Many urgent arms-related challenges should be addressed to protect civilians affected by conflict and its deadly legacy. Antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions have been prohibited outright, but the ban treaties need to be universalized and complied with fully. Militaries use a wide-range of explosive weapons—artillery, rockets, mortars, air-delivered bombs and more—in populated areas, frequently causing indiscriminate harm to civilians. Incendiary weapons cause painful and cruel injuries, yet they continue to be used. The development of fully autonomous weapons—“killer robots”—that could select and engage targets without human intervention need to be stopped to prevent a future of warfare and policing outside of human control and responsibility. Human Rights Watch investigates these and other problematic weapons systems and works to develop and monitor international standards to protect civilians from armed violence.
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Freedom of speech is a bellweather: how any society tolerates those with minority, disfavored, or even obnoxious views will often speak to its performance on human rights more generally. In international law, access to information and free expression are two sides of the same coin, and both have found tremendous accelerators in the Internet and other forms of digital communication. At the same time, efforts to control speech and information are also accelerating, by both governments and private actors in the form of censorship, restrictions on access, and violent acts directed against those whose views or queries are seen as somehow dangerous or wrong. From our earliest days, when we were called The Fund for Free Expression, we have fought all forms of repression of speech, in all media, around the globe.
Violent acts by non-state groups against the general population for political purposes are abhorrent crimes that, when widespread or systematic, can amount to crimes against humanity. Human Rights Watch condemns such acts. Governments have a responsibility to protect those within their jurisdiction from extremist attacks, but must ensure that all counterterrorism measures respect human rights. Human Rights Watch monitors actions by governments and inter-governmental bodies against violent extremism to ensure they do not infringe on the rights to life, to protection from torture and ill-treatment, and to a fair trial. We also condemn governments for targeting minorities or stifling the rights to free expression, association and peaceful assembly in the name of security. Such measures are not only unlawful under international law, they are also counter-productive.
Human Rights Watch leverages our research on countries and issues addressed at the United Nations to inform UN officials and member states of key findings, influence policy on a wide range of discussions and push for urgent action on human rights crises. Consistent with the Human Rights up Front framework initiated by the UN Secretary-General, our mission is to ensure human rights considerations are at the heart of various debates, branches and mechanisms of the United Nations. We engage members of the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Human Rights Council, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and other key departments of the UN Secretariat, present information from independent investigations, and advocate for protection of civilians, accountability for past abuses, and preventive measures against future violations.
Human Rights Watch is a nonprofit, nongovernmental human rights organization made up of roughly 400 staff members around the globe. Its staff consists of human rights professionals including country experts, lawyers, journalists, and academics of diverse backgrounds and nationalities. Established in 1978, Human Rights Watch is known for its accurate fact-finding, impartial reporting, effective use of media, and targeted advocacy, often in partnership with local human rights groups. Each year, Human Rights Watch publishes more than 100 reports and briefings on human rights conditions in some 90 countries, generating extensive coverage in local and international media. With the leverage this brings, Human Rights Watch meets with governments, the United Nations, regional groups like the African Union and the European Union, financial institutions, and corporations to press for changes in policy and practice that promote human rights and justice around the world.
Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all.
COMMITTED TO OUR MISSION OF DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS WORLDWIDE. Our work is guided by international human rights and humanitarian law and respect for the dignity of each human being.
To ensure our independence, we do not accept government funds, directly or indirectly, or support from any private funder that could compromise our objectivity and independence. We do not embrace political causes, are non-partisan, and maintain neutrality in armed conflict.
We are committed to maintaining high standards of accuracy and fairness, including by seeking out multiple perspectives to develop an in- depth, analytic understanding of events. We recognize a particular responsibility for the victims and witnesses who have shared their experiences with us.
We succeed only when our actions lead to positive and sustainable change. We are never complacent, always on the lookout for new opportunities to advance our cause. We also are committed to working on difficult situations, where long-term attention is required for meaningful impact.
We work closely with a broad range of local and international civil society actors to maximize our impact. We speak out against attacks on civil society and defend the political space within which the broader human rights movement operates.
Human Rights Watch Names New Board Co-chairs Two leading human rights supporters have co-chaired the board of Human Rights Watch since October 2013. Joel Motley, managing director at Public Capital Advisors, and Hassan Elmasry, managing partner at Independent Franchise Partners, will succeed board chair James F. Hoge, Jr.
