THE STEPHEN LIVINGSTONE LECTURE 2023:

Are Human Rights Obsolete?

It is increasingly common to hear calls for human rights law to be updated, sidelined or radically reformed. Prominent politicians are claiming that the human rights framework established after 1945, which includes treaty instruments such as the ECHR and the UN Refugee Convention, is now outmoded and in need of root and branch revision. Prominent critical thinkers, from both the intellectual right and left, are calling for a deemphasising of 'rights talk'. All across the democratic world, the boundaries of existing legal rights protection are being rolled back by courts and legislatures. Is human rights law thus becoming a victim of the march of time, and becoming obsolete? This lecture will argue not, while acknowledging that human rights law is facing some very serious challenges to its legitimacy and integrity.

On 23 November, the School of Law at Queen’s University Belfast hosts Prof. Colm O'Cinneide (Professor of Constitutional and Human Rights Law at University College London(UCL)) in the Moot Court (MST.02.006) at 17:30pm.

1.5 cpd points are available for this event

Bios

Colm O'Cinneide is Professor of Constitutional and Human Rights Law at University College London(UCL). A graduate of University College Cork, he has published extensively in the field of comparative constitutional, human rights and anti-discrimination law. He has also acted as specialist legal adviser to the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Women & Equalities Committee of the UK Parliament, and advised a range of international organisations including the UN, ILO and the European Commission. From 2006-16 he was a member of the European Committee on Social Rights of the Council of Europe (serving as Vice-President of the Committee from 2010-4), and since 2008 has been a member of the academic advisory board of Blackstone Chambers in London.