Dr: Jasper Krommendijk - Chair of the NNHRR Steering Committee
By Melanie Schneider
On 1 January 2023, Dr. Jasper Krommendijk became the new Chair of the NNHRR (Netherlands Network of Human Rights Research) Steering Committee succeeding Prof. Yvonne Donders (University of Amsterdam). Jasper is Associate Professor of International Law and European Law at Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, where he directs the Research Centre for State and Law (SteR). Jasper has been a member of the NNHRR Steering Committee, where he was elected to his new role by his peers, since September 2020. We sat down with Jasper to discuss his vision for the NNHRR in the context of the contemporary research landscape, as well as his own work in the field of human rights. More...
Towards Corporate Obligations for Freshwater?
The European Commissions Proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and Freshwater Issues
By Candice Foot
Freshwater is essential for all life on this planet. Despite this fundamental life sustaining role, the anthropogenic pressures exerted on freshwater resources have increased exponentially, some of the most substantial of which are caused by companies. Companies exacerbate freshwater scarcity due to their volumes of freshwater extraction. Globally, approximately 84% of freshwater resources are withdrawn by the agricultural and industrial sectors. This mass extraction contributes to freshwater scarcity in the basins where companies operate, making freshwater unavailable to meet basic human and environmental needs. Companies are also a major source of freshwater pollution, caused by their discharging harmful agricultural effluents and industrial wastewater contaminated with chemical and radiological substances into surrounding freshwater sources. This deteriorates freshwater quality, causes serious health problems for people and destroys ecosystems. More...
Artificial Intelligence & Human Rights: Friend or Foe?
By Alberto Quintavalla and Jeroen Temperman
The problem
Artificial intelligence (‘AI’) applications can have a significant impact on human rights. This impact can be twofold. On the one hand, it may contribute to the advancement of human rights. A striking example is the use of machine learning in healthcare to improve precision medicine so that patients would receive better care. On the other hand, it can pose an obvious risk to the respect of human rights. Unfortunately, there are countless examples. Perhaps the most obvious one is the use of algorithms discriminating against ethnic minorities and women. More...
Automated Content Moderation, Hate Speech and Human Rights
Within the framework of a multi-stakeholder, cross-border, EU project entitled SHERPA ‘Shaping the Ethical Dimensions of Smart Information Systems (SIS)’, a project led by the University of De Montfort (UK), a deliverable was developed on 11 specific challenges that SIS (the combination of artificial intelligence and big data analytics) raise with regards to human rights. This blog post seeks to focus on one of those challenges, namely ‘Democracy, Freedom of Thought, Control and Manipulation.’ More...
The rights of dead persons and the right to water in India on the occasion of COVID-19
by Nabil Iqbal and Mohd Altmash
Source: Gettyimages
Amid the spike of COVID-19 cases in India during the second wave of the pandemic, various Indian media (see f.e. The Hindu and Indian Express) reported the visuals of uncounted human dead bodies floating in the river in the state of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. These reports received worldwide coverage and the India’s government was criticized for failing to dispose of bodies respectfully. On 14 May 2021 the National Human Right Commission of India issued a notice to Central and State Governments advocating for the rights of the deceased and directed them to prepare a standard operating procedure for the proper burial of COVID-related deceased in order to maintain their dignity. More...
Eclipsing Human Rights: Why the International Regulation of Military AI is not Limited to International Humanitarian Law
By Taylor Woodcock
Much has been written on the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for society. The surge in recent technological advancements that seek to leverage the benefits of AI and machine learning techniques have raised a host of questions about the adverse impacts of AI on human rights. Yet, when it comes to the debate on military applications of AI, the framework of international human rights law (IHRL) tends to receive rather cursory treatment. Greater examination of the relevance of IHRL is therefore necessary in order to more comprehensively address the legality of the development, acquisition and use of AI-enabled military technologies under international law. More...