1. Afghanistan: Daring to believe in human rights

Afghanistan’s Human Rights Commission chair Shaharzad Akbar talks about the challenge of entrenching and enforcing rights amid continuing conflict and violence against civilians. With a state that struggles to deliver public services and great uncertainty about the future of President Ashraf Ghani’s negotiations with the Taliban, how can Afghan citizens have confidence that the human rights framework give them meaningful protection? In this episode:  Host Akwe Amosu and her colleague Chris Stone discuss the relevance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in today’s rights struggles Interview with Shaharzad Akbar, Chairperson of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission The Coda: Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, shares a poem by 14th century poet Hafez on the perils of arrogance. For a list of supplemental readings and additional information about this episode’s content, please visit www.strengthandsolidarity.org/podcast  Send us your ideas and your feedback at [email protected]