Democracy is in decline across the Americas, as governments are undermining civil liberties and the institutions meant to protect them. How can human rights defenders protect and promote the most fundamental democratic freedoms amid this challenging environment? Drawing inspiration from history, this event will explore President Carter’s response to a similar crisis during his tenure, highlighting his pioneering approach of incorporating the defense of human rights into foreign policy.
Coinciding with the Organization of American States’ (OAS) General Assembly, join the US Institute of Peace (USIP), the Carter Center, the Inter-American Dialogue, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the US Permanent Mission to the OAS for a discussion of the Carter administration’s legacy defending human rights throughout the Americas and what it can teach today’s policymakers and human rights defenders.
Through a series of discussions, expert panelists will analyze the Carter administration’s policies and initiatives; discuss successful interventions and lessons learned; and provide insights into the diplomatic, economic and legal tools employed by the administration to advance human rights in the Americas. By learning from history, we can pave the way for a more effective and impactful defense of human rights in the Americas today.
SPEAKERS
LUIS ALMAGRO
Secretary General, OAS (@Almagro_OEA2015)
ROBERTA CLARKE
Second Vice-President of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and Rapporteur on the Rights of LGBTI Persons, OAS, Rapporteur for the United States
TOM J. FARER
Professor of International Relations at the Josef Korbel School, University of Denver
SAMUEL LEWIS
Former Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Panama (@SamuelLewis)
JENNIE K. LINCOLN
Senior Advisor for Latin America and Caribbean, The Carter Center
JUAN E. MÉNDEZ
Professor of Human Rights Law at the Washington College of Law, American University
MARICARMEN PLATA
Secretary for Access to Rights and Equity, OAS (@PlataMcp)
ENRIQUE ROIG
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, US Department of State (@enriqueroig)
MARK L. SCHNEIDER
Senior Adviser, Americas Program and Human Rights Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (@MarkLSchneider)
JUAN GABRIEL VALDÉS
Ambassador of Chile to the United States (@jg_valdes)
MARGARET MYERS
Director, Asia and Latin America Program, Inter-American Dialogue (@MyersMargaret)
