Tag Archives: human rights

02.20.13
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Open Source Transparency

EWC Education Project Specialist Christina Monroe writes:

Just as quickly as you can end the previously hours-long debate on ‘what countries border Moldova’ with a Google search on your smartphone, human rights activists can now eliminate doubts that abuses are happening.

It’s a new open source transparency. But instead of sharing software for free, scientists and NGO workers are sharing tools to document events. These events used to happen in secrecy, but now they’re in the public domain for all to see. These tools, in the hands of willing citizens, can force public accountability and ultimately more transparency from powerful players in every society.

I recently took part in a briefing for East-West Center’s Asia Pacific Leadership Program fellows with the Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC. I’m fascinated by how they use GIS and remote sensing to support human rights organizations.

An analysis of high-resolution satellite images of Aleppo, Syria, appears to reveal the deployment of heavy armored vehicles in civilian neighborhoods as well 117 instances of damage to buildings and infrastructure. Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science.

An analysis of high-resolution satellite images of Aleppo, Syria, appears to reveal the deployment of heavy armored vehicles in civilian neighborhoods as well 117 instances of damage to buildings and infrastructure. Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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01.15.09
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Summer Institute in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights for interested alumni

Update: The correct dates for the Summer Institute is June 22 to July 3, 2009. It was listed incorrectly in the original post.

The Asian International Justice Initiative looks forward to hosting its second annual Summer Institute in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (the Summer Institute) in Bali, Indonesia from June 22 through July 3, 2009. The two-week workshop is designed for participants working across a broad range of fields and disciplines related to international humanitarian law and human rights. The workshop is best suited to people working within the Asia Pacific region or with an Asia Pacific focus. Past workshop participants have included journalists, non-governmental organization workers, investigators, monitors, government agency workers, as well as lawyers and advanced law students from across Asia and other continents. The workshop is a joint effort between the East-West Center, the University of California Berkeley’s War Crimes Studies Center, and the National Human Rights Commission of Indonesia, Komnas HAM. Continue reading →