Blog Post
A half-century since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a new book from the Carr Center for Human Rights and BCSIA brings together leading activists and policymakers to reflect upon attempts to advance human rights.
Realizing Human Rights: Moving from Inspiration to Impact, edited by Carr Center Executive Director Samantha Power and BCSIA Director Graham Allison, includes diverse perspectives from government, the media, the UN, and NGOs and touches on policy debates in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The authors assess how policies and actions can achieve the realization of human rights and they identify new directions and challenges that lie ahead. The essays analyze human rights policy tools and grapple with the struggle to move "from inspiration to impact."
The distinguished contributors to the volume include UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan ; former chief prosecutor for the war crimes tribunals Richard Goldstone ; international lawyer Louis Henkin ; UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson ; and British parliamentarian Shirley Williams.
Essays by authors such as Chinese activist Wei Jingsheng and President Jimmy Carter examine the issues, institutions, and tools at the heart of human rights policy. Reflecting o the role of the individual in advancing the human rights of individuals everywhere, President Carter proclaims that we must "keep the faith in human action."
John Kenneth Galbraith says of the book "Books are books but one can be the equivalent of a full course in a first-rate college or university. So here... It is indeed the equivalent of a semester''s study under the best authority.
(http://ksgnotes1.harvard.edu/BCSIA/Library.nsf/pubs/RealizingHR)