The Council blew out the candles on its 10th birthday cake in June. As delegates working from different perspectives, who were there at the birth, who saw the Council take its first baby steps, and who have seen it grow and develop, here’s a shared view on how far we’ve come. Ten years ago there was optimism that …
During the last week of the 32nd session of the Council, the URG, with the support of the Government of Germany and the Canton of Geneva, brought 7 journalists – from Afghanistan, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ecuador and Kenya – to Geneva to follow developments, especially during voting. During their time in Geneva, the journalists benefited from briefing sessions with URG analysts, key diplomats, …
This article first appeared on openGlobalRights , and has been reproduced with their kind permission. The existing approach taken by the World Bank to human rights is incoherent, counterproductive and unsustainable. It is based on an out-dated legal analysis and shaped by deep misperceptions of what a human rights policy would require. In its operational policies in particular, the Bank treats human rights more …
On 17th May, Marc Limon, Universal Rights Group’s Executive Director, offered testimony during a US Congressional Hearing (House of Representatives) entitled: ‘Ten Years Later: The Status of the United Nations Human Rights Council.’ The hearing was organised by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and sought to examine the current functioning and effectiveness of the Council, and also look assess …
Nepal underwent its second review by the Working Group of the Human Rights Council as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process on November 4th 2015. The review was the culmination of a long process of internally reviewing the status of implementation of Nepal’s recommendations from the first review, inter-ministerial coordination and workshops, consultations with a broad range of …
When, in 2005, the UN General Assembly agreed on the geographical segmentation of the membership of the new Human Rights Council, it was widely believed that developing countries would enjoy an ‘automatic majority’ in the newly established body and thus that the priorities and concerns of the global South would be adequately reflected and addressed. This theoretical disposition did not …
Fostering respect for human rights is one of Switzerland’s foreign policy objectives, as provided for in our Federal Constitution. In Switzerland, promoting and protecting human rights is essential to direct democracy because it forms the basis for the freedom and security of every individual. At the international level, respect for human rights contributes to peace and global security, to the …
The Universal Rights Group (URG) is pleased to welcome Professor Christof Heyns, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions , to its Board of Trustees. Commenting on his appointment, Professor Heyns said: “I am very happy to join the URG Board. I am a solid supporter of the URG approach: they facilitate important discussions, conduct relevant and credible research (often with a welcome historical perspective); and offer …
In his statement to the 31st session, the High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke of a “growing disarray in many countries.” This is a sad conclusion to be drawn; yet it undoubtedly reflects the reality of today’s world. Around the globe, old conflicts persist and new ones erupt, and despite the hard lessons of the 20th Century, men still commit …
Incitement to religious hatred, discrimination and violence needs to be addressed by everyone, and at all levels. That is especially so when one considers the increasingly globalised and interconnected world in which we live — events on one side of the planet can have immediate and far-reaching consequences for people on the other side. News relating to religious discrimination or …
