A recent episode of Southwest Magazine featured an extended interview between CHCO-TV host Vicki Hogarth and Alex Neve, international human rights lawyer and former Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. Neve, who served in that role for more than two decades, is the 2025 Massey Lecturer and author of Universal: Renewing Human Rights in a Fractured World.

The conversation explored the idea of universality in human rights and its relevance to today’s global crises. Neve noted that interconnectedness has reshaped the sense of security once taken for granted in more stable regions. With conflicts and disasters now reaching us instantly through our phones, he said, crises feel immediate everywhere.

Climate change loomed large in the discussion. Neve argued the crisis is rooted in structural issues like consumerism and economic systems, but stressed that a human rights framework can provide both legal and moral accountability for governments and corporations.

Turning to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, Neve said its promise of universality remains unfulfilled. Millions still live outside the protections it envisioned, he observed, and genuine progress requires extending those rights to all without exception.

Solidarity, Neve added, is critical. He pointed to the trans community as one facing heightened vulnerability, and to global conflicts such as the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis, where he urged Canadians to use their international voice for peace and justice.

Journalism, too, was highlighted as essential to human rights. Neve underscored the dangers reporters face in conflict zones, citing the high number of deaths in Gaza, and stressed that protecting journalists is vital to democracy and accountability.

Neve closed by emphasizing the power of individuals. While governments and institutions are needed for systemic change, he said collective progress depends on everyday actions — acts of advocacy, solidarity, and choice that build larger movements. Even in a fractured world, he suggested, this moment could become our finest hour if we choose to make it.