Beyond Naming and Shaming: Journalists, Lawyers, and Upholding Human Rights in 2026

Human rights and the laws of war are under severe strain: violations are documented in real time, yet consequences rarely seem to follow, faith that the rules will be enforced is thinning, and many people are turning away from the news altogether. Investigative journalists and international humanitarian lawyers play different but connected roles in preventing and responding to injustice—one through evidence and exposure, the other by establishing responsibility and pursuing accountability. Federica Du Pasquier, a humanitarian diplomat who spent nearly a decade negotiating with parties to conflict for the ICRC, and Yousur Al-Hlou, an investigative journalist who has reported from the frontlines for more than ten years, bring these two traditions into conversation. They will explore what their professions can realistically achieve, where they are falling short, and what it means to do this work responsibly when exposure does not guarantee action. The discussion will also examine how decisions about what to investigate, publish, amplify, and pursue shape what others understand to be important, urgent, and possible.