In a world-first Brazil rules that Paris Agreement is a Human Rights treaty
The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change adopted by 196 Parties at COP21. The overarching goal is to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius, and ideally keep it only to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In a world-first, the supreme court of Brazil has declared that the Read More...
These postcards stand up for people with disabilities' rights
It seems it would be simple to respect and protect others' basic human rights, however, there are many situations where a lack of education breaks these vital liberties. This is why postcards covering five rights protected by the Human Rights Act are currently being circulated through England, Read More...
Reproductive justice: Colombia decriminalizes abortion
Following in the footsteps of Latin American countries such as Mexico and Argentina, Colombia’s constitutional court ruled five against four to decriminalize abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, as reported by The Guardian. Prior to this motion, abortion in Colombia was only Read More...
UN votes to make a clean and healthy environment a human right
The U.N. Human Rights Council has finally recognized access to a clean and healthy environment as a fundamental human right, adding it to others─like food, shelter, and freedom from slavery─laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The resolution was first discussed in the Read More...
Climate campaigners claim victory over Belgium's inadequate climate policy
Climate campaigners in Brussels came out on top last Thursday in court against the Belgian government in another victory that demonstrates how, when it comes to climate policies, the people can overturn the presiding authority of their countries. The campaigners claimed that Belgium’s climate Read More...
Human rights can help fix the economy. Here's how
As we mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) this week, we might pause to reflect upon how relevant it is today in a world dominated by finance. “Highly”, you might Read More...
One easy thing Facebook should do in Myanmar
In March, human-rights investigators from the United Nations found that Facebook had played a role in spreading hate speech in Myanmar, fueling ethnic violence that has spurred more than 650,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee Myanmar’s Rakhine state into neighboring Bangladesh. The report, which came Read More...
Olympic Spirit
Though the water out of the tap in Sochi may be yellow at times, the powerful Olympic spirit of camaraderie still flows clearer than ever. Of course there is competition and differing attitudes, but the general support for gay rights, and the fact that it is an issue for international attention, is Read More...
In praise of dissent
Want to spur innovation, creativity and social justice? Get to know a dissenter. Jeremy Mercer | July/August 2010 issue Mabel Yu didn’t trust the numbers. It was 2006 and Yu was an analyst with The Vanguard Group, a financial firm based in Malvern, Pennsylvania, that manages almost $1 trillion Read More...
Doctor makes music that crosses cultural divides
Physician and singer Rupa Marya is on a mission to break boundaries musically and nationally.. Marco Visscher | Sept/Oct 2009 issue Rupa Marya felt a sense of pride mixed with disbelief when she learned last year that the album she had just released was the top seller in the world music Read More...