Democratizing Human Rights Workshop: Towards an Inclusive & Participatory Human Rights Agenda

Exploring how participatory processes can address critical tensions in democratic practice and human rights protection, this collaborative workshop will delve into contemporary debates in democracy and human rights as well as examine deliberative democratic innovations from a plurality of perspectives. Together, we aim to create a space for knowledge sharing; explore the current state of universal human rights and participatory governance, emphasizing grassroots activism, democratic innovations, and digital participation; and examine paths forward to overcome the limitations inherent in traditional democratic and human rights advocacy models. Raising questions about the concerns that emerge at the intersection of democracy and human rights, the Democratizing Human Rights Workshop will investigate whether participatory governance and collective decision-making can facilitate the democratization of human rights, and whether universal human rights can uphold democratic principles, and in turn, protect vulnerable populations.

The workshop will take place October 23-24, 2025, in hybrid format. Though the workshop is only for registered participants, the keynote address is open to the public. 

Keynote Address

Date: October 24, 2025

Time: 3pm EDT

“An Imperative of Accountability for Gross Human Rights Violations”

Presented by Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji,
Former President of the International Criminal Court, The Hague

Speaker Biography

Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji was the 4th President of the International Criminal Court. He is the Distinguished International Jurist at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at the Toronto Metropolitan University. From 2012 to 2021, he served as a judge at the ICC, first as a trial judge and eventually as an appellate judge. Prior to joining the ICC, Dr Eboe-Osuji served as the Legal Advisor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. Earlier in his career, he worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, as a senior prosecution counsel. He has authored several books on international law, including “End of Immunity: Holding World Leaders Accountable for Aggression, Genocide, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity” (2024); “International Law and Sexual Violence in Armed Conflicts” (2013); and “Protecting Humanity” (2010).