To the Righthouse

Politics and human rights or politics through human rights? We conclude this series with a conversation with Anja Mihr* focusing on the difference between ‘politics and human rights’ on the one hand and ‘politics through human rights’ on the other. Join us as she discusses with Graham Finlay the following questions: How can we safeguard democracy, freedom and human rights from threats? What role can re-imagined politics play in young democracies? What leverage, if any, can new ideas of politics have in authoritarian states? *Anja Mihr is a political scientist, academic supervisor of the Master of Arts and Human Rights and Sustainability in Central Asia, and founder and Programme Director of the Centre on Governance through human rights at the Berlin Governance Platform.

About the interplay between geopolitics and human rights Current geopolitical tensions play a very relevant role in politics, but what is the role of human rights there? To answer some of the questions surrounding this highly debated issue, we invited Karim Bitar* and covered some additional points: What role do or should human rights play in current geopolitical tensions? How can political change movements in the Global South address the inefficacy of international organizations and global governance mechanisms? Is there any space for inclusivity, cultural sensitivity, and awareness of power dynamics into conflict resolution strategies? *Karim Emile Bitar is Associate Professor of International Relations at Lebanon's Université Saint-Joseph (USJ) and Associate Fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP). He was Director of the GC Arab Master in Democracy and Human Rights from 2018 to 2023.

The importance of making room for rights-based politics In this episode, recorded during the FRA FORUM in Vienna, we focus on practicing human rights-based politics in institutional structures and spaces. Morten Kjaerum* brings in his professional and personal perspective to respond to the following questions: what space is there for human rights in politics? Are there new or regenerated ideas that can drive more rights-based politics? *Morten Kjaerum was Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) in Sweden from 2015 to 2024. Before joining RWI, he was the Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights in Vienna from 2008 to 2015.

On why leadership needs a long-term and rights-based view One cannot talk about politics without discussing the characteristics of leadership. We asked Mary Robinson* her thoughts about a new approach suggested by her and The Elders: long-view leadership. Tune in to listen to her answers to the following questions: How are planetary crises transforming current politics? What instruments do world leaders need to re-shape international politics? What are the features of rights-based leadership in politics? How can international and regional organisations contribute to re-imagining politics? * Mary Robinson is founding member of The Elders and Honorary President of the Global Campus of Human Rights. Among her past roles, she was President of Ireland (1990-1997) and former UN Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002).

A picture of the world we want to see In conversation with Thomas Coombes We conclude the series with a conversation about embracing hope. As a final reflection, we want to hope for the future and draw a picture of the world we want to see. We do this together with Thomas Coombes* who talks about why it helps to focus more on the human in order to achieve change and what a checklist of hope-based human rights communication would look like. * Thomas Coombes is a global communications strategist who developed hope-based communications to help the human rights and other progressive movements develop new narratives for social change. He has spent 15 years working in political communications for Amnesty International, Transparency International, the European Commission and global PR firm Hill & Knowlton. Thomas is an Alumnus of GC Europe. Take your hope-based pledge here.

The power of telling a human story In conversation with Andrew Leon Hanna We want to continue our journey to better understand what it means to hope for the human, and to do so we will talk about the power of telling a human story. Our guest Andrew Leon Hanna* will answer some important questions: why is it important to use a common ground rather than divisive narratives? A human story rather than statistics and jargon? How can we amplify the powerful voices of unsung heroes? * Andrew Leon Hanna is author of a Financial Times Book of the Year, a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur, and a Harvard-trained lawyer. He co-founded DreamxAmerica, whose PBS film was nominated for a Chicago Emmy® and which connects small businesses to zero-interest loans. Hanna received an MBA with honors from Stanford and a JD with honours from Harvard. Full bio here.

The importance of positive human rights narratives In conversation with George Ulrich In the first GC Podcast Series, we widely explained why talking with human rights sceptics is not only relevant but also conducive to increased motivation for further action. Still, an important question remained: how to improve a meaningful human rights discourse? George Ulrich* shares his thoughts and answers additional questions: how do we prompt positive and engaged reactions to human rights issues? Is there a way to bring a positive vision of human rights to people’s everyday lives? * Prof. George Ulrich is the Academic Director of the Global Campus of Human Rights. Among his main research interests are the history and philosophy of human rights, human rights diplomacy, human rights and development cooperation, health and human rights. A key focus of his teaching is to equip students to effectively engage with expressions of human rights scepticism. He was the host of the first GC Podcast Series. Full bio here.

Are human rights politically neutral? Does proliferation of human rights water down the very concept? Expressions of political scepticism about human rights may involve an assessment both of how human rights claims feed into and affect political processes and, conversely, the role of politics in facilitating the realisation of human rights. Political sceptics contend that human rights claims are politics in disguise, have a disruptive influence on political processes, or divert attention from urgently needed political action. A distinct but related form of political scepticism is linked with the idea of a proliferation of human rights, which acknowledges that certain ‘fundamental’ rights constitute valid universal standards, but contends that the notion of universal human rights is being extended much too far in contemporary discourse, thus watering down and potentially compromising the underlying concept. Should human rights maintain a presumption of political neutrality or should they rather make common cause with particular political agendas, for example related to the redistribution of wealth and affirmative action in relation to public goods and access?

Whose values? Whose experience? Are human rights inclusive? Value-based objections to human rights are commonly stated with reference to culture and/or religion. They may further be linked with a claim that human rights are shaped by and express distinctly Western values. The perception of a certain degree of incompatibility between human rights standards and prevailing cultural norms is widespread and not adequately answered by arguments at the theoretical level. While cultural traditions indeed are dynamic and shaped both by external influences and internal contestations, it must by the same token be acknowledged that value transformations happen slowly and that points of friction between local values and international human rights norms cannot be overcome all at once. It therefore makes sense for human rights advocates to ask themselves how to react in practical terms to such concerns and focus on preventing the most egregious abuses while seeking to find points of compatibility that bring human rights close to home.