Conference Attendees are Welcome to Attend Any Panel on Any Track

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS

THURSDAY, April 28, 2011, 11:15AM - 12:45 PM
Room: Washington College of Law 402

The panel will consider the Obama administration's international engagement on climate change and will focus on the potential of a human rights framework for addressing global warming.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

- Edward Cameron, Director of the International Climate Initiative, World Resources Initiative
- David Hunter, Professor and Director of the Program on International and Comparative Environmental Law, Washington College of Law
- Naomi Roht-Arriaza, Democracy Fellow, USAID
- Marcos Orellana, Senior Attorney, Center for International Environmental Law
- (MODERATOR) Evan Berry, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion, American University College of Arts and Sciences

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND Human Rights

THURSDAY, April 28, 2011, 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Room: Washington College of Law 401

Panelists will present a broad examination of the goals and realities of the Obama administration’s engagement in addressing human rights issues from the perspective of well-known activists from around the world. Some speakers may join via Skype.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

- Ruslan Garipov, Chair, The State and Law Disciplines' Department, Tatar State Humanitarian and Pedagogical University, Kazan, Russia
- Thulani Maseko, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow; Managing Director at T.R. Maseko Attorneys, Swaziland
- Fernanda Nicola, Associate Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
- Horacio Verbitsky, President, Center for Legal and Social Studies, Argentina
- (MODERATOR) Peter Starr, Dean, American University College of Arts and Sciences

RELEVANT ARTICLES:

- Obama Yields to UN on US 'Human Rights' Abuses
- Iraq war logs: UN calls on Obama to investigate human rights abuses
- Does Obama Believe in Human rights?
- Fact Sheet: New Actions on Guantanamo and Detainee Policy
- President Obama Addresses the United Nations

Human Rights in a Changing Middle East

THURSDAY, April 28, 2011, 4:15 PM - 5:45 PM
Room: Washington College of Law 402

This panel will explore how the Obama administration has responded to the recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa and what that means for human rights in the region. 

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

- Sherif Mansour, Senior Program Officer, Middle East North Africa, Freedom House
- Catherine Powell, Secretary of State's Planning Office, US Department of State
- Joe Stork, Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
- (MODERATOR) Hadar Harris, Executive Director, Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law

AMERICA IN THE AMERICAS: OBAMA’S REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT

FRIDAY, April 29, 2011, 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Room: TV Studio at the Media Production Center

This panel looks at how the Obama administration has engaged regionally in the hemisphere, including the U.S. reaction to the humanitarian crisis in Haiti, the political crisis in Honduras, the war on drugs, and bilateral and multilateral relations on human rights issues through the Inter-American system.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

- Dan Erickson, Senior Adviser for Western Hemisphere Affairs, United States Department of State
- Eric Hershberg, Director, Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, American University School of Public Affairs
- Joy Olson, Executive Director, Washington Office on Latin America
- Michael Shifter, Vice President for Policy, Inter-American Dialogue
- (MODERATOR) Joseph Eldridge, University Chaplain, American University

Relevant Articles:

- Presidents Obama and Calderon sit down in a context of increasing tensions between the United States and Mexico
- Failure to Open "New Chapter of Engagement" Will Dog President Obama on Visit to Latin America
- International Narcotics Control Strategy Report Volume I Drug and Chemical Control March 2010
- The Empire Strikes Back at Latin America: The Obama administration's acceptance of the Honduran coup sent a chill throughout Latin America

ASSESSING ENGAGEMENT IN HUMAN RIGHTS BODIES

FRIDAY, April 29, 2011, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Room: School of International Service Founders Room

This panel will examine whether the United States’ role in the UN Human Rights Council and its renewed engagement with the International Criminal Court signals a shift in the U.S. commitment to international human rights bodies and the implementation of international standards at home.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

- Claudio Grossman, Dean, American University Washington College of Law, and Chair, United Nations Committee Against Torture
- Suzanne Nossel, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organizations, United States Department of State
- Diane Orentlicher, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
- Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director for Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution