Issues at the Intersection of Engineering and Human Rights

Many of the challenges engineers seek to address through their work – from increased access to clean water and transportation to climate change adaptation – are inextricably tied to human rights, and addressing them holistically requires embedding human rights frameworks into engineering practice. In turn, efforts to advance human rights can be strengthened by incorporating engineering expertise, problem-solving approaches, and novel technologies. To explore these concepts, the National Academy of Engineering Cultural, Ethical, Social, and Environmental Responsibility in Engineering program and the Committee on Human Rights of the National Academy of Sciences conducted a symposium on November 18-19, 2024. Participants discussed ways to increase awareness of the role that engineers play in protecting and promoting human rights and explored ways that human rights-based approaches in engineering might help engineers and human rights experts solve pressing challenges. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the symposium.