Panel Discussions - Monday, April 20, 2009
Human Rights and Counterterrorism: The Role of the UN
On April 20th, the International Peace Institute hosted a lunchtime policy forum on "Human Rights and Counterterrorism: The Role of the UN." IPI Vice President and Director of External Relations Warren Hoge welcomed a record 125 people to IPI's Trygve Lie Center and, following his remarks, Ambassador Claude Heller of Mexico discussed the UN's role in upholding human rights, and the instruments at its disposal.
The panelists--John Sifton of OneWorld Research, Kristen Boon of Seton Hall University School of Law, and Edward Flynn of the UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate--proceeded to discuss the weaknesses in upholding human rights within the international counterterrorism regime. Among such shortcomings highlighted were those abuses taking place on a wide scale, but often neglected by the media: detention, profiling, deportation, and asset freezing. Judicial challenges to implementation of the Security Council's counterterrorism regime were also discussed, as were the role and function of the Security Council and its Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED).
Moderated by the Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation's Eric Rosand, the event was attended by more than one hundred state representatives, experts, and practitioners, demonstrating the resonance of this issue among the international community. The overlap of human rights issues with counterterrorism was also touched upon during IPI's 2008 Task Forces on Strengthening Multilateral Security Capacity, from which an IPI Blue Paper on Countering Terrorism will emerge in the coming months.
Welcoming Remarks
Mr. Warren Hoge,
Vice President and Director of External Relations, International Peace Institute
H.E. Mr. Claude Heller,
Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN
Panelists
Professor Kristen Boon,
Associate Professor, Seton Hall University School of Law
Mr. Edward J. Flynn,
Senior Human Rights Adviser, UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, New York
Mr. John Sifton,
Executive Director, OneWorld Research
Moderator
Mr. Eric Rosand,
Co-Director, Center on Global Counterterrorism Cooperation, New York
The Global Observatory
Interview with John Prendergast, Co-Founder, Enough Project
Mr. Prendergast discusses the international justice system and the new ground forged by Invisible Children's Kony2012 campaign.
Key Global Events to Watch in May
A list of key upcoming meetings and events with implications for global affairs.
The Global Observatory is a new website by IPI, providing timely analysis on peace and security issues, interviews with leading policymakers, interactive maps, and more.
Recent Events
May 10, 2012
Arbour: What the Rule of Law Means
“In my understanding of the rule of law, fundamentally, what the rule of law means is that it embraces the principle of equality before the law,” Louise Arbour, president of the International Crisis Group (ICG), told an IPI audience on May 10, 2012. Ms. Arbour outlined that this means that no one is above the law and everyone has both equal protection and equal benefit of the law. 
May 03, 2012
Shachtman: Cyber Threats Akin to South Bronx, Not Pearl Harbor
“There’s not a danger of a cyber Pearl Harbor… it’s more like the South Bronx circa 1999, where there’s a danger that it becomes such a tough neighborhood that no one wants to set up shop there and people move out,” Noah Shachtman, editor of the Danger Room blog at Wired magazine and non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution, told an IPI audience at a panel on cyber security on May 3, 2011.
April 27, 2012
Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems
An April 27th roundtable discussion at IPI titled “Preventing Conflicts in Africa: The Role of Early Warning and Response Systems” examined the progress, prospects and challenges of regional and international early warning and response mechanisms to monitor, anticipate, and mitigate potential conflict situations in Africa.