Experts
Gillian Caldwell
Exec. Director, Witness; Human Rights Advocate
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Technology changes everything. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In World
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Re: What makes a right universal?
Caldwell, on the role of politics. Well I mean that’s a very . . . That’s a big debate . . . is, you know, which rights are universal and which rights are or should be left to the discretion of countries. Or in the U.S. context even, what should be left to the federal government versus what should be left to the states. Again, politics play into this of course because the so-called first generation rights were the civil and political rights like the right to vote or the right to freedom of speech. The so-called third generation rights – social, economic and cultural rights – which were being pushed for more often by the developing world and/or by social democracies in communist countries are only slowly beginning to gain some credibility at a global level. So there’s always been this priority and primacy placed on the right be free from torture; but when you start to talk about the right to housing, there are lots of questions even amongst the westerners who are advocating and who have been leading the human rights movement about the enforceability of those rights because the economic implications are so substantial. Recorded on: 8/13/07 Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Politics & Policy
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People are capable of both tremendous good and tremendous evil, says Caldwell. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Identity
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Working against unbeatable odds. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Inspiration & Wisdom
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Re: What is the human rights movement?
Without human rights, we have nothing. Transcript:Well I mean first and foremost because without our human rights we have nothing. In fact it’s interesting to imagine – almost impossible to imagine – that the human rights treaties and conventions that we talk about are just over 50 years old right now. I mean they were really born in 1948 in the wake of World War II in response to the horrors of that war. And it is remarkable to imagine that in fact prior to that, we had no single framework at a universal global level through which to articulate the right to freedom of speech, the right . . . All of the rights we’re talking about – civil, political, social, economic and cultural – have only recently been codified. And yet they have their origins really hundreds of years ago in various traditions. And you can see them even in many of the religious texts that have emerged over time. So I think when I say without human rights we have nothing, what I mean is that they are so fundamental to our ability to be productive, and healthy, and happy, and cooperative as human beings on this planet. And there’s never been a time when we’re more in need of that kind of cooperation, and collaboration, and productivity. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Politics & Policy
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Re: If you had $100 billion to give away, how would you spend it?
Caldwell would use the money to look for multi-faceted approaches to global problems. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Business & Economics
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Everyone should live a life of integrity and commitment. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Inspiration & Wisdom
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Re: Whose responsibility is climate change?
Legislation is key, but so is individual and cultural change. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Environment
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Re: How is technology changing the campaign for human rights?
Technology creates potential for more creative ways of connecting outside the mainstream media, says Caldwell. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Media & Internet
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Caldwell believes people are fundamentally good, but we are reaching a tipping point. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Future
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Re: Is religion a force for good in the human rights campaign?
Most people are guided by religion, Caldwell says. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Belief
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Re: How do we deal with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism?
It's important to distinguish between terrorists and Muslims. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Politics & Policy
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Not following up on good will. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Politics & Policy
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Re: Does China pose a special challenge to the human rights campaign?
We must continue putting pressure on China, says Caldwell. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In World
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Re: Is climate change a human rights issue?
Caldwell worries that the human rights movement isn't in the game. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Environment
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Putting social justice in a proper context. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Politics & Policy
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Harnessing technology to advance human rights. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Media & Internet
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Re: Do Americans focus on the wrong things?
Caldwell talks about the the impact of 9/11. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Politics & Policy
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Re: Does the media do enough for human rights?
Caldwell asks citizens to participate more. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In Media & Internet
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Growing up in SoHo. Read More
December 26, 2007 | In History
Gillian Caldwell is the Executive Director of WITNESS, an international human rights organization that provides training and support to local groups to use video in their human rights advocacy capaigns. Caldwell was a Co-Director of the Global Survival Network (now WildAid), where she coordinated the two-year undercover investigation into the trafficking of women in Russia that culminated in her 1997 film, Bought and Sold. She is the leader of the Witness to Truth video project in Sierra Leone that urges the government of Sierra Leone to implement TRC recommendations. Caldwell was the reipient of the 2000 Rockefeller Foundation Next Generation Leadership award and has been named one of 40 Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs by the Schwab Foundation, a 2003 Tech Laureate by the Tech Museum, and a Special Partner by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. Caldwell received her BA from Harvard University and her JD in human rights law from Georgetown University. Her videos have been shown as evidence in legal proceedings, such as the international war crimes investigation against Slobodan Milosevic, in the Sierra Leone Truth Commission proceedings, and at the UN. Ideas recorded on: 8/13/07
