Philanthropy and Human Rights: Helping Make Ideals a Reality

03 December 2008

Ambassador Glendon speaking at the conference - Credit: Adam Packer

The powerful possibilities offered by philanthropy in terms of expanding access to the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was the subject of a conference co-sponsored by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See and the Acton Institute on December 3, 2008.

Ambassador Glendon began the conference by noting that while “U.S. assistance efforts over the past eight years represent the single largest development initiative since the Marshall Plan,” the “financial flows from private sources come to four and half times U.S. government foreign aid.”

Such private giving offers a powerful example of the potential of public-private partnerships in connection with faith-based, and other, organizations. Other speakers included the philosopher Michael Novak and Professor Arthur Brooks, a well-known expert on philanthropy in America. A number of Catholic, Italian, and international news outlets covered the conference.