How a Humanitarian Aid Organization Navigates Political Conflicts

On today’s episode of Justice Matters, co-host Mathias Risse speaks with Dr. Christos Christou, outgoing president of Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières or MSF) a medical humanitarian organization that coordinates tens of thousands of medical staff to provide emergency aid to people in crisis in over 75 countries. Together they discuss: Dr. Christou’s background that led him to humanitarian medical work, his early days working as a physician in Sub-Saharan Africa during the HIV pandemic and with migrant communities, how he thinks about the concept of humanity as a practical commitment, the changing environment of humanitarian aid, the practicalities of the extensive work MSF has done in Gaza, how MSF navigates the political terrain of this conflict as an organization committed to humanitarian aid, and what lessons he’s learned that give him hope. Dr. Christos Christou graduated from Aristotle University’s medical school and has a PhD in surgery from the Kapodistrian University of Athens. After serving as a surgeon at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens, he became a senior clinical fellow at King’s College Hospital in London and was later awarded a fellowship from the European Board of Surgery in Coloproctology. Dr. Christou joined MSF in 2002 and has held several roles. His first assignment was in Greece as a field doctor, working with migrants and refugees. He then worked as a doctor in an HIV/AIDS project in Zambia in 2004 and 2005. He later served in a number of conflict zones and insecure contexts, including South Sudan, Iraq, and, most recently, Cameroon, as an emergency and trauma surgeon. With MSF he has held roles including general secretary, vice-president, and president of MSF Greece's Board of Directors, and finally, as MSF international president from 2019 to 2025.

On today’s episode of Justice Matters, guest host Timothy Patrick McCarthy - faculty chair of the Global LGBTQI plus Human Rights Program - speaks with Laura Murphy, about forced labor and human rights. Laura Murphy is a professor at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK and one of the leading global experts on forced labor.   Together they discuss: what led Laura to this work,  the role of storytelling in human rights work, the complexity of violence in freedom movements, the terminology and uses of “forced labor” and “modern slavery”, forced labor among the Uyghur population in China, difficulties faced by academics and activists in addressing human rights abuses, and hope amidst the backlash. Laura Murphy is a Professor of Human Rights at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, and was recently a Biden administration appointee at the Department of Homeland Security, working on implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Her research currently focuses on forced labor in China and in international supply chains. She has written several books on forced labor globally including Freedomville (Columbia Global Reports, 2021) and The New Slave Narrative (Columbia University Press, 2019).

On today’s episode of Justice Matters, co-host Mathias Risse speaks with Brandon Terry, a political theorist at Harvard University whose work seeks to reshape how we understand African-American political thought, especially the memory and meaning of the civil rights movement. Today they discuss topics related to his recently published book, “Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope: A Tragic Vision of the Civil Rights Movement.” Together they discuss: why Brandon wrote the book, his reasons for choosing the title, different interpretations of Martin Luther King Jr’s role., the different narratives of the Civil Rights movement including the romantic view, the afro-pessimist view, and Brandon’s tragic vision that he lays out in the book, and Brandon’s reflections on the current state of politics in the United States. Brandon M. Terry is John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University and Co-director of the Institute on Policing, Incarceration, and Public Safety at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. He is the coeditor, with Tommie Shelby, of “To Shape a New World: Essays on the Political Philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr.” and editor of “Fifty Years Since MLK.” Terry has published work in Modern Intellectual History, Political Theory, The New York Review of Books, Time, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Boston Review, Dissent, The Point, and New Labor Forum and been interviewed by The Ezra Klein Show, Vox, the New York Times, and other media outlets. “Shattered Dreams, Infinite Hope: A Tragic Vision of the Civil Rights Movement” is available from Harvard University Press: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674271289

On today's episode of Justice Matters, co-host Mathias Risse speaks with Yuval Shany, fellow at the Ethics in AI Institute at the University of Oxford. They discuss his recent white paper, “The Need for and Feasibility of an International AI Bill of Human Rights,” and the topics it touches on around AI’s profound impact on the understanding and implementation of rights. Other topics they discuss include: the impact of AI on society, opportunities and challenges the technology poses for human rights, why the need for a new International AI Bill of Human Rights,  what the new bill would entail, the political liability of an international bill, the future of AI regulation, and the importance of integrating human rights principles into AI development and deployment. Yuval Shany is the Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in International Law and former Dean of the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was a member of the UN Human Rights Committee from 2013 to 2020, and served for one year during that time as Chair of the Committee. Professor Shany also serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute, and a Visiting Professor in the Center for Transnational Legal Studies (CTLS) at King’s College, London and the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. His current research focuses on international human rights law and new technology and he leads a European Research Council group of researchers investigating the three generations of digital human rights (3GDR). White Paper: The Need for and Feasibility of an International AI Bill of Human Rights By Professor Yuval Shany

