Speeches

Maya Harris Welcomes Attendees to the Beyond Conventions Forum

Good morning. Thank you, Luis, for those inspiring words and for your leadership at this time of great opportunity, not just for Ford, but for the global human rights movement. And thanks to all of you who’ve joined us from around the world to participate in today’s convening. You are the front-line advocates, artists and leaders whose daily work makes real the promise of human rights.

I can’t imagine a more esteemed, accomplished or better equipped group to help us take stock of where we’ve been these past 75 years, and where we’re going—especially where we’re going—because this anniversary is not limited to highlighting the past; it’s about our shared future.

While this Foundation and the human rights movement it has supported has had great success—success we should acknowledge and celebrate—we know that our conversation today must be about the work we do tomorrow. For the LGBT activist building a movement in the face of persecution and death, the young women and girls determined to create a future without child marriage, the protestor in the public square risking everything to change the world they know for the one they aspire to, it’s tomorrow that counts. And that’s why we conceived Beyond Conventions—an opportunity to look beyond the human rights conventions that have long defined our work, and to ask ourselves: “What are the next frontlines of the movement and what can we do to advance them?”

Today, we want to learn from all of you. To hear what you think are the fault-lines of the future and the emerging opportunities we need to seize. We want to explore questions such as: How do we confront the challenge of not just upholding human rights, but making them tangible and real for a new generation of the world’s most vulnerable populations? How do we build a movement that’s inclusive, diverse and brings to the table new voices not often enough heard? And how, in an age of increasing political rights, do we effectively promote economic and social rights—and bring sustainable economic and social benefits to those still left behind? Because we all know that free and fair elections alone won’t fill empty stomachs, educate children, and create a path to economic prosperity for all.

We also hope today’s conversations will elevate concerns that already define so much of our philanthropic work, but have yet to receive the prominence and the attention they deserve—like issues affecting women and girls. The unfinished business, where progress is still lagging. How will we work together to turn the long-held aspiration of equal rights for women in the home, at work, and representation in government into a lived reality? We’ll talk about that with two extraordinary individuals later this morning.

Of course, we can’t talk about the next generation of our human rights work without focusing on the exciting, new terrain it’s already playing out on. The online world clearly holds great promise for our goals and aspirations. But it’s still evolving. How are we going to ensure that it evolves in a direction that protects and advances human rights—as opposed to being used as a tool for repression? You’ll have an opportunity to ask the inventor of the World Wide Web this afternoon.

One final observation about our goals for today’s program: The United States is part of the globe. So, as Luis said, let’s not forget that we face a host of human rights challenges here at home, from immigration and mass incarceration, to education and growing income inequality. Challenges that have become more salient as so many struggle to find work, pay mortgages and hold onto their homes. Confronting these challenges must be a key element of our future agenda, and we’ll talk about that over lunch.

With that, I’d say we’re in for an exhilarating day of discussion. While there will be areas of consensus that emerge, we know that not everyone here is going to agree on the paths forward, and we would expect nothing less. Those differences of opinion are opportunities for reflection and reassessment. So please approach the day with the candor and the questions that will ensure we have an open and lively conversation.

We are so thrilled you’re here. Thank you.

Now let’s begin our first panel—a look at the human rights movement’s past and its future, to set the stage for the rest of our day.

I’d like to welcome the moderator of our first conversation, Geoffrey Robertson. A renowned international lawyer, advocate, author of more than a dozen books, and even occasional television star, I can’t imagine a better person to kick off our discussions today than Geoffrey. Please join me in welcoming Geoffrey and his five expert guests to the stage.

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