It is now widely recognised that corruption negatively affects the enjoyment of civil and political rights, as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Corruption not only has a negative impact on the ability of States to implement their treaty-based human rights obligations, but it also directly affects the population of such countries. This concern was raised several times by …
Human Rights Treaty Bodies in the field: The Inter-American Regional System and sessions away from headquarters
Following the post from Christof Heyns and Abiola Idowu-Ojo of July 10, 2018 on this site, the present post reviews the inter-American experience with holding sessions away from headquarters, and considers the many advantages, as well as some challenges. Both the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Commission or IACHR) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Court) carry out periods …
La alta comisionada Bachelet traza un nuevo curso
La nueva Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, Michelle Bachelet, inició su mandato el 10 de septiembre con un discurso inaugural ante el Consejo de Derechos Humanos (al comienzo de su 39ª sesión). Al igual que en todos los discursos inaugurales de anteriores Altos(as) Comisionados(as), los Estados, las ONG y los medios de comunicación observaron detenidamente …
High Commissioner Bachelet charts a new course
The new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, marked the start of her tenure on 10th September with an inaugural address to the Human Rights Council (at the start of its 39th session). As with all inaugural speeches by new High Commissioners, the statement was closely watched by States, NGOs and the media for clues as to Ms Bachelet’s …
Is Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein really the “prince of Human Rights”?
The former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Jordanian prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, ended his mandate on the 31st August and his successor, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, has just taken office. A large number of recent contributions praising Zeid’s term in office have cropped up and many paid tribute to his action at the head of the UN …
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein est-il vraiment le « prince des droits de l’Homme » ?
Le mandat du Haut Commissaire aux droits de l’homme des Nations Unies, le prince jordanien Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, est arrivé à son terme à la fin du mois d’août et sa successeur, l’ancienne présidente du Chili Michelle Bachelet a pris ses fonctions au premier septembre. De nombreuses contributions récentes ont rendu hommage à l’action de Zeid. Les médias retiennent …
¿Cuál es el futuro del Alto Comisionado para los Derechos Humanos? Reimaginando el papel, las prerrogativas, las responsabilidades y el mandato del Alto Comisionado
Como argumenta Suzanne Nossel en su excelente artículo recientemente publicado en la revista Foreign Policy (‘ El trabajo del jefe de derechos humanos de la ONU no es lo que piensas ‘, 9 de agosto), el regocijo general entre los defensores de los derechos humanos por el nombramiento de Michelle Bachelet como la próxima Alta Comisionada para los Derechos Humanos debería dar paso rápidamente a “una reevaluación exhaustiva del papel de la Alta Comisionada y …
Is the Human Rights Council finally becoming efficient?
The 38th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC38) in June saw the largest drop in the number of adopted resolutions since the body’s establishment in 2006. This came against a backdrop of almost uninterrupted growth in the Council’s output over the past decade. Beyond providing an interesting talking point for Council delegates, the decrease (from 35 texts adopted one …
What future for the High Commissioner for Human Rights? Reimagining the High Commissioner’s role, prerogatives, responsibilities and mandate
As Suzanne Nossel argues in her excellent recent article in Foreign Policy magazine (‘ The job of UN human rights chief isn’t what you think ,’ 9 August), the general rejoicing among human rights advocates at the appointment of Michelle Bachelet as the next High Commissioner for Human Rights, should quickly give way to ‘a searching reassessment of the role of the High Commissioner and a commitment to steps that will …
The selection and appointment of the next High Commissioner for Human Rights: Right person, shame about the process
In March 2018, a coalition of some 60 NGOs, led by the Universal Rights Group, the UN Association of the UK, and Human Rights House Foundation, sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, encouraging him to enhance the selection procedure for the new High Commissioner for Human Rights. The sponsors of the letter argued that the process used …