The Buffett Institute for Global Affairs hosted a lecture by the former President of the International Criminal Court Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji at the Pritzker School of Law on Thursday.
In his lecture, “Protecting Humanity: Rethinking Approaches,” he argued that peace as a fundamental human right would help establish and maintain peace among nations.
“We want peaceful coexistence, we want citizens to enjoy the bounties of nationhood in peaceful circumstances where everyone can maximize their full potential,” Eboe-Osuji said. “You cannot really do that meaningfully in circumstances where there is no peace.”
Eboe-Osuji identified historical events crucial to the establishment of modern-day international human rights, including the Peace of Westphalia, the forming of the League of Nations and the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
Eboe-Osuji criticized the colonial choices former President Woodrow Wilson made but recognized the introduction of the new concept of connection between international states.
He also analyzed the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza with a focus on promoting peace.
“I do think time has come to resolve that conflict in a very specific way, so that the people of Israel and people of Palestine will enjoy the rights to their peace that is longer than due,” Eboe-Osuji said.
As he finished the lecture, Eboe-Osuji answered questions from the audience. Pritzker student Teresa Jacques Valenzuela asked the judge whether a peace treaty would be effective in situations where countries do not enforce consequences for violating human rights.
“I really agree with the fact that it’s important to have a treaty on the right to peace and I loved his idea,” Jacques said. “And secondly, what can be done with the countries that don’t ratify the treaties they sign? There’s a lot of other countries that don’t even realize they have international obligations. What can be done in those cases?”
Weinberg freshman Sabriye Powell said she attended the lecture because she wanted to hear an international opinion on the current political climate.
“One thing I learned was that peace cannot be achieved without cooperation between opposing forces, which seems unrealistic for our current situation, but can be achieved if we all open our minds,” Powell said.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Buffett Institute hosts Conference on AI and National Security
— Former French President gives Buffett Institute lecture
— Buffet Institute launches sustainable course tagging initiative
