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Scientists and academics have strongly supported many of the core values of
human rights, such as freedom of expression and association, as an intrinsic
value to the scientific endeavor. The major scientific societies have a long
history of working on human rights issues from dealing with specific cases of
their colleagues abroad -- and in the United States -- who have faced persecution
related to their professional work to applying their scientific expertise to
human rights concerns. In the past 30 years, a loose coalition of "scientist
activists" has evolved to promote international human rights. Many of these
individuals are extremely interested in the state of rights in the U.S. as well,
recognizing that human rights issues are a concern for the U.S. as much as foreign
countries.
Scientists can add value to the work and advocacy of human rights organizations.
Often times, scientists and academics are conducting academic research that
is directly relevant to human rights issues, but there is a lack of connection
between the academic world and the practical applications of science to human
rights issues. The AAAS Science and Human Rights Program (SHRP) works at the
intersection of the scientific and human rights communities and works to forge
effective linkages between the two communities so that the good work that the
scientific community is doing can be brought to bear on human rights issues
as appropriate and needed.
Scientists and academics garner a unique level of respect within the general
public. There is a need, however, to strengthen the voice of the scientific
community in regard to human rights and justice issues. AAAS supports developments
to build an effective coalition of scientific societies and academic associations
to coordinate activities within the sector in order to maximize impact. The
Program strongly believes that there is strength in numbers.
AAAS held a Science and Human Rights Workshop in July 2005 to explore interest
in forming a coalition of scientific societies and academic associations who
are concerned about human rights issues in the United States and around the
world. Participants in the inaugural meeting
expressed a commitment to moving forward and developed recommendations
for doing so. In 2007, SHRP revived its efforts to build and activate the Coalition
and has begun organizing a series of planning meetings to identify common objectives
and develop a plan for the coming three years. Meeting materials can be accessed
here.
(page updated 03/04/2008)
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