The Role of the UN in Peacebuilding and Human Rights - Reflections for the Future

The world is facing major threats to global peace. Ongoing violent conflicts create insecurity, massive human rights violations, and refugee flows that influence the conditions for peace locally, regionally and globally. At the same time challenges such as inequality, climate change, and radicalization influence the possibility for people around the world to live in peace and security – and if unaddressed these challenges spark new violent conflicts. In view of these challenges, the relevance and effectiveness of existing UN mechanisms for promoting sustainable peace and human rights are being reassessed. The former President of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft, has in recent months taken initiative to conduct ‘high-level debates’ on human rights and peacebuilding with the aim of exploring options for improving the existing mechanisms. Other reform agendas include the review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture, the Human Rights Up Front Initiative of the UN Secretary-General, and the Responsibility To Protect. Mogens Lykketoft, David Petrasek and Chandra Lekha Sriram will share their reflections on the role of the UN in peacebuilding and human rights now and in the future.

Program

Chair: Mie Roesdahl, CRIC and DIHR

15:00 Welcome and introduction

15:10 Mogens Lykketoft, Former President of the UN General Assembly and former Foreign Minister of Denmark

15:40 David Petrasek, Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa

16:00 Discussant: Chandra Lekha Sriram, Professor of International Law & International Relations, University of East-London

16:10 Discussion

17:00 End of seminar

This seminar is organised by Centre for Resolution of International Conflicts (CRIC) and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) and funded by the Danish Council for Strategic Research and the Carlsberg Foundation.