The Human Rights Defence in International Investment Arbitration: Exploring the Limtis of Systemic Integration

in International and Comparative Law Quarterly (2019), 68(3), 741-759

In a variety of investment arbitration cases, respondent States have argued that the measure complained of by the investor was mandated by the State’s human rights obligations. This defence raises ... [more ▼]

In a variety of investment arbitration cases, respondent States have argued that the measure complained of by the investor was mandated by the State’s human rights obligations. This defence raises intricate questions concerning the relationship between international investment law and human rights law. Tribunals have generally been reluctant to engage with the argument and to interpret the relationship between investment law and human rights in a straightforward manner. This article discusses two other possibilities: harmonious interpretation and prioritisation. Harmonious interpretation seeks to read provisions from investment treaties and human rights treaties together, whereas prioritisation gives normative superiority to one provision over another. We conclude that harmonious interpretation is facilitated by the discretionary character of common treaty standards in both human rights and investment law, but that the final result is not likely to be very different from prioritisation, because even harmonious interpretation requires that one provision is read in the light of, and thereby subjugated to, another provision. [less ▲]

Human Rights Experimentalism in Action: The Potential of National Human Rights Institutions in Enhancing the Implementation and Monitoring of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

in Journal of Human Rights Practice (2022), 14(1), 108-127

Article 33(2) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides for the establishment and designation of independent monitor- ing mechanisms charged with the promotion ... [more ▼]

Article 33(2) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides for the establishment and designation of independent monitor- ing mechanisms charged with the promotion, protection and monitoring of its im- plementation. In numerous States parties, National Human Rights Institutions have been designated as Article 33(2) institutions, either individually or in co-ordination with other bodies, and have consequently made effective contributions to the reporting and inquiry procedures of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Drawing from experimentalist governance theory, this contribution interrogates whether, and to what extent, this dialogue between locally placed actors and institutions (such as National Human Rights Institutions) on the one hand, and internationally situated actors and institutions (such as the Committee) on the other, has the potential to bolster the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At its core, experimentalism proffers a nor- matively attractive vision of how broadly agreed upon goals can be brought to life in a multi-level setting, such as the monitoring mechanism contemplated by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with its unique role and defini- tion for both international and national actors. By analysing Article 33 through an experimentalist governance lens, the contribution thus hopes to highlight a rou- tinely neglected or underestimated aspect of the human rights treaty system, that is, the iterative and dynamic interaction between locally situated actors and institutions and internationally situated actors and institutions, and bring to light what this por- tends for the Convention’s implementation in reality. [less ▲]

Human Rights – Inclusion – Education. Interdisciplinary and Comparative Perspectives

in Bildung und Erziehung (2018), 71(4), 481-482

A human stem cell-derived test system for agents modifying neuronal N-methyl-d-aspartate-type glutamate receptor Ca2+-signalling

in Archives of Toxicology (2021)

Human umbilical cord blood monocyte-derived eosinophils produce superoxide but not nitric oxide

in Inflammation Research (2001), 50(7), 357-61

Both N-formyl-L-Methionyl-L-Leucyl-L-Phenylalanine, and 1-O-Alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine induced superoxide release in umbilical cord eosinophils, while no response was observed with ... [more ▼]

Both N-formyl-L-Methionyl-L-Leucyl-L-Phenylalanine, and 1-O-Alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phosphorylcholine induced superoxide release in umbilical cord eosinophils, while no response was observed with lipopolysaccharide, interleukin-4 and/or interferon-gamma. Furthermore, upon activation with different inflammatory stimuli, neither induction of nitric oxide synthesis nor expression of the constitutive and/or inducible nitric oxide synthase were observed in these eosinophils derived in vitro. Human umbilical cord derived eosinophils are able to produce superoxide as peripheral blood eosinophils. Whether human peripheral eosinophils are capable of NO synthesis is still the subject of considerable debate, nevertheless, our results suggest that these in vitro derived eosinophils are not capable of nitric oxide synthesis. [less ▲]

“The human-machine era dawns”: Spanning beyond the computation/linguistics binary

Scientific Conference (2022, July 14)

Human-Robot Cooperation in Surface Inspection Aerial Missions

Scientific Conference (2017, September 21)

The goal of the work presented in this paper is to facilitate the cooperation between human opera- tors and aerial robots to perform surface inspec- tion missions. Our approach is based on a model of ... [more ▼]

The goal of the work presented in this paper is to facilitate the cooperation between human opera- tors and aerial robots to perform surface inspec- tion missions. Our approach is based on a model of human collaborative control with a mixed ini- tiative interaction. In the paper, we present our human-robot cooperation model based on the combination of a supervisory mode and an as- sistance mode with a set of interaction patterns. We developed a software system implementing this interaction model and carried out several real flight experiments that proved that this ap- proach can be used in aerial robotics for sur- face inspection missions (e.g., in vision based indoor missions). Compared to a conventional tele-operated inspection system, the solution pre- sented in this paper gives more autonomy to the aerial systems, reducing the cognitive load of the operator during the mission development. [less ▲]

Humanbezug in der Fort- und Weiterbildung von Erwachsenen

Presentation (2007, April)

Humanitarian Law Implemented: Space Communication in the Service of International Humanitarian Law

in Moro-Aguilar, Rafael (Ed.) Humanitarian Law implemented: Space Communication in the Service of International Humanitarian Law (2016)

Ius in bello requires concrete measures in order o protect specific groups such as the civilian population. One of the project guaranteeing the fast deployment of satellite communication in context of ... [more ▼]

Ius in bello requires concrete measures in order o protect specific groups such as the civilian population. One of the project guaranteeing the fast deployment of satellite communication in context of humanitarian crises is emergency.lu. The article analyses its legal framework. [less ▲]

Humanitarian Photography Beyond the Picture: David “CHIM” Seymour’s Children of Europe

in Allender, Tim; Dussel, Inés; Grosvenor, Ian (Eds.) et al Appearances Matter: The Visual in Educational History (2021)

This book chapter concentrates on photography as a technology that goes beyond the image. The chapter looks at documentary photography as an institutional and material practice of humanitarian ... [more ▼]

This book chapter concentrates on photography as a technology that goes beyond the image. The chapter looks at documentary photography as an institutional and material practice of humanitarian ‘propaganda’ and discusses how notions of childhood intensified the urgency of humanitarian campaigns. It analyzes how UNESCO carefully selected and edited David Seymour’s photographs of children of war-devasted Europe, and how the organization adapted and exploited his photographs for its own ends. Besides tracing these practices of meaning making, the chapter also looks at the itinerary of one of Seymour’s most fascinating photographs and the different stories that have evolved around it to the present day. In a nutshell, the essay suggests that photographs, by both providing information and stimulating imagination, become actors of meaning making and storytelling. Photographs did not only help UNESCO manage public consent and add urgency to humanitarian causes; they also triggered public debate on social media, cooperated in historical research, and inspired literary work. [less ▲]