Human Rights Section, International Studies Association (ISA)
Human Rights Section, American Political Science Association (APSA)
Standing Group on Human Rights and Transitional Justice, European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR)
We are pleased to announce that submissions for the seventh joint international conference on human rights, on the theme
Human Rights and Foreign Policy, taking place from 14 to 16 June 2020
online (hosted by the Human Rights Consortium, University of London), are now open.
In light of geopolitical rebalancing of power, challenges to human rights from a number of quarters, and waning international support for human rights, the role of human rights in foreign policy requires urgent investigation. For human rights to thrive internationally, states need to support them not only domestically but also in their foreign policies, both in their bilateral relations and multilaterally. Yet, there is significant divergence of practice. Clear challenges appear in the policies of traditional supporters of human rights. This includes actions of the Trump administration on multiple fronts, as well as European states and the EU as a whole. European policy on refugees, for example, severely threatens basic international norms. And UK support for Saudi Arabia even as it carries on a murderous war in Yemen highlights hypocrisy.