Everyone at the Universal Rights Group (URG), board members and staff, are shocked and greatly saddened by the news that our friend and colleague, Professor Christof Heyns, passed away yesterday (28 March 2021). Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Christof was a giant of the human rights world. He allied a brilliant mind with a fierce determination …
Wednesday 7th October 2020, Geneva The Universal Rights Group (URG) welcomes today’s passage of an important new Human Rights Council resolution on the prevention of human rights violations and emergencies. The resolution, led by Norway, Sierra Leone, Switzerland and Uruguay, was adopted by vote at the 45th session of the Council with 32 in favour, 11 abstentions and 3 against (Bahrain, Cameroon and Venezuela). …
UN efforts over the past thirty years to shift its approach to