Human rights scholars and practitioners from around the world will meet at UConn’s Stamford campus this spring to discuss the challenges and opportunities of monitoring human rights in conflict zones in the inaugural conference and lecture series named in honor of former U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.

The Senator Joseph I. Lieberman Conference and Lecture Series on Human Rights Practice is scheduled for March 26-27, 2015 in his hometown of Stamford. It will continue the work of the former senator from Connecticut, who has long championed global human rights issues.

The program is supported by Stamford-based Point72 Asset Management, which has made a five-year commitment to sponsor an annual human rights lecture and a biennial conference. The program will be coordinated by UConn’s Office of Global Affairs, in collaboration with the Human Rights Institute, Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, and the UNESCO Chair & Institute of Comparative Human Rights, with assistance from the UConn Foundation.

“Sen. Lieberman has been an invaluable proponent of legislation that is fundamental to advancing human rights and equality,” says Daniel Weiner, vice provost for global affairs. “Thanks to the generous support of Point72 Asset Management, this inaugural conference will provide a forum for a multitude of stakeholders to participate in human rights debates, education, and awareness.”

UConn designated human rights as a university priority in 2001, and restated its commitment in 2014 by identifying Human Diversity, Disparity, and Rights as an area for strategic academic emphasis in its new academic plan. UConn’s campus in downtown Stamford is just north of New York City and the headquarters of the United Nations, as well as leading international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are involved in human rights education, research, and advocacy.

“Sen. Lieberman was a tireless champion for human rights, as well as the state of Connecticut and the city of Stamford, during his 24-year tenure in the Unites States Senate,” says Doug Haynes, president of Point72. “We are pleased to honor his leadership and advance the cause of human rights by sponsoring UConn’s Stamford-based Senator Joseph I. Lieberman Conference and Lecture Series on Human Rights Practice.”

Lieberman describes human rights as a “national responsibility” for the United States.

“I have always believed that the protection of human rights is our national responsibility, not only within the United States, but that human rights should also be at the forefront of our foreign policy,” he says. “I am honored by UConn’s decision to create this continuing lecture series and a biennial conference on human rights, and grateful to Point72 for providing the funding to make these events possible. I am hopeful this conference and lecture series will help continue to build up the Stamford campus of UConn.”

The March 2015 conference will draw on the expertise of scholars across a variety of disciplines, as well as the experience of officials, advocates, and journalists. During the conference, three panels of experts will examine and debate the current methods and technologies used in investigating, verifying, quantifying, analyzing, aggregating, mapping, and disseminating knowledge of human rights violations in conflict-ridden environments.  The discussion will include:

• From Citizens to Satellites: Monitoring Human Rights On the Ground, which will examine citizen reporting through new technologies. Increased access to mobile devices and widespread use of social and online media spaces have empowered “citizen journalists” to monitor conditions in their communities, and accelerated the collection and dissemination of information in conflict zones. Panelists will discuss the promise, challenge, and limitations of this form of human rights monitoring.
• Reporting Conflict in the New Media Environment, will analyze war correspondents’ use of new media. Professional journalists are faced with shrinking budgets and increasing vulnerability to violence from multiple sides in conflict zones. Reporters, from both traditional and non-traditional news outlets, are using a variety of new media to reach fragmented audiences. The panelists will consider the impact of recent changes in the technological, economic, and political environments on journalists and reporting in conflict zones.
• From Monitoring to Action, will bring together critical decision makers from the human rights field to discuss how the work of monitoring translates into action – or inaction – on the part of governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. While conflicts do not simply erupt without prelude, they are complex and unpredictable by nature. For monitoring to be effective, it must provide the kind of information that can form the basis for an appropriate response. The panelists will reflect on their experiences of moving beyond being bystanders in moments of crisis.

Point72 Asset Management is a family office managing the assets of its founder, Steven A. Cohen, and some employees. The firm primarily invests in discretionary long/short equities and makes significant quantitative and macro investments. It is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., and has offices in New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Singapore.