Welcome to Module 1! The principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), such as distinction and proportionality, are the bedrock of civilian protection in wartime. Today, these principles are being challenged, undermined, and violated with devastating frequency, as seen in the civilian toll in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. If the international community fails to uphold the law, it legitimizes impunity, perpetuates suffering, and risks the complete erosion of the multilateral system. Understanding this collapse isn't just an academic exercise; it's a vital step toward advocating for a more just and accountable world. By the end of this module, you will be able to: - Analyze the core principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and identify where modern conflict tactics (e.g., urban warfare, blockades) violate these principles. - Evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of international accountability mechanisms (e.g., the International Criminal Court) in prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity in ongoing conflicts. - Identify the political and systemic factors contributing to the inconsistent application of international law and the erosion of the multilateral system. To begin your study, please proceed immediately to the Materials Section. There you will find essential readings, video lectures, and the compelling case studies (including those on The Civilian Toll in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan) that will form the basis of our analysis. Let's start this critical examination of the law and its crisis.

Welcome to Module 2! The climate crisis is no longer a purely environmental issue—it is a human rights crisis. It directly undermines our rights to health, food, and water and fuels inequality. As we'll examine in cases like The Bonaire Climate Case, legal battles are now being fought on the basis of human rights to compel powerful states to protect smaller, vulnerable communities. Furthermore, those who stand up to protect the environment, the Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs), often face severe risks. Understanding this nexus is essential for advocating for systemic change and ensuring justice for those most impacted by environmental harm. By the end of this module, you will be able to: - Define the concept of Climate Justice and explain how the climate crisis impacts specific economic, social, and cultural rights (e.g., rights to health, food, water). - Assess the unique vulnerabilities and human rights risks faced by Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs) and Indigenous Peoples in the context of resource extraction and environmental projects. - Evaluate mechanisms for holding governments and transnational corporations accountable for environmental degradation that violates human rights, including through legal challenges and human rights due diligence. To begin your deep dive into this essential topic, please proceed to the Materials Section. There you will find core readings, video lectures, and the compelling case studies that will guide our exploration of climate justice. Join us now.

Welcome to Module 3. Technology is not neutral; its design and deployment have profound human rights consequences. The proliferation of systems like social scoring and untargeted biometric scraping poses a direct threat to core freedoms like privacy, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly. As we will explore, unchecked AI is creating "unacceptable risks" by embedding and exacerbating systemic discrimination—a phenomenon known as algorithmic bias—in areas from policing to credit access. Understanding the dynamics of digital authoritarianism is essential to developing the necessary ethical and legal guardrails to ensure that technology serves humanity, not controls it. By the end of this module, you will be able to: - Analyze the threats posed by digital surveillance, censorship, and cybercrimes to the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, and peaceful assembly in a digital age. - Explain the concept of algorithmic bias and its role in perpetuating and exacerbating systemic discrimination in areas like predictive policing, credit scoring, and access to essential services. - Discuss the urgency of developing and enforcing new international and national regulations to ensure that AI is developed and used ethically and in compliance with human rights standards. To begin your investigation into these urgent issues, please proceed to the Materials Section. There you will find core readings, expert interviews, and the compelling case studies that will anchor our discussion on the future of rights in the digital age. Let's go!

Welcome to our last module. The health of global democracy is in decline, and this has dire human rights consequences. Governments are increasingly deploying sophisticated repressive laws (such as anti-protest and "foreign agent" laws) to arbitrarily restrict fundamental freedoms like expression and assembly. Moreover, repression is no longer confined by borders; transnational repression targets critics and exiled activists even on foreign soil. As we'll examine, including in the context of the Systematic Repression in Iran, these tactics are often amplified by state-sponsored misinformation and disinformation campaigns designed to undermine public trust, justify crackdowns, and compromise electoral integrity. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for those working to defend open societies and fundamental rights. By the end of this module, you will be able to: - Analyze how the proliferation of repressive laws (e.g., anti-protest laws, foreign agent laws) is used to arbitrarily restrict freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. - Identify the tactics of transnational repression used by governments to silence critics, journalists, and diaspora activists living abroad, including harassment, intimidation, and abduction. - Evaluate the impact of state-sponsored misinformation and disinformation campaigns on public opinion, electoral integrity, and the ability of civil society to operate freely and safely. To begin your examination of this critical shift in global politics and human rights, please proceed immediately to the Materials Section. There you will find core readings, video analyses, and the compelling case studies that will form the basis of our discussion. Let's start!