Human Rights in a Fractured World
with Alex Neve
Hosted by Adrian Harewood
To Alex Neve, the core promise behind human rights is that they are applied universally: to everyone, everywhere, at all times, without exception. But in this year’s Massey Lectures, he argues that while universality is the noblest promise we can afford our fellow human beings, it’s also the area where we have most gravely failed.
Carleton University’s Adrian Harewood sits down with Alex Neve, former secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada, for a timely conversation on where we went wrong, how we have progressed, and what we can do to fulfill the promise that human rights are inherent, inalienable, and applicable to all people.
At a time of immense global challenges, including the climate crisis, mass atrocities, and the rise of hate, the promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is deeply contested and frayed, even as people demand and embrace their rights as never before.
Universal is the core promise of the human rights order born out of the devastation of World War II and the Holocaust: these rights extend to everyone, everywhere, at all times, without exception. But the cruel reality is that the word universal also screams of our profound failure to keep the promise. Too often, human rights are applied selectively, withdrawn on the whims of political leaders, or ignored altogether, and the broken promise is palpable in humanity’s darkest moments, not only in violent conflict, but also in the economic, political, and social structures of our fractured world.
Books are available from our friends at Perfect Books.
The Ottawa International Writers Festival is supported by generous individuals like you. Please consider subscribing to our newsletter and making a donation to support our programming and children’s literacy initiatives.