An Open Society Foundations report says “the planetary crisis” should be kept “at the heart of the human rights agenda” and people’s minds need protection from technological intrusions.The report features data from a global opinion poll of thirty countries, including 14 countries of the G20, but not Canada. The report coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.More than 70% said human rights “reflect the values I believe in” and are “a force for good." While 58% said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is still fit for purpose, this figure rose to 66% for people aged 18-34.The report warns people in southern countries think sanctions against them are delivered under false pretenses. When asked if human rights are “used by Western countries to punish developing countries,” on average, 42% agreed, rising to 76% in Bangladesh and 61% in Pakistan.Globally, 71% of respondents say that high-income countries should take the lead on “compensating low-income countries for economic losses caused by climate change”.Younger people are becoming more skeptical of democracy than their elders. The findings show lower support for democracy and higher support for authoritarianism among people aged 18 to 34, with only 57% expressing a preference for democracy over other forms of government, compared with 71% for people aged 56 and above.The report’s author, David Griffiths, Associate Fellow of the International Law Programme at Chatham House, offered ten recommendations. He prioritized tackling economic inequality and climate change. His report also addresses “defending civic space,” “rethinking migration,” widening accountability and strengthening the human rights system.“Start with economic inequality and the idea of a human rights economy, the global trajectory on poverty and inequality is worrying and exacerbated by globally high inflation and the expectations of recessions in many countries. In the Barometer, 69% of people perceived economic inequality as a bigger challenge now than a year ago,” Griffiths writes.“Keep the planetary crisis at the heart of the human rights agenda, there are already many ways that the planetary crisis is impacting human rights— in areas including the right to life, self-determination, development, health, food, water and sanitation, adequate housing and cultural rights, with particularly serious impacts for the most vulnerable people.”Griffiths even predicted the planetary crisis would make “whole regions…unlivable, provoking conflict, migration and political turmoil.”The author said popular disillusionment with democracy should be countered by reminding the youth and others that authoritarian governments fail to deliver good economic and social outcomes.“That an increasing number of young people are seeking alternatives to democracy suggests many may be experiencing deep disillusionment with a system that does not work effectively for them and seek systemic change,” Griffiths writes before equating populism with authoritarianism.“Therefore, it is important to understand and engage with the cultural traditions and values to which authoritarian (and especially populist) politicians often appeal. While they do so to divide people and build barriers, human rights actors should also appeal to cultural values — but in an inclusionary way.”Griffiths also proposed that nations set up a “set of shared standards” on sanctions. These would establish “how to make decisions around designations and how to lift them, improving alignment between sanctions-issuing states and ensuring a level of transparency and accountability in the process.”The report also warned decision makers needed to “get ahead of the curve” and “protect the human mind from unprecedented intrusions enabled by technology.”“The growing sophistication of technology is challenging some of the fundamentals on which both human rights and democracy are based —including even the notion of human autonomy and the possibility of making decisions free from unyielding influence and manipulation,” Griffiths warned.Open Society Foundations, formerly the Open Society Institute, is a grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the stated aim of advancing justice, education, public health and independent media.
An Open Society Foundations report says “the planetary crisis” should be kept “at the heart of the human rights agenda” and people’s minds need protection from technological intrusions.The report features data from a global opinion poll of thirty countries, including 14 countries of the G20, but not Canada. The report coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.More than 70% said human rights “reflect the values I believe in” and are “a force for good." While 58% said the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is still fit for purpose, this figure rose to 66% for people aged 18-34.The report warns people in southern countries think sanctions against them are delivered under false pretenses. When asked if human rights are “used by Western countries to punish developing countries,” on average, 42% agreed, rising to 76% in Bangladesh and 61% in Pakistan.Globally, 71% of respondents say that high-income countries should take the lead on “compensating low-income countries for economic losses caused by climate change”.Younger people are becoming more skeptical of democracy than their elders. The findings show lower support for democracy and higher support for authoritarianism among people aged 18 to 34, with only 57% expressing a preference for democracy over other forms of government, compared with 71% for people aged 56 and above.The report’s author, David Griffiths, Associate Fellow of the International Law Programme at Chatham House, offered ten recommendations. He prioritized tackling economic inequality and climate change. His report also addresses “defending civic space,” “rethinking migration,” widening accountability and strengthening the human rights system.“Start with economic inequality and the idea of a human rights economy, the global trajectory on poverty and inequality is worrying and exacerbated by globally high inflation and the expectations of recessions in many countries. In the Barometer, 69% of people perceived economic inequality as a bigger challenge now than a year ago,” Griffiths writes.“Keep the planetary crisis at the heart of the human rights agenda, there are already many ways that the planetary crisis is impacting human rights— in areas including the right to life, self-determination, development, health, food, water and sanitation, adequate housing and cultural rights, with particularly serious impacts for the most vulnerable people.”Griffiths even predicted the planetary crisis would make “whole regions…unlivable, provoking conflict, migration and political turmoil.”The author said popular disillusionment with democracy should be countered by reminding the youth and others that authoritarian governments fail to deliver good economic and social outcomes.“That an increasing number of young people are seeking alternatives to democracy suggests many may be experiencing deep disillusionment with a system that does not work effectively for them and seek systemic change,” Griffiths writes before equating populism with authoritarianism.“Therefore, it is important to understand and engage with the cultural traditions and values to which authoritarian (and especially populist) politicians often appeal. While they do so to divide people and build barriers, human rights actors should also appeal to cultural values — but in an inclusionary way.”Griffiths also proposed that nations set up a “set of shared standards” on sanctions. These would establish “how to make decisions around designations and how to lift them, improving alignment between sanctions-issuing states and ensuring a level of transparency and accountability in the process.”The report also warned decision makers needed to “get ahead of the curve” and “protect the human mind from unprecedented intrusions enabled by technology.”“The growing sophistication of technology is challenging some of the fundamentals on which both human rights and democracy are based —including even the notion of human autonomy and the possibility of making decisions free from unyielding influence and manipulation,” Griffiths warned.Open Society Foundations, formerly the Open Society Institute, is a grantmaking network founded by business magnate George Soros. Open Society Foundations financially supports civil society groups around the world, with the stated aim of advancing justice, education, public health and independent media.
