Introduction to the Human Rights Centre and the Speaker Series Event for the 2024-25 Academic Year

Please join the Human Rights Centre for this special launch event for the 2024-25 Academic year. 

Introduction to the Essex Human Rights Centre

Professor Carla Ferstman, Director of the Essex Human Rights Centre

Do you want to find out about the Human Rights Centre based at the University of Essex, its history, what it does today and how you can become involved? Professor Carla Ferstman, who is the new Director of the Centre, will say a few words, take some questions, and hopefully, inspire you to become involved. Please join us.

Human Rights Speaker Series: Environmental Rights, Crimes and Peacebuilding in Transitional Justice Contexts.

Join us for an insightful panel discussion showcasing groundbreaking research from the Essex Human Rights Centre.

Time: Will follow immediately from the Introduction to the Essex Human Rights Centre, which will continue until 3.00pm. 

Environmental protection as a human rights issue encompasses a wide range of crucial aspects, from defining environmental rights and identifying rightsholders to addressing environmental crimes in the context of armed conflict, peacebuilding, and transitional justice. This event will highlight the innovative research being conducted by various hubs and projects within the Essex Human Rights Centre.

Our panel

• Professor Karen Hulme
  Chair of the Specialist Group on Environmental Security and Conflict Law, International Union for Nature Conservation
  Topic: Recent discourse and developments in environmental rights and environmental peacebuilding   
• Dr Matthew Gillett 
  Director, Essex Digital Verification Unit
  Topic: Prosecuting environmental harm under international law, and how this draws together the sub-branches of criminal law, environmental law, humanitarian law, and human rights law.
• Dr Tara Van Ho 
  Co-Director, Essex Business and Human Rights Project
  Topic: Business responsibility in preventing and remediating environmental harms: addressing outstanding and difficult questions around how businesses can best contribute to state-based, post-conflict reparations programmes and when businesses should instead be held accountable on an individual basis.
• Julie Hannah
  Director, International Centre on Human Rights and Drug Policy
  Topic: Understanding the relationship between environmental justice and drug policy reform
• Professor Sabine Michalowski
  Co-Director, Essex Transitional Justice Network
  Topic: The importance and challenges of addressing accountability for environmental crimes in transitional justice contexts, with a focus on Colombia.
• Chair of the Panel: Dr Ebba Lekvall, Co-Director, Essex Transitional Justice Network Specialising in reparation and indigenous rights in transitional justice contexts.

How to join us

• If you would like to join us in person, please book your place via Eventbrite
• If you would like to join us online via Zoom, please register here.