Karen Parker, is an attorney based in San Francisco specialised in human rights

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...

 and humanitarian law.

She participated to the evolution of international law in the field of economic sanctions

Economic sanctions

Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...

, weaponry

Weapon

A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...

, environment as a human right

Environmental law

Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...

, and the rights of disabled persons

Disability rights movement

The disability rights movement is the movement to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for people with disabilities. The specific goals and demands of the movement are: accessibility and safety in transportation, architecture, and the physical environment, equal opportunities in independent...

. She is also an expert witness in legal disputes concerning armed conflict law

Laws of war

The law of war is a body of law concerning acceptable justifications to engage in war and the limits to acceptable wartime conduct...

. She founded in 1982 the Association of Humanitarian Lawyers of which she was the president for more than ten years. She is also the chief delegate of Humanitarian Law Project

Humanitarian Law Project

The Humanitarian Law Project is a U.S.-based non-profit organization organization, working to protect human rights and promote "the peaceful resolution of conflict by using established international human rights laws and humanitarian law."...

, a nongovernmental organization accredited by the United Nations Economic and Social Council

United Nations Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations constitutes one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and it is responsible for the coordination of the economic, social and related work of 14 UN specialized agencies, its functional commissions and five regional commissions...

 (ECOSOC). In addition, she has represented Disabled Peoples' International

Disabled Peoples' International

Disabled Peoples' International, The organization's name is incorrectly spelled in its official form with the possessive of "peoples" instead of the possessive of "people"...

, Human Rights Advocates, and the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund

Earthjustice

Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm based in the United States that specializes in cases protecting natural resources, safeguarding public health, and promoting clean energy...

.

Karen Parker obtained her J.D. degree

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 in 1983 from the University of San Francisco School of Law. She interned at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States .Along with the...

, and externed for Supreme Court of California

Supreme Court of California

The Supreme Court of California is the highest state court in California. It is headquartered in San Francisco and regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacramento. Its decisions are binding on all other California state courts.-Composition:...

.

Karen Parker received a diploma in Droit international et droit comparé des droits de l'homme (International and Comparative Law of Human Rights) from the International Institute of Human Rights

International Institute of Human Rights

The International Institute of Human Rights is an association under French local law based in Strasbourg, France...

 in Strasbourg

Strasbourg

Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...

, France in 1982.

She testifies on a regular basis at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights

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...

 in Geneva and its Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights was a think tank of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights...

.

She is a member of the Committee of 100 for Tibet.

Publications

• Fumigation programs in Guatemala: preliminary report, Association of Humanitarian Lawyers, 1989
• With Ghulam Nabi Fai, Association of Humanitarian Lawyers, Beyond the blame game: finding common grounds for peace & justice in Kashmir, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, July 24-25, 2003, Kashmiri American Council, 2004, ISBN 096468490X