Project description
Fortifying the foundations of human rights worldwide
In a world where states frequently wield human rights as a shield for their actions, there is a lack of oversight and regulation surrounding how they use human rights justifications (HRJust). This manifests in two key aspects: the absence of adequate regulation governing states’ use of HRJust and the failure to safeguard individual human rights when states employ this tactic. The EU-funded HRJust project will develop a comprehensive HRJust theory while introducing the innovative concept of ongoing civil society engagement (OCSE). Through OCSE, HRJust will identify gaps in human rights regulations and protection. Operating in Finland, India, Sweden, Taiwan, and Ukraine, the project will address the geopolitical factors influencing states’ use of HRJust. The project centres on the themes of Covid-19, migration, and climate, using both theoretical and empirical scientific approaches.
Objective
Human Rights Justifications (HRJ) are when States use human rights to justify decisions. Human rights regimes operate on the presumptions that only individual persons can be in possession of human rights. The regulatory gaps occurring when the States use HRJ for their actions are two-fold, one in the regulation of the States’ use of HRJ and one in the individual human rights protection when States use HRJ. This activity is not regulated by any international, regional or national regime. In other words, significant and important gaps in human rights regulations has now been identified, which this project seeks to address. We will develop a theory of HRJ and a process for Systematic Ongoing Civil Society Engagement (ODCSE) as a tool for a gender and intersectional inclusive Civil Society engagement. Through ODCSE, we will identify gaps in human rights regulations and protection, serving as underpinning data for our recommendations to EU in support of a multinational human rights system and promotion of transnational democratic governance. ODCSE will also help us identify geopolitical elements that influence States’ use of HRJ. This will be done through 5 countries: Sweden, Finland, Taiwan, India and Ukraine, through three actions: human rights dialogue, inclusive democratic participations, and protection of human rights defenders, and operationalised through three themes: Covid, Migration and Climate.
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Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
405 30 Goeteborg
Sweden