On today's episode of Justice Matters, co-host Mathias Risse speaks with Dr. Kelsey Leonard, a water scientist and legal scholar from the Shinnecock Indian Nation. They discuss the fundamental role of water in life, ecosystems, and human rights, particularly focusing on Indigenous perspectives on water justice. Dr. Kelsey Leonard is a water scientist, legal scholar, policy expert, writer, and enrolled citizen of the Shinnecock Nation. Her work focuses on Indigenous water justice and its climatic, territorial, and governance underpinnings for our shared sustainable future. Dr. Leonard represents the Shinnecock Nation on the Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean, which is charged with protecting America's ocean ecosystems and coastlines. She also serves as a member of the Great Lakes Water Quality Board of the International Joint Commission. Dr. Leonard has been instrumental in safeguarding the interests of Indigenous Nations for environmental planning, and builds Indigenous science and knowledge into new solutions for sustainable water and ocean governance.On today’s episode they discuss: water as an essential part of life, the Shinnecock Indian Nation, Indigenous led water justice movements, current challenges facing water defenders, how a human rights frameworks can be applied to water protection, Indigenous knowledge as integral for effective water management, the Great Lakes and indigenous governance, and Dr. Leonard’s current research.

On today's episode of Justice Matters, co-host Maggie Gates speaks with Judith Abitan, international human rights advocate and the executive director of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, about her work in fighting for the freedom of political prisoners in entrenched systems of oppression.Judith has been at the forefront of some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time, immersed in the pursuit of justice internationally, the promotion and protection of human rights, and the betterment of the human condition. She has made representations to international bodies and governments in relation to the rescue and resettlement of some of the most vulnerable and at-risk populations, political prisoner cases, and asylum seeker applications. Judith’s advocacy work has encompassed, inter alia, the case and cause of Biram Dah Abeid, leader of the international anti-slavery movement and president of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania; Dawit Isaak, dual Eritrean-Swedish citizen known to be, with his colleagues, the longest detained journalists in the world; and a series of Burundian journalists and human rights defenders convicted on trumped-up charges for criticizing the government. Judith has also written for major publications including the National Post, the Globe and Mail, the Times of Israel, the Washington Post, and Time.On today’s episode they discuss: how Judith came to be involved in such a wide range of geopolitical contexts, the case of journalist Dawit Isaak who has been detained since 2001 in an Eritrean prison and what it says about the state of press freedom globally, what levers of accountability are most effective in working for release of political prisoners, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s imprisonment of Dr. Ahmadreza Jalal, the issue of modern slavery and why it persists despite international law, the balance of moral urgency and pragmatic strategy in human rights work, and Judith’s personal reflections on cultivating resilience in an increasingly restrictive world.

On today's episode of Justice Matters, co-host Mathias Risse speaks with Lobsang Sangay - political leader of the Tibetan administration in exile from 2011 to 2021 - about Tibet’s future. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama turned 90 earlier this year, which has brought renewed attention to the question of how the succession would be handled in the country that has been occupied by China since 1950.Lobsang Sangay is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the East Asian Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School. He was the democratically elected Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration and served two terms (2011-21). He completed his BA and LLB from Delhi University and did his LLM ’95 and SJD ‘04 from Harvard Law School where he received the Yong K. Kim’ 95 Memorial Prize for excellence. He has spoken at international conferences such as Forum 2000, Halifax Security Forum, and Oxford Union and has written numerous Op-eds in major newspapers including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and appeared on many international TV networks like BBC and CNN. He was awarded the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse by Trinity College, Dublin (2014) and the Salisbury University Presidential Medal for Distinguished Community Leadership (2015).On today’s episode they discuss: why China occupied Tibet in 1950, the role of rare earth minerals in the occupation, what occupation and exile has meant for Tibetans, the role of the Dalai Lama and the naming of his successor, how reincarnation comes into play in finding the next Dalai Lama, China’s attempt to seize control of the process, Lobsang’s own role in the Tibetan government in exile in India, the interplay between the diaspora and those remaining in Tibet, the relationship between the exiled Tibetan government and the government of India, and the Dalai Lama’s aspiration towards a middle path for negotiations with China.

