At a time of growing polarisation, the Council faces a number of interconnected challenges, including the squeezing of the moderate ‘centre’, the breaking down of cross-regional dialogue and understanding, and the fact that the Council’s work under item 10 (capacity-building) has lost a sense of direction and purpose (being either side-lined or used inappropriately – for example in relation to situations that should be dealt with under item 4 (serious violations)).
This project seeks to revitalise the Council’s work under item 10 with initiatives like the establishment of a Council platform for States to request international support for human rights implementation and receive offers of support from their peers, update colleagues on progress, and share good practices; exploring the possibility of establishing a new ‘small projects’ capacity-building trust fund; and profiling positive case studies from the platform under a different human rights theme (e.g., women’s rights, torture prevention), at a Council panel debate.
