Welcome to the CAHR website and to this Editorial page.  I’m glad you found your way here.  I have to assume that your perseverance in arriving here was motivated by a shared interest in the many issues that relate architecture to human rights.

This editorial page is a new addition to the website.  As a result, I now have a place for shorter pieces of writing that, until now, have only appeared infrequently on the CAHR Facebook page.  

There are a couple of things I wanted to do with this page:

• Since future postings are not research papers, this page can contain pieces that are more topical and immediate.
• I hope I can use this space to invite others to have something to say about the issues of concern to CAHR – members of the CAHR board, for example, and friends involved in architecture, human rights, and other related issues. 

I will be interested to see how this page develops and what it might add to the discussion.

Along with the six areas of intersection between architecture and human rights described on the home page, there are many other related issues on:

• Professional ethics
• Education of design professionals
• Alternative forms of practice

Further, I engage in a number of other activities about which I expect to have some  comments:

• In January of 2021 I volunteered as a member of the RAIC advisory committee on ‘Promoting Equity and Justice’
• Architectural institutions – at the local, national, and international levels.
• The ongoing work of other NGOs involved in related fields (see ‘CAHR Supports on the Get Involved page).  I am also on the board of Arc-Peace – the international umbrella organization of Architects, Designers, and Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) and have a long-standing interest in peace-building and social responsibility, especially within professions.

If you wish to contribute to advancing these ideas, I want to hear from you!

The door is quite open!

Graeme Bristol
Executive Director
Centre for Architecture & Human Rights