On today’s episode of Justice Matters, host Phuong Pham - associate professor at the Harvard Medical School, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, affiliated faculty member of the Carr-Ryan Center, and co-principal investigator at the Transitional Justice Evaluation Team (TJET) - speaks with Lisa Chung Binder, Siraj Khan, and Jerome Marston about attacks on education around the world.Lisa Chung Binder is the executive director of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack. She has worked for the UN and the international NGOs in children’s rights and humanitarian response.Siraj Khan is the law and policy manager at the Education Above All Foundation. He is an international lawyer and was formerly a fellow at the Max Planck Foundation for International Peace and the Rule of Law.Jerome Marston is the head of research at KoboToolBox–a data collection, management, and visualization platform used globally for research and social good–where he oversees surveys and research projects about human rights, humanitarian response, and the protection of civilians.Together they discuss: why attacks on education are occurring, the impact on victims and survivors of these attacks, the frequency and geographic location of these attacks, what factors contribute to the increase in these attacks, what international enforcement mechanisms exist and are they meeting the problem, what other initiatives are taking place to confront this issue, what are the legal resources in this area, accountability, the response from educators, what does justice look like for victims, concrete ways to make schools more safe, and what resources can provide more information on this topic.

On today’s episode of Justice Matters, we’re marking Human Rights Day, observed every year on December 10th to commemorate the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN General Assembly in 1948. To mark the occasion Co-host Mathias Risse speaks with four of our Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy Fellows to share their perspectives on why human rights still matter and why they may be more important now than at any point in the 77 years since the Declaration was adopted.Together they discuss: what Human Rights Day means in our current moment globally, the most pressing human rights issues today, misinformation and state repression, whether the international system can constrain abusive states, the state of global legal structures and local grassroots movements, designing a human rights system to meet our present challenges, the impact of the Trump administration globally, what advice they have for young people entering the field today, and a lighting round of questions including their recommendations for articles and books they think everyone should read.Today’s guests include:Desirée Cormier Smith, a seasoned U.S. diplomat and former Foreign Service Officer who served as the inaugural Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice at the State Department, leading global efforts to advance racial, ethnic, and Indigenous rights in foreign-policy contexts.Maggie Dougherty, former Senior Director for International Organizations at the White House National Security Council, where she coordinated U.S. engagement with the UN and other multilateral institutions on human rights, democracy, and global governance. She has also served as a policy advisor to both UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Senator Marco Rubio.Kelly Fay Rodríguez, previously the U.S. Special Representative for International Labor Affairs, working to embed labor rights, supply-chain accountability, and inclusive economic justice into American foreign-policy and trade frameworks.And Jessica Stern, the first, and thus far only, U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons, who led the State Department’s diplomatic efforts to protect and promote LGBTQI+ rights around the world.

On today’s episode of Justice Matters, co-host Mathias Risse speaks with Robin Bronen, co-founder of the Alaska Institute for Justice (AIJ) about the pressing effects of climate change on communities in Alaska - the fastest warming region in the United States - and the implications for human rights. A human rights attorney and interdisciplinary social scientist on the issue of climate-forced displacement, Robin Bronen retired from AIJ in 2024 after 19 years as co-founder and Executive Director. Established in 2005, AIJ originally sought to serve an unmet need for legal services for immigrant individuals and families in Alaska and now serves over 7,000 clients living in Alaska from countries around the world. Since the time of the organization’s founding, AIJ expanded to launch the Alaska Climate Justice Program that works with Alaska Native communities on climate adaptation and resilience, including assisting clients and communities as they advocate for state and national policy-level changes. Bronen has worked with the White House Council on Environmental Quality to implement President Obama’s Climate Change Task Force recommendation to address climate displacement as well as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Climate Change Office. The Federal Bureau of Investigation awarded AIJ the 2012 FBI Director’s Community Service award for its work with human trafficking victims, and the International Soroptimist’s awarded Bronen the 2012 Advancing the Rights of Women award. Bronen was named one of USA Today’s Women of the Year.On this episode they discuss: the recent increase in climate effects on Alaskan communities, Robin’s background that led her to co-founding AIJ, an overview of the immigrant and refugee communities that are a central part of Alaska, how she and her team managed to sustain the non-profit over multiple decades, why translation services are crucial to opening access to public services, Robin’s research on forced climate relocation that led AIJ to expand its focus to the impacts of the climate crisis, the status and make up of Native Alaskan communities, how has the connection between human rights and climate change became central to AIJ’s work, how the institute fairing under the current Trump administration, what actions individuals and communities can take to protect themselves, and why climate forced relocation is the most intense human rights challenge related to the climate crisis.