ISHR's report on its activities and programs for the year 2010-2011 is now available on-line. Read about the new major in Human Rights Studies at Columbia College, the development of ISHR's capacity-building programs, and new research programs in areas including Peace-Building and Human Rights and Historical Dialogue and Accountability.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia has nominated 1992 Advocate Benedict Sannoh  for the post of Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs, Ministry of Justice, subject to confirmation by the Liberian Senate.

The Institute for the Study of Human Rights and The Harriman Institute co-sponsored a discussion on the Copenhagen Criteria, Inter-Ethnic Relations, and Macedonia's Milestones for EU Membership. The discussion was led by DR. TEUTA ARIFI,Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia and moderated by
 David L. Phillips, Director, Program on Peace-building and Rights at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University.

Nikola Poposki, The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia spoke about the Balkans. David L. Phillips, Director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights acted as respondant.

US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Stephen J. Rapp spoke on “The Lubanga Verdict: Its Impact on the International Criminal Court and US Relations with the ICC.” Following the conviction of the ICC’s first defendant, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, for the war crime of enlisting and using child soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the senior government officials dealing with international justice policy discussed the verdict and what it meant for the ICC and the evolving US relationship with the world’s first permanent international criminal tribunal. Ambassador Rapp, a former US Attorney and international prosecutor at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, won the first convictions in history for recruitment and use of child soldiers. Presented by Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights and its program, the American NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court (AMICC).

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Brown bag discussion with Mr. David Hawk (Visiting Scholar, ISHR), Prof. Charles Armstrong, and Prof. Jeong-Ho Roh on North Korean political prison camps and other human rights issues in North Korea.

The discussion coincided with the publication of David Hawk's book length report on North Korean political prison camps.

The Workshop on Deconstructing and Reconstructing ‘Mother’ explored ways in which, in different political and cultural contexts, definitions of motherhood are being challenged by the concomitant development of assisted reproductive technologies, globalized markets in reproductive services, gender neutralizing norms regarding parenthood, and the trans-nationalization of everyday life.

What are the current professional opportunities available to human rights students? What skills, credentials, and experiences are valuable? What are the benefits and challenges of various types of human rights work?

This panel discussion included human rights professionals who discussed their current work and previous professional experiences, and offered insights and advice to students interested in pursuing and developing a career in human rights.

Diplomatic History: The Turkey-Armenia Protocols
Presenter: David L. Phillips

Phillips is Director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights and a former senior adviser to the U.S. Department of State. This event coincided with Phillips' recent publication that explores the relationship between Turkey and Armenia.

An exhibit of the photo documentary work of death penalty activist Scott Langley, followed by a discussion.

On Wednesday, September 21, 2011, Troy Davis was executed by the State of Georgia for a crime he did not commit. Scott Langley was there to photograph the events. His presentation and photo documentary explored this injustice.

Conversation with Walter Fullemann, Head of Delegation and Permanent Representative of the Permanent Observer Mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at the United Nations.

This interactive event focused on the current state of the humanitarian field, the most pressing challenges faced by humanitarian actors in the context of multilateral diplomacy, as well as in field operations, and the specific role of the ICRC in relation to International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions. Mr Füllemann shared his experiences as an ICRC Delegate in zones of conflict across the globe, and addressed the issues of greatest interest and concern among the participants.

Bo Kyi founded the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which works to defend the rights of those imprisoned for their expressions of dissent. He has also received such prestigious awards as the Human Rights Watch Defenders Award, the Alison des Forges Award and the Swiss Government Human Rights Award.

Into the Current takes the viewer into the darkest corners of Burma’s massive system of repression. This film illustrates the evils of military dictatorship with compassion, historical depth, and powerful visual evidence of past and ongoing repression. The ordeal of political prisoners like Ko Bo Kyi illuminates the suppression of democracy activists through imprisonment, torture and isolation, but more importantly, the resolute commitment they embody for a people long denied their freedom.

New developments inside Burma, such as the recent release of 651 prisoners that included prominent political prisoners from the 1988 mass demonstrations and 2007 Saffron Revolution, make the documentary and Bo Kyi's work extremely relevant and topical at this time.

Columbia University Students for Human Rights (CUSHR) hosted speaker Professor Belinda Cooper on Monday, March 26, 2012 to discuss women’s rights and other aspects of international human rights.

Professor Belinda Cooper teaches International Human Rights Law at Columbia University, and is an Adjunct Professor at New York University's Center for Global Affairs. Cooper is a Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute in New York and a co-founder of its Program on Citizenship and Security. She writes and lectures on human rights and international law and is the editor of “War Crimes: The Legacy of Nuremberg,” which explores the interconnections between the Nuremberg tribunal and today’s international criminal tribunals. She has taught human rights, international law, transitional justice and gender and law at Humboldt University in Berlin, the New School, Seton Hall Law School and Ohio Northern University Law School.

Brownbag discussion with Convener John Washburn and Deputy Convener Matthew Heaphy of the American Non-Governmental Organizations Coalition for the International Criminal Court (AMICC).

The International Criminal Court delivered its first verdict on March 14, 2012. John Washburn and Matthew Heaphy discussed The Prosecutor vs. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo and other current ICC developments, including the Kony 2012 campaign and its relationship to the ICC.

Columbia University’s “On Campus” newsletter highlights David L. Phillips, Program Director of ISHR’s Peace-building and Rights Program, and his peacebuilding activities in Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Sri Lanka, the Balkans and the Caucasus.  “The goal is creating conditions for sustainable peace by empowering local partners—agents for reform in their countries,” explained Phillips. “Since civilians—largely women and children—are those affected, they must have a voice.”