applicability of Human Rights.
  
  It is also of interest to the WSTF to look into the different formulas which have been proposed for the purpose of responding to the demand of security by people, from a respectful perspective of individual rights and liberties, as, for example, the idea of human security or safety.
  
  Speakers:
  
  --- Susan Lee - Amnesty International- London
  
  --- Federico Andreu - International Commission of Jurist, expert on human rights issues, security, and terrorism.
  
  --- Elizabeth Chadwick – Nottingham Trent University - UK, author of “Self-determination, Terrorism and International Humanitarian Law in Armed conflicts”
  
  --- Jose Zalaquett - Director of the Project on the Latin American Human Rights Agenda.
  
  --- Ernesto de la Jara – Institute for Legal Defense, Peru

2. World Economic policies and the fulfillment of Human Rights.
This panel will reflect upon the incidence of world economic policies in guaranteeing the fulfillment of Human Rights, particularly on the matter of Economic, Social and Cultural rights; it will identify the treatment, participants, and decision centers around which world economic policy revolves and is erected, and to what extent; what points it affects and under what procedures it is carried out in satisfying those rights. The WSTF asks itself to what extent and up to what point decision venues like the World Economic Forum, The Washington Consensus, The Club of Rome, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, The Inter-American Development Bank and the World Trade Organization are taking up the space of national sovereignty and, if that should be the case, what consequences this has on the fulfillment of Human Rights.

A study will also be undertaken on the influence of policies and practices by the States and multilateral credit agencies as relates to foreign debt, in the fulfillment of Human Rights. The field of liberties/restrictions by State and multilateral agencies and their practice of proposing and acceptance of loans and credits that carry with them a set of conditions that may be hazardous for the fulfillment of economic, social and cultural rights must be looked into.

The WSTF will also examine the impact from accords and agreements for the liberalization of world, regional, and sub-regional trade (for example Free Trade Agreement, Free Trade Area of the Americas) in guaranteeing and fulfilling Human Rights. With respect to the latter, an analysis on the convenience for warranty of such rights, that is to say, on the promotion of the so-called social clauses, is imperative.

Lastly, the WSTF proposes the study into the positive and negative experiences from the treatment of human rights as a protective shield in the adoption of economic policies which tend to deepen poverty.

Speakers:

--- Joseph Stiglitz – Nobel Prize in Economics

--- Patricio Pazmino - CDES Ecuador

--- Paul Hunt – Director, center for human rights Essex University, UK

--- Sandra Correa - DAWN

Moderator: Luis Jorge Garay –Investigator, Colombia

3. Human Rights as an instrument for defeating discrimination and exclusion.
The study of the power of human rights as an instrument for defeating discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, culture, religion and national origin, etc. It must point to the obligations of States to the effect of eliminating exclusions as well as to push for analysis as to whether, besides those obligations on the part of States, there exist specific duties on the part of International and in-governmental entities for defeating discrimination.

Likewise, the panel will examine the experiences by the different movements and social sectors in the application and approaches, tools, procedures, and Human Rights institutions, as a way of defending their rights and interests.

Speakers:

--- Nancy Fraser

--- Paul Kahn – Yale University, author of “ Sectors left Pending”

--- Roberto Gargarella

--- Codine Kumar – The shop, Tunis

--- Arundathi Roy – The Guardian, author of “The algebra of infinite justice”, India

--- Alejandra Sarda – collection of the struggles for the rights of lesbians and bi-sexuals, Argentina

--- Carolyne Nordstrom – University of Notre Dame

--- Esperanza Ceron – Campaign against all fundamentalisms – Mercosur initiative, Chile

--- Veronica Matos - “La Morada”, Chile

--- Dominic Corva - University of Washington, Seattle

--- Victoria Lamas - Regional tribunal on Women, Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights

 

Discussion Tables

1. The role of the United Nations Organization in promoting and defending Human Rights

Guests:

--- Mary Robinson - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 1997-2002

--- Federico Andreu, David Kennedy - Harvard University

--- Upendra Baxi Warwick University

--- Michael Fruhling – OACNUDH / Anders Kompas OACNUDH, Mexico

--- William Reuben – World Bank, Washington

--- Francisco Gallindo - ACNUR

--- Jorge Ivan Bula – UNICEF

---PNUD

2. Free trade models and integration models: their effects in protecting Human Rights

Guests:

--- Luis Carlos Villegas – ANDI

--- US Government

--- Labor movement

3. Foreign debt and social, cultural and economic rights.

Guests:

--- Oscar Ugarteche – Plataforma Desc, Peru
--- Victor Morazan – South Wings
--- Susan George – Attack, Sweden
--- IMF
--- IDB

arriba