On December 1 and 2, the Transatlantic Relations Program hosted the workshop, “Rising Powers and International Human Rights Law – A Transatlantic Challenge” at Chatham House in London. The London workshop was an extension of the program’s October 24-25 workshop in Washington and was part of the Council’s ongoing series, Transatlantic Dialogues on International Law, co-chaired by Atlantic Council Board director William H. Taft IV and Elizabeth Wilmshurst of Chatham House.
Top legal and human rights experts including Bertrand Ramcharan, former UN acting and deputy high commissioner for human rights, Sir Nigel Rodley and Francoise Hampson of the University of Essex, Clive Baldwin of Human Rights Watch, and Atlantic Council Board director Ronald Freeman gathered for an extensive off-the-record discussion on expanding observance of international human rights law in light of ongoing shifts in the global balance of power. Participants highlighted the challenges that rising powers – such as China, India, and Brazil – have on the international human rights landscape.
The series is generously sponsored by the European Union Delegation in Washington DC.