In his three decades as director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth experienced the importance of a collective effort in humanitarian negotiations — not just from organizations, but from everyday people.

“The best defense isn’t left to a handful of institutions; the best defense demands action from all of us — from you,” Roth urged the audience at a February 20 conversation at the Jackson School of Global Affairs.

During the event, Roth discussed his new book, “Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments,” a reflection on his lengthy career where he traveled to more than 100 countries as a global advocate for human rights.

After beginning his career as a federal prosecutor, Roth joined Human Rights Watch as deputy director in 1987. He became the director in 1993, a role he held until stepping down in 2022. During that time, he helped expand the organization’s staff and global reach, assisted in the establishment of the International Criminal Court and, in 1997, shared the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in a campaign to ban landmines.

In addition to the importance of collective effort, Roth said that what stands out most from his career is the need for patience, even in the face of urgency.

“The moral arc of the universe bends toward justice — but it’s long, and you need to be persistent. You need to keep fighting,” said Roth. He illustrated this point by explaining a section of his book, which chronicles a year-long experience putting diplomatic pressure on the Syrian government to halt the bombing of civilian targets in Syria’s Idlib province.

Yet, even with collective effort and patience, Roth emphasized that sometimes the most effective tactic can be displaying the human cost of the atrocities. “The essence of this work is really appealing to public morality,” he said. “And you can shape public morality.”

Following his address, Roth participated in a Q&A with Jonathan Fanton, president emeritus of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Jackson School Board of Advisors.