Anne Bayefsky
Encyclopedia
Anne Bayefsky is a human rights
scholar and activist. She currently directs the Touro College
Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute
and a barrister and solicitor, Ontario Bar. Her areas of expertise include international human rights law, equality rights, and constitutional human rights law.
and an M.Litt. from Oxford University
. She has served as the director of York's Centre for Refugee Studies, project director for the university's Human Rights Treaty Study; member of Canadian delegations to international meetings, such as the UN Human Rights Commissions
1993-1996, the UN General Assembly in 1984 and 1989, the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, and in 1995, a delegate of the American Society of International Law
to the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women.
Currently, she is a member of the International Law Association Committee on International Human Rights Law and Practice; Editor-in-Chief of the Series "Refugees and Human Rights", published by Martinus Nijhoff
, The Hague
; and editor of Eye on the UN. She also sits on the Board of Advisors of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
, a non-profit think-tank focusing on issues of United States
and Israel
i national security.
Anne Bayefsky has published extensively in the field of human rights, including a collaborative report with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2001, as well as the creation of Bayefsky.com, a gateway to the United Nations' Human Rights Treaties aiming to enhance "the implementation of the human rights legal standards of the United Nations" on the basis that "Accessibility to UN human rights norms by individuals everywhere is fundamental to their successful realization."
's policy of fully funding Roman Catholic schools, while denying full funding to other religious schools, is discriminatory.
She has also argued that Human Rights Watch
"fanned the flames of racial intolerance" in the lead-up to the Durban Conference by facilitating the exclusion of Jewish representatives from an NGO caucus, later covering up its role in the affair and misrepresenting the outcome to the media.
Bayefsky speaks out in defense of Israel
. She was critical of "the Obama administration's response to Israel's announcement that it will continue to build new homes for its expanding population in disputed territory", calling it "hysterical", and asked, "Given that the United States is supposed to be committed to the parties determining ultimate legal ownership of the land in final status negotiations, what is going on?"
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
scholar and activist. She currently directs the Touro College
Touro College
Touro College is a sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Dr. Bernard Lander, the College was established primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American community...
Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute
Hudson Institute
The Hudson Institute is an American think tank founded in 1961, in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, by futurist, military strategist, and systems theorist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the RAND Corporation...
and a barrister and solicitor, Ontario Bar. Her areas of expertise include international human rights law, equality rights, and constitutional human rights law.
Career
Bayefsky holds a B.A., M.A. and LL.B. from the University of TorontoUniversity of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and an M.Litt. from Oxford University
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. She has served as the director of York's Centre for Refugee Studies, project director for the university's Human Rights Treaty Study; member of Canadian delegations to international meetings, such as the UN Human Rights Commissions
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
1993-1996, the UN General Assembly in 1984 and 1989, the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights in 1993, and in 1995, a delegate of the American Society of International Law
American Society of International Law
The American Society of International Law is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational membership organization, based in Washington, D.C.. It was founded in 1906, and was chartered by the United States Congress in 1950...
to the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women.
Currently, she is a member of the International Law Association Committee on International Human Rights Law and Practice; Editor-in-Chief of the Series "Refugees and Human Rights", published by Martinus Nijhoff
Martinus Nijhoff
Martinus Nijhoff was a Dutch poet and essayist. He studied literature in Amsterdam and law in Utrecht. His debut was made in 1916 with his volume De wandelaar...
, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
; and editor of Eye on the UN. She also sits on the Board of Advisors of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs
The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think-tank focusing on issues of United States and Israel in national security. JINSA's stated aim is threefold: to ensure a strong and effective U.S...
, a non-profit think-tank focusing on issues of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i national security.
Anne Bayefsky has published extensively in the field of human rights, including a collaborative report with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2001, as well as the creation of Bayefsky.com, a gateway to the United Nations' Human Rights Treaties aiming to enhance "the implementation of the human rights legal standards of the United Nations" on the basis that "Accessibility to UN human rights norms by individuals everywhere is fundamental to their successful realization."
Standpoints
Bayefsky has argued that OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
's policy of fully funding Roman Catholic schools, while denying full funding to other religious schools, is discriminatory.
She has also argued that Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
"fanned the flames of racial intolerance" in the lead-up to the Durban Conference by facilitating the exclusion of Jewish representatives from an NGO caucus, later covering up its role in the affair and misrepresenting the outcome to the media.
Bayefsky speaks out in defense of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. She was critical of "the Obama administration's response to Israel's announcement that it will continue to build new homes for its expanding population in disputed territory", calling it "hysterical", and asked, "Given that the United States is supposed to be committed to the parties determining ultimate legal ownership of the land in final status negotiations, what is going on?"
Awards
- 1992 Recipient of the Bora LaskinBora LaskinBora Laskin, PC, CC, FRSC was a Canadian jurist, who served on the Supreme Court of Canada for fourteen years, including a decade as its Chief Justice.-Early life:...
National Fellowship in Human Rights Research from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. - 2002-2004 Lady Davis Fellow at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem
- 1995-1996 recipient of a MacArthur FoundationMacArthur FoundationThe John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
grant in Peace and International Cooperation
Publications
- The UN Human Rights Treaty System: Universality at the Crossroads, Transnational Publishers, (softbound), c. 2001; Kluwer Law International (hardbound), c. 2001;
- The UN Human Rights Treaty System in the Twenty-First Century, Kluwer Law International, c. 2000; (co-ed.)
- "The UN and the Jews" (PDF) in Commentary Magazine, February, 2004.
- Human Rights and Forced Displacement, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, c. 2000; (ed.)
- Self-Determination in International Law: Quebec and Lessons Learned, Kluwer Law International, c. 2000;
- International Human Rights Law: Use in Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Litigation, Butterworths, c. 1992;
- Canada's Constitution Act 1982 and Amendments: A Documentary History, Volume I and II, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, c. 1989; (ed.)
- Legal Theory Meets Legal Practice, Academic Printing and Publishing, c. 1988; (co-ed.)
- Equality Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Carswell Co. Ltd., c. 1985.
External links
- Archive of selected Bayefsky articles from Winds Of Change
- Bayefsky.com, The United Nations Human Rights Treaties
- Bio of Bayefsky at the Hudson InstituteHudson InstituteThe Hudson Institute is an American think tank founded in 1961, in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, by futurist, military strategist, and systems theorist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the RAND Corporation...
- Bio of Bayefsky at Eye on the UN
- http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article.php?id=908
- Bio of Bayefsky at the Jewish Institute for National Security AffairsJewish Institute for National Security AffairsThe Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit think-tank focusing on issues of United States and Israel in national security. JINSA's stated aim is threefold: to ensure a strong and effective U.S...
- http://www.ngo-monitor.org/article.php?id=908.