On May 9, 2024, The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law and the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative jointly hosted a Human Rights and Humanitarian Forum to bring attention to some of the most alarming global trends and to promote promising solutions. The Forum was held at UCLA Luskin Conference Center and featured a series of talks and discussions by global thought leaders and local changemakers from UCLA, The Promise Institute and Aurora networks, addressing major topics of pressing concern from human rights and forced displacement to the global health crisis, the right to education, climate change, artificial intelligence, philanthropy, and gender equality. 

At the beginning of the event, the attendees were greeted by Dr. Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, and Co-Founder and Chairman of Moderna; Erin Bromaghim, Deputy Mayor of International Affairs of the City of Los Angeles; and Professor Michael Waterstone, Dean of UCLA School of Law. The opening remarks were followed by a conversation between Dr. Eric Esrailian, Chief of the UCLA Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, Philanthropist, Film Producer, Entrepreneur, Aurora Board Member and Co-Chair of the 2024 Aurora Prize Events in Los Angeles, and Michael Milken, Chairman of the Milken Institute.

Following that, a session paying tribute to the 2024 Aurora Humanitarians explored their impactful achievements while shedding light on the complexities of humanitarian work. Preceded by a special video address from CNN Host Fareed Zakaria, it was co-hosted by Dele Olojede, Pulitzer Prize winner, Chairman of the Board of the Kashim Ibrahim Fellowship, and Aurora Prize Selection Committee member; Professor Hannah R. Garry, Executive Director of The Promise Institute for Human Rights at the UCLA School of Law; and Armine Afeyan, Executive Director of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.

Zeid bin Ra’ad al Hussein, President & CEO of the International Peace Institute, member of The Elders, and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2014-2018), delivered a keynote address focusing on the overview of human rights and humanitarian challenges facing the globe today, touching upon democracy decline and his work on a global pandemic treaty. He then had a Q&A with Kal Raustiala, The Promise Distinguished Professor of Comparative and International Law, Director of Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations, and Director of the Program on Global Governance at UCLA.

During the “Role of Corporations in Advancing Humanitarian Efforts” panel, successful entrepreneurs offered their insights on doing good for the planet, investing in social standing, and committing to communities. The panel was moderated by Christine Heenan, Chief Communications Officer & Executive Partner of Flagship Pioneering, and featured Noubar Afeyan, Co-Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, and Co-Founder and Chairman, of Moderna; David Goel, Co-Founder and Managing General Partner of Matrix Capital Management; Alex Gorsky, Former Chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson and Board Member of Apple, IBM, and JPMorgan Chase; and Vincent Roche, CEO of Analog Devices. 

Later, attendees of the Forum had the opportunity to choose from parallel breakout sessions on various topics, featuring insights from leading experts. “The Right to Education” session opened with remarks prepared by Jamila Afghani, 2022 Aurora Prize Laureate and President of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Afghanistan, and read to the audience by the event’s moderator Louise Richardson, Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member and President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Other panelists included Wendy Kopp, CEO and Co-Founder of Teach For All; Marguerite Barankitse, 2016 Aurora Prize Laureate and Founder of Maison Shalom; Anna Spain Bradley, Professor of Law and Former Vice Chancellor of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at the UCLA School of Law; and Shantha Sinha, Aurora Prize Expert Panel Member, Founder of the MV Foundation, and Professor of Political Science at the University of Hyderabad.

At the “Forced Displacement & Refugees” session, panelists shared their experience with addressing the issue and pondered possible solutions to the crisis. Speakers included Dana Graber Ladek, Chief of Mission at IOM Mexico, IOM – UN Migration; Ahilan Arulanantham, UCLA Law Professor from Practice and Co-Director of the UCLA Law Center for Immigration Law & Policy; John Prendergast, Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member and Co-Founder of The Sentry; and Rez Gardi, Founder of Empower and Co-Managing Director of Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table. The discussion was moderated by Nasra Ismail, US Enterprise Executive Director of Alight.

The “Climate Change & Environmental Justice” session covered the most pressing problems posed by global warming and other environmental challenges. The discussion featured Paul Polman, Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member, Business Leader, Climate and Equalities Campaigner, and Former CEO of Unilever; William Boyd, Professor of Law at UCLA Law School and Faculty Co-Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, and Kevin Jon Heller, Professor of International Law and Security at the Center for Military Studies, University of Copenhagen and Special Adviser on War Crimes to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was moderated by Kate Mackintosh, Executive Director of UCLA Law Promise Institute Europe.

Speakers of the “Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment” breakout session included Ilwad Elman, 2020 Aurora Prize Laureate and Director of Programs and Development at Elman Peace Center; Zubaida Akbar, Afghanistan Program Manager at FEMENA; Janine di Giovanni, Executive Director and CEO of The Reckoning Project; and Zubaida Bai, President and CEO of Grameen Foundation. The discussion was moderated by Alice Greenwald, Aurora Board Member, Founder and Principal of Memory Matters and Former President and CEO of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Experts highlighted the political dimensions of healthcare and lessons learned from the pandemic at ‘The Global Healthcare Crisis’ session. Among them were Sofia Gruskin, Director of the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health and Distinguished Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences and Law at USC; Aloe Blacc, Co-Founder of Major Inc., recording artist, and biotech entrepreneur; Mary Beth Powers, CEO of CMMB; Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health; and Sheila Davis, CEO of Partners in Health. The discussion was moderated by Alice Park, Senior Health Correspondent at TIME.

Attendees of the ‘The Risks and Benefits of AI’ breakout session were greeted by an AI model inspired by Aurora Mardiganian. This was followed by insights from Armen Mkrtchyan, Origination Partner at Flagship Pioneering; Shannon Raj Singh, Principal and Founder of Athena Tech & Atrocities Advisory, Co-Chair of IBA War Crimes Committee, and Former Human Rights Counsel of Twitter; Allison Peters, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State; Andrew Zolli, Chief Impact Officer of Planet; and Vilas Dhar, President of Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. The discussion was moderated by Harry McCracken, Global Technology Editor at Fast Company.

At “The Role of Philanthropy in Humanitarian and Human Rights Interventions,” specialists pondered the current state of humanitarianism and discussed the optimal use of philanthropic funding to address the most pressing issues. Speakers of the event included Negar Tayyar, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Global Whole Being Fund; Amy Rao, Co-Chair of Human Rights Watch Board and Executive Vice President of The Schmidt Family Foundation; and Karen Ansara, Board Chair of NEID Global. The discussion was moderated by Sasha Chanoff, Aurora Board Committee Member, Aurora Prize Expert Panel Member, and Founder and CEO of RefugePoint.