I have worked in the human rights field since the 1970s. For about thirty years, I was the Executive Director and then President of Human Rights First, a non-governmental advocacy organization. In 2009, I joined the Obama Administration and former Secretary Clinton as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy Human Rights and Labor. In March 2013 I joined NYU Stern School of Business, where I am teaching, and working with a colleague, Sarah Labowitz, to build a new Center for Business and Human Rights.

My Approach to Ethical Systems: 

I’m very interested in the ethical questions of globalization, and how to ensure that economic growth is accompanied by respect for human rights, particularly in countries where the government has weak ability or willingness to protect rights. At the Center, we are developing a model for addressing human rights problems that arise in the operations of multinational companies. Our model focuses on the need for companies operating in the same sector or country to work with each other, as well as other stakeholders (such as NGOs, governments, and universities) to set standards for human rights performance in that sector or place. Only by differentiating company performance against a common framework can consumers and investors have the information they need to reward companies for their human rights performance. In short, our approach is pro-business, while emphasizing high standards for human rights.

At the Center, we are advancing this approach through research, as well as by bringing companies and other stakeholders together at Stern for practical dialogue about human rights challenges. We plan to focus on one major theme each year, such as factory safety and working conditions in the garment sector in Bangladesh or digital governance and privacy in the information and communication technology sector. 

My Major Relevant Publications:

Books

• Human Rights and Legal Defense in Northern Ireland: The intimidation of defense lawyers: the murder of Patrick Finucane (New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 1993). (public library)

• Abandoning the Victims (editor) (New York: Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 1990). (public library)

• Critique of U.S. State Department Periodic Report on Human Rights (New York: Helsinki Watch and Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 1980). (public library)

​Academic Articles

• “Advice to the Next Administration and Congress Regarding Coercive Interrogation,” article in American Bar Association National Security Law Report, Special Issue: Advice for the Next Administration and Congress, 30(3),  (September/October 2008).

• “Human Rights in the Post-September 11 Environment,” article in Seattle Journey for Social Justice, 5(1), (Fall/Winter 2006).

• “Can Codes of Conduct Play a Role in Promoting Workers’ Rights?” chapter in International Labor Standards, edited by Robert J. Flanagan and William B. Gould (Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2003).

• “Rally Round Human Rights,” article in Foreign Policy, No. 97 (Winter 1994/1995).

• “The Status of Human Rights NGOs,” article in Columbia Human Rights Law Review, Volume 25, (1994), pp. 269-72 – with Candy Whittome.

• “The Forty Year Crisis: A Legislative History of the Refugee Act of 1980,” article in San Diego Law Review, Volume 19, (1981), pp. 9-89 – with Deborah Anker.

Press 

• NYU Stern’s Professor Michael Posner: Bringing Human Rights to a Business School, Businessweek, July 26, 2013.

• Professor Michael Posner Explains the Significance of Labor Rights Regulations in Myanmar, The New York Times, June 30, 2013.

• Professor Michael Posner Reacts to the US’s Measures to Halt Trade with Bangladesh, The New York Times, June 27, 2013.

• Professor Michael Posner on Why Some Companies Have Not Signed Bangladesh Safety Agreements, Financial Times, May 16, 2013.

• Professor Michael Posner on the Bangladesh Safety Agreement Signed by European Retailers, Reuters, May 14, 2013.

• Professor Michael Posner on Why Companies Should Work on Labor Reform Rather Than Pull Out of Bangladesh, CNN, May 9, 2013.

• In an Op-Ed, Professor Michael Posner Explains How Global Brands Can Help Improve Working Conditions, The New York Times, May 2, 2013.

• Michael Posner Joins NYU Stern to Establish New Center for Business and Human Rights, NYU Stern, February 28, 2013.

Congressional Testimony

• U.S. House of Representatives, Congressional Human Rights Caucus, Hearing on Human Rights and Brand Accountability: How Multinationals Can Promote Labor Rights, February 8, 2006.

• U.S. Senate, Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on European Affairs, Hearing on Anti-Semitism, April 8, 2004.

• U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, Hearing on Human Rights in Northern Ireland, March 15, 2001.

• U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on International Relations, Hearing on Human Rights in China, January 20, 1999.

• U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on International Relations, Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, Hearing on Human Rights in Nortbern lreland, June 24, 1997.

• U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittees on Europe and the Middle East and on Human Rights and International Organizations, Hearing on Kuwait, June 11, 1991.

• U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations, Hearing on the Status of U.S. Human Rights Policy, February 19, 1987.

• U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Human Rights and International Organizations, Hearing on Review of State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1981, April 28, 1982.