The right to a livable life in a pre and post-pandemic United States

by Jenna Lanoil, former Universal Rights Group NYC By invitation, Inequality and social rights

Statistics on their own cannot show the impact of COVID-19 on the livability (the sum of factors that determine quality of life) of communities around the world. The effects of COVID-19 are widespread and far reaching, particularly on socio-economic rights, and demonstrate that what might have once been considered ‘livable’ conditions are now proving to be unsustainable. COVID-19 has rocked …

Garbage in, garbage out: is AI discriminatory or simply a mirror of IRL inequalities?

by Aurore Lentz, Universal Rights Group Inequality and social rights, New and emerging technologies

When considering the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), it is useful to remember Tay, an infamous Twitter chatbot launched by Microsoft in March 2016. Tay was an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot intended to ‘learn’ by reading tweets and interacting with other Twitter users. ‘The more you talk, the smarter Tay gets!,’ its description read. It only took a few hours …

‘Stumbling zombie-like into a digital welfare dystopia’: Are world governments capable of putting digital technology at the service of equality, non-discrimination, and social and economic rights?

by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group Inequality and social rights, New and emerging technologies

The Human Rights Council and the wider UN human rights system have regularly considered the human rights implications of new technologies (e.g. resolution 20/08 on the ‘Promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet’). Over recent years, that interest has intensified . The most recent Council text on the subject – resolution 41/11 on ‘New and emerging digital technologies and human rights,’ adopted …

El relator especial de la ONU sobre la pobreza extrema y los derechos humanos lanza ‘armas de fuego’ contra el fracaso para abordar la pobreza

by Steven L. B. Jensen, Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights By invitation, Inequality and social rights, Thematic human rights issues

“El mundo se encuentra en una encrucijada existencial”. Estas fueron las palabras de apertura de la presentación del informe final del Relator Especial sobre Pobreza Extrema y Derechos Humanos, Philip Alston, al Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU, en  julio de 2020. El profesor Philip Alston, uno de los expertos en derechos humanos más distinguidos del mundo, utilizó su …

UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights goes out guns blazing against failure to address poverty

by Steven L. B. Jensen, Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights By invitation, Human rights implementation and impact, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Inequality and social rights, Special Procedures, Thematic human rights issues

‘The world is at an existential crossroads.’ These are the opening words in the outgoing UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights Philip Alston’s final report to the UN Human Rights Council submitted in July 2020. Professor Philip Alston, one of the world’s most distinguished human rights experts, used his five-year tenure to put a spotlight on the …

What do the US protests and the UK’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic tell us about inequality, discrimination and social rights in the ‘Anglosphere’?

by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Inequality and social rights, Special Procedures, Thematic human rights issues

Violence erupts across more than 75 US cities on a sixth night of protests sparked by the death in police custody of African American George Floyd. In London, the UK Government delays the release of an official review of the impacts of COVID-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Britons. At the end of April one of the UN’s …

Inequality, discrimination and social rights in the ‘Anglosphere’

by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group Inequality and social rights, Thematic human rights issues

At the end of April one of the UN’s most high-profile Special Rapporteurs, Philip Alston , finished his six-year mandate on extreme poverty and human rights . Over that time, he completed around a dozen country missions to places including Spain, Malaysia, Lao, Ghana, Saudi Arabia and China. Yet in many ways his tenure as Special Rapporteur was defined by two visits in particular: to the United States (December 2017). and …

What are the human rights priorities of world governments in 2020?

by the URG team Inequality and social rights, Prevention, Prevention, accountability and justice, Thematic human rights issues

An independent analysis of the High-Level Segment of the Human Rights Council The High-Level Segment of the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council , held from 24 to 26 February 2020, saw the active participation of more than a 100 world leaders, including, four heads of States, around 90 ministers or vice-ministers, and a number of principals of international organisations. In the statements they delivered to …

¿Cuáles son las prioridades mundiales en derechos humanos para el año de 2020?

by the URG team Inequality and social rights, Prevention, Prevention, accountability and justice, Thematic human rights issues

Un análisis independiente del Segmento de Alto Nivel del Consejo de Derechos Humanos Entre el 24 y el 26 de febrero de 2020, el Segmento de Alto Nivel de la 43ª Sesión del Consejo de Derechos Humanos contó con la participación activa de más de 100 líderes mundiales, incluyendo 4 Jefes de Estado, cerca de 90 ministros y viceministros, y …

The UN Human Development Report must go farther on inequality

by Steven L. B. Jensen, Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights By invitation, Inequality and social rights, Thematic human rights issues

This post first appeared on OpenGlobalRights . In December, UNDP launched the  Human Development Report 2019 . It was announced in advance that the new report would reconceptualize human development around the concept of inequality. This framing offers a more holistic take on existing injustices around the world. The report combines income and wealth inequalities with those more traditionally associated with human development such as health …