Mary Robinson Lecture to Stress Need for Renewed Commitment to Multilateralism and Human Rights

3/31/2003

From: Heather A. Cooper of The Aspen Institute, 202-736-3848

WASHINGTON, March 31 -- Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, will deliver the fifth annual Grotius Lecture on April 2, 2003 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. The event, hosted by American University's Washington College of Law and the American Society of International Law, coincides with the American Society of International Law 2003 annual conference. Robinson's lecture is scheduled to commence at 5:30 p.m.

In her lecture, Shaping Globalization: The Role of Human Rights, Robinson will argue that a renewed commitment to multilateralism and respect for international law, particularly international human rights law, is needed to address the challenges of a globalizing world. She will stress that it is in the national interest of the United States, and in the collective interest of the international community, to defend, strengthen, and reform the multilateral system to meet the challenges of the 21st century. As she has said: "Key to that effort must be a greater sense of shared responsibility for, and commitment to, the implementation of international human rights law."

Robinson will note that positions taken by the United States over the past two years on global issues such as justice, through the creation of the International Criminal Court; protection, through the land mines treaty; and the environment, through Kyoto; to name a few examples, have raised questions around the world concerning ongoing US commitment to international norms and institutions. She will point out that the pattern of actions taken by the US government since September 11, 2001 is at odds with core American and international human rights principles and are being referred to by a significant number of countries who have introduced repressive new laws and detention practices all broadly justified by the international war on terrorism.

Robinson will also discuss her new project -- the Ethical Globalization Initiative -- which she is developing in partnership with the Aspen Institute, the International Council on Human Rights Policy and the State of the World Forum. The initiative seeks to bring the values of international human rights into global trade and economic policymaking and into efforts to address global challenges such as HIV/AIDS. As Robinson puts it: "There are not two worlds -- rich and poor. There is only one. It is for us to decide if we are committed to working together to shape it into one which is based on human rights and social justice as the best hope of achieving peace and security for all people."

For more details on the lecture, visit: http://www.asil.org/annual_meeting/program.htm.

------ The Aspen Institute is an international non-profit organization dedicated to informed dialogue and inquiry on issues of global concern. Founded in 1950, it has pursued its mission of fostering enlightened leadership through seminars, policy studies and fellowship programs. The Institute is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has campuses in Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Its international network includes partner Aspen Institutes in Berlin, Rome, Lyon and Tokyo, and leadership programs in Africa.

The International Council on Human Rights Policy is a not-for-profit foundation established in 1996. It provides a forum for applied research, reflection and forward thinking on matters of international human rights policy. Its offices are in Geneva, Switzerland.

Founded in 1995, the San Francisco based State of the World Forum works with partners worldwide in the search for solutions to critical global challenges. The Forum's Commission on Globalization is an incubator, catalyst and integrator for innovative leaders and institutions working to bring greater equity, democracy and accountability to globalization and global governance.