Human Rights

The American Physical Society is committed to the human rights of scientists.  Through its Committee on International Freedom of Scientists, the APS monitors and advocates for the rights of scientists in the United States and around the globe.  The Society also awards the Andrei Sakharov Prize to scientists who uphold these rights, and has acknowledged the rights of scientists through official APS statements.

APS Committee on International Freedom of Scientists (CIFS)

 CIFS Website

APS Andrei Sakharov Prize

This prize is awarded every two years "to recognize outstanding leadership and/or achievements of scientists in upholding human rights.”
 Andrei Sakharov Prize

APS Human Rights Related Statements

APS Statements

Resources

The following links to various human rights related resources are provided by the Committee on International Freedom of Scientists.

Science & Human Rights

• Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) requires, in part, that States Parties recognize that everyone has the right to "enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications."
• Science and Human Rights Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• AAAS Science and Human Rights Coalition
• Committee of Concerned Scientists
• Committee on Human Rights of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
• Committee on Human Rights of Scientists of the New York Academy of Sciences

Human Rights Organizations

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  Adopted and proclaimed by the United Nations' General Assembly on 10 December 1948
  
• Human Rights Watch
• Amnesty International
• The Dui Hua Foundation
• Scholars at Risk Network

Academic Freedom in the United States

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• The American Association of University Professors (AAUP)

Science & Responsibility

• Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (U.S. site)
• Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
• Physicians for Social Responsibility