The Future of Human Rights

Date: 01 July
Time: 16:00 - 17:30
Location: Leiden Universiteit - Wijnhaven

As part of the Leiden – Edinburgh Global Law Summer Course, The Hague Global Futures Hub will host a series of roundtable discussions focused on Global Legal Practice and the future of the legal profession in The Hague.

After decades of growing global commitment to human rights, we are now witnessing a rapid and troubling decline. On the one hand, human rights are undergoing deep transformations brought by technological developments that challenge traditional legal frameworks and epistemologies. For instance, the United Nations is progressively opening its doors to corporate actors who promote technological solutions that often overlook—or exacerbate—the structural drivers of poverty and inequality. On the other hand, the authority and promise of human rights as an emancipatory project are increasingly questioned in the face of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the rise of authoritarian and illiberal regimes, and the deepening climate crisis.

Amid of these global-scale, unprecedented transformations, how can the authority and promise of human rights be reclaimed? This roundtable brings together scholars, practitioners, and activists to reflect on the future of human rights and explore how its practice might be reimagined in response to today’s interlocking global crises.