“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
Alex Neve believes passionately in the promise of universal human rights; of a world in which the human rights of all people, everywhere, are protected at all times.
That is the world we must demand of our leaders, in government, business and society. It is the world we must work to create by our individual choices and collective action. And it is a world that will only be forged through true solidarity.
We all hold rights and we all must work to uphold them. That is at the heart of the fundamental promise made by governments over 70 years ago at the United Nations, when they committed to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. They have reiterated, deepened and extended that pledge hundreds of thousands of times since.
Yet, despite enormous progress, universal protection and shared responsibility are betrayed every day and remain distant illusions in every corner of our world. That gap between promise and reality shames us all and must mobilize us all to insist and ensure that no matter what, human rights will come first.
I am keen to collaborate in closing that gap. This modest website is akin to putting up my shingle and inviting knocks at my virtual door, to discuss possible human rights projects. It will also, with time, be home to a rambling collection of blog posts offering my reflections and musings with respect to a range of international and Canadian human rights issues.
These are not easy times; and we must come together collectively, in solidarity and with imagination.
Working for human rights for more than 35 years
Over the past 35 years I have worked for human rights in Canada and globally as an activist, lawyer, researcher, student, community worker, teacher, academic, decision-maker, colleague, solidarity partner, advocate, public speaker, media commentator and civil society leader.
On October 1, 2020 I stepped down after more than twenty years of serving as Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. In that role I led or participated in over forty human rights research, advocacy and campaigning delegations to more than twenty countries throughout Africa, Latin America, Asia, the United States and Canada, including various First Nations communities, Guantánamo Bay, Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoïre, Chad, South Sudan, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and the United Nations in both Geneva and New York City.
The human rights work that I have been involved in has extended across a wide range of civil, political, economic and social rights and has focused on such themes as refugee protection, armed conflict, the rights of Indigenous peoples, women’s human rights and gender equality, corporate accountability, trade policy, national security, racism and discrimination, torture, the death penalty, free expression, consular protection, adequate housing, the multilateral human rights system, the global climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
That work has encompassed a variety of activities and strategies, including leading and conducting research in conflict zones, refugee camps and prisons, preparing human rights reports and other materials, campaigning to free prisoners of conscience, working in solidarity with grassroots human rights defenders, pursuing national and international law reform, initiating and intervening in litigation, seeking to influence government foreign and domestic human rights policy, building coalitions, engaging in UN and OAS advocacy, and shaping public opinion and awareness. I have also written and commented extensively in the media.
Open to projects, initiatives and other opportunities
At a time of urgent human rights challenges and considerable global turmoil, but also undeniable progress and notable opportunities, I am enthusiastically open to exploring new avenues for continuing to make concrete and sustainable contributions to addressing injustice and strengthening human rights protection around the world.
Contact details are below. I am particularly interested in:
policy advocacy,
frontline human rights fact-finding,
legal research and strategizing,
teaching and mentoring,
writing,
grassroots campaigning, and
public-speaking.
Privilege, responsibility and transformation
I am honoured to live, work and advocate for human rights from the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people.
I recognize the considerable privilege and responsibility I carry as a white male human rights lawyer from the Global North.
I am strongly committed to pursuing human rights work in ways that deepen my own learning and make contributions to transformative diversity and inclusion, including reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and working within feminist, anti-racist and anti-ablest frameworks.
I use the pronouns he/him.
Background
Alex Neve is a lawyer with a Masters of International Human Rights Law, With Distinction, from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Dalhousie University in Canada.
Alex is presently an adjunct professor teaching in the area of international human rights with the law faculties at the University of Ottawa and Dalhousie University, a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and a Fellow with the Atlantic Human Rights Centre at St. Thomas University. He is a Barrister and Solicitor, and member of the Law Society of Ontario. Since June 2022 he has been serving as a Commissioner with the Ottawa People’s Commission on the Convoy Occupation.
He has worked extensively for Amnesty International in Canada and globally in a number of different roles. He has served as a Member of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board; worked at the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University in Toronto, Canada; been a visiting professor at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University; practiced as a lawyer, primarily in the area of refugee law, in private practice and as staff lawyer with a community legal aid clinic; and was a member of the inaugural staff team that established the Sojourn House shelter for refugee claimants.
Alex has honorary Doctorate of Laws Degrees from the University of New Brunswick, University of Waterloo and St. Thomas University in Canada. He has served as a Trudeau Foundation Mentor and has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Alex is an Officer of the Order of Canada.