The Commission on Unalienable Rights Report, Human Rights, and U.S. Foreign Policy

The U.S. State Department’s Commission on Unalienable Rights was formed in July 2019 to advise the Secretary of State on human rights and their relationship to American foreign policy. The Commission, chaired by Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon and including ten other academics, philosophers, and activists from across religious and ethical traditions, released its draft report on July 16, 2020. The Commission reviewed the American tradition of rights discourse, going back to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and the principles enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The aim was to deepen understanding of fundamental human rights in order to enable the United States to better uphold and advance unalienable, non-derogable rights in the formation and execution of foreign policy.

Professor Robert P. George joins us to discuss the Commission’s work, the traditions on which the commissioners drew, and the challenges to human rights today. Professor William Saunders will moderate the conversation.

Featuring:
-- Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions
-- William Saunders, Professor, The Catholic University of America and Director, Program in Human Rights, The Institute for Human Ecology