Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

🇻🇪Last week, the Carr-Ryan Center hosted Venezuelan activists and former political prisoners at the JFK Jr. Forum, where they shared firsthand perspectives on the state of human rights in Venezuela.

The event took place at a pivotal moment—recent headlines had highlighted major developments, from María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize recognition to ongoing reports of boat strikes in the Caribbean targeting Venezuelan citizens. Amid a deepening humanitarian crisis, Venezuela’s activists continued to advocate for a brighter future.

Read the full event recap on our website.

Image Credits: Mike DeStefano | IOP

Last week, Harvard Kennedy School professor Célestin Monga joined Mathias Risse, director of the Carr–Ryan Center for Human Rights, for a Carr–Ryan Conversations event exploring what it means to live and lead in Africa while building a career across continents. The discussion focused on Monga’s recent book, Nihilism and Negritude: Ways of Living in Africa, and traced his journey from his upbringing in Cameroon to his work in global development and academia.

Read the full event recap on our website.

In our recent Carr-Ryan Conversation, “Faith, Justice, and Human Rights,” moderator Terrence L. Johnson, professor of African American Religious Studies at Harvard Divinity School, joined Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, president and dean of Valley Beit Midrash, for a powerful discussion on how religious conviction can engage with political realism and pluralism in today’s fractured society.

Approximately 1.7 percent of people worldwide are born with variations in s*x characteristics that do not fit typical definitions of male or female bodies. Yet inters*x individuals often face stigma, discrimination, and erasure.

This Inters*x Awareness Day (October 26) and Inters*x Day of Solidarity (November 8), advocates and allies are working to replace misunderstanding with knowledge and silence with solidarity. By centering inters*x voices and promoting awareness, they aim to advance dignity, bodily autonomy, and human rights for all.

To mark Inters*x Awareness Week, the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program at the Carr-Ryan Center is highlighting key programming that amplifies inters*x voices and advocacy. Click the link in our bio to explore this programming.

Watch an in-depth discussion on the global fight for inters*x equality and justice.

In a new discussion paper, former Technology and Human Rights Fellow Burcu Kilic argues that surveillance capitalism is more than a business model—it is a global system that turns human experience into data for profit, upheld by neoliberal ideas, weak regulation, and powerful states.

Visit our website to read the full paper.

The Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at Harvard Kennedy School is proud to announce the appointment of Leo Varadkar, former Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland, as Senior Fellow for the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program for the 2025–2026 academic year.

During his fellowship, Varadkar will lead a strategic project titled “The Future of LGBTQI+ Rights in the European Union.” The initiative will examine how the European Union can strengthen protections, uphold equal citizenship, and safeguard democratic values for LGBTQI+ people across member states.

Click the link in our bio to read the full announcement 🔗

A new Carr-Ryan Center publication by former Technology and Human Rights Fellow Sebastian Smart reviews AI legislation in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru, evaluating their rights-based safeguards and democratic oversight mechanisms. The study highlights significant gaps, such as environmental justice, epistemic rights, and participatory governance, and outlines reforms needed to strengthen protections.

Click the link in our bio to read the full paper.

Last week at the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights, Colombian scholar and activist César Rodríguez Garavito presented his new book “Climate Change on Trial: Mobilizing Human Rights Litigation to Accelerate Climate Action.” In the conversation, Carr-Ryan Center Director Mathias Risse spoke with Rodríguez Garavito about how human rights law has become a crucial tool in advancing climate action worldwide.

Click the link in our bio to read the full event recap.

In a new publication from the Carr-Ryan Center, former Technology and Human Rights Fellow Victor Montori warns that surveillance capitalism is reshaping healthcare into a system focused on data rather than people, enabling Big Tech to commodify human experience and consolidate power.

Read the full publication on our website.

During the 2024–25 academic year, global human rights faced profound challenges, from the ongoing devastation in Gaza and renewed violence in Ukraine, Sudan, the DRC, and Ethiopia, to rising anti-LGBTQI+ backlash and increasingly restrictive migration policies. These escalating crises and widespread human rights violations underscore the urgent importance of the Carr-Ryan Center’s mission to speak truth to power and to advance dignity, justice, and accountability worldwide.

The achievements of the past year would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication of the entire Carr-Ryan community. Our faculty, fellows, students, staff, advisors, and benefactors each play a vital role in advancing the Center’s mission and strengthening the global pursuit of human rights. This annual report celebrates their collective impact and highlights the meaningful work they have undertaken over the past year.

🔗 Click the link in our bio to find the full report.