On 25 October, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) launched its General Recommendation 40 , on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems. The General Recommendation culminates a process that began in February of 2023, and that aims to provide States with guidance, based on the premise that the achievement of gender equality is a fundamental …
International community takes “major step forward in efforts to strengthen the domestic implementation of States’ international human rights obligations and commitments, and re-energise progress towards the SDGs leaving no one behind”
Representatives of the international community compile first universal guidance framework for national mechanisms for implementation, reporting, and follow-up – the Marrakech Guidance Framework (MGF) From 16-17 October, around 100 representatives of the international community, including State representatives, as well as UN agencies, intergovernmental organisations, NHRIs, and civil society, met in Marrakech to discuss ‘Transforming universal norms into local reality – …
Report on the 57th session of the Human Rights Council
Quick summary The 57th regular session of the Human Rights Council (HRC57) was held from Monday 9th September to Friday 11th October 2024. On 11 September, the High Commissioner Volker Türk opened HRC57 by presenting a global update on the situation of human rights around the world. In his intervention, the High Commissioner emphasised that it is a critical moment …
Strengthening the enjoyment of women’s rights and promoting gender equality, through the construction of ‘human rights economies’
The equal enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights is fundamental to sustainable development leaving no one behind, to democratic resilience, and to the prevention of instability and crisis. Without equal and adequate access to quality education, quality healthcare, food, water and sanitation, and housing, grievances grow, and society becomes fractured. This is especially the case for groups living in …
The ‘Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review’ of the UN development system: what is it, and why is it so important for realising human rights and achieving the SDGs leaving no one behind?
‘Human rights are intrinsic to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and meeting the promise of leaving no one behind.‘ United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres As the world reached the halfway point along its journey to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, late last year (18-19 September) heads of State and ministers gathered at the four-yearly SDG Summit in New York, to …
Report on the 56th session of the Human Rights Council
Quick summary The 56th regular session of the Human Rights Council ( HRC56 ) started on Tuesday, 18 June and will be held until Friday, 12 July 2024. On 18 June, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Volker Türk, opened HRC56 by presenting his global update on the state of human rights followed by an interactive dialogue, in which he discussed the …
Connecting the dots between inequality, poverty, and ‘human rights beyond growth’
‘What use is growing the global economy when it is burning the planet and funnelling the majority of its wealth to the super-rich?’ This question encapsulates the priorities that the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier De Schutter, has pursued since starting his second term in 2023, priorities premised on a belief that the traditional model of growing …
Is the Tide Turning? How states vote on Africa-focused resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council
Since the opening of DefendDefenders ‘ Geneva office, in 2018, we have engaged in advocacy with the UN human rights system and brought dozens of human rights defenders (HRDs) to the Palais des Nations. We have also made a deliberate effort to produce reports on multilateral dynamics. Many of our mandate countries – including Burundi, Eritrea, South Sudan, and Sudan – …
How ‘enlightened’ are we?
Earlier this week we witnessed the latest development in the continuing and terrible disaster that is Gaza. The Palestinian death-toll is now estimated to be more than 35,000 people, many of whom are women and children. The physical infrastructure of Gaza lies in ruins and, even when this conflict ends, will take decades to rebuild. Following the earlier and ongoing …
States establish new global network of NMIRFs at international conference in Asunción
In a major step forward for the on-the-ground implementation and realisation of international human rights standards, earlier this month (8-9 May), UN member States meeting in Asunción, Paraguay, reached agreement on the establishment of a new global network of national mechanisms for implementation, reporting, and follow-up (NMIRFs). The network will provide a significant boost to the qualitative and quantitative development …