Former deputy assistant secretary of state Suzanne Nossel argues that U.S. participation in the UN Human Rights Council has made the body a more credible watchdog and has been an effective venue for advancing American policy goals.

Activist and advocate Chen Guangcheng discusses his personal journey, human rights, and the rule of law in China.

Activist and advocate Chen Guangcheng discusses his personal journey, human rights, and the rule of law in China.

The State Department released its yearly publication, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2011, on May 24, 2012.

The U.S. State Department released this statement on May 11, 2012. Most of the details about the original 1992 U.S.-Bahrain defense agreement are classified; according to a press conference after the statement, this renewal includes providing "additional items and services to the Bahrain Defense Force, the Coast Guard, and National Guard...for the purpose of helping Bahrain maintain its external defense capabilities."

A broad-sweeping look at international efforts to protect and promote human rights. This is part of the Global Governance Monitor, an interactive feature tracking multilateral approaches to several global challenges.

Jerome A. Cohen discusses conspiracy speculations surrounding the Chen Guangcheng case.

Jerome A. Cohen says diplomacy took Chen Guangcheng only so far.

President Obama gave these remarks at the Holocaust Memorial Museum on April 23, 2012.

UN Security Council Resolution 2043 regarding Syria was adopted on April 21, 2012.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave these remarks on Syria on April 19, 2012 before the House Armed Services Committee.

This Declaration and Agenda for Action was released at the 1st World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Stockholm, Sweden on August 31, 1996.

The declaration begins, "We, gathered in Stockholm for the World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, representing the Governments of 122 countries, together with non-governmental organizations, the End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT) campaign, UNICEF and other agencies within the family of the United Nations, and other concerned organizations and individuals worldwide, hereby commit ourselves to a global partnership against the commercial sexual exploitation of children."

The Council of Europe's Convention Against Trafficking in Human Beings was opened for signature on May 16, 2005 and entered into force on February 1, 2008.

The Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others was approved by the UN General Assembly on December 2, 1949 and entered into force on July 25, 1951.

There are no good solutions to the mess in Syria, says James Traub, a fellow of the Center on International Cooperation.

The Ouagadougou Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Especially Women and Children was adopted on November 23, 2006 by the EU and African states. The EU says, "It aims at developing co-operation, best practices and mechanisms to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings between the European Union and the African Union. The Action Plan takes a holistic human rights approach and includes measures also to protect the victims and prosecute the traffickers."

The Brussels Declaration on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings was adopted on November 29, 2002 at the European Conference on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

The UN Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air was adopted on November 15, 2004 and entered into force on January 28, 2004.

The UN Security Council issued this Presidential Statement concerning Syria on March 21, 2012.

President Obama gave these remarks on Nowruz, Persian new year, on March 20, 2012.