The Future of Human rights

Background

Climate change, state censorship, increasing digitization of life, and pandemics, are some of the new challenges facing societies around the world and threatening human rights. Human rights are about living in dignity and consist of concrete rights to life, equality, liberty, education, justice, free speech, artistic freedom, privacy, health, food, or housing. There is a certain urgency to think about the future of human rights since their implementation is under pressure worldwide, both in democratic and authoritarian regimes.

Arts

Everyone has the right to freedom of expression and the right to participate in cultural life. This research area aimed to explore how artistic censorship works in societies today, both in democracy and authoritarian regimes, and how we can prevent it.

Climate change

Climate change threatens many fundamental rights, including access to essential resources, such as water, food, and housing. This research area examined the impact of climate change on human rights, especially on vulnerable populations.

Digitization

Digitization raises the most fundamental questions for the future of human rights. New technologies further the possibilities and the potential of well-being for some and threaten those of others. This research area addressed the main questions related to digitization and human rights from a technical, legal, sociological, philosophical, and artistic angle.

Health

The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is a human right for everyone, without discrimination on the grounds of age, gender, race/ethnicity, or any other status. This research area discussed challenges and opportunities to realize the vision of the universal right for health, with a focus on health data.

Goals

The project “The Future of Human Rights” aimed to develop and disseminate original and interdisciplinary analyses of human rights issues through cutting-edge research. Developing partnerships with academic and non-academic organizations in Switzerland and further abroad, this project intended to contribute to discussions about human rights and foster a dialogue between society, politics, and academia.

Activities

To this end, the event The Future of Human Rights - Discussions - Performances - Debates was held in Bern on 10 December 2021. In this context, a Design Challenge was launched, the works of which are now on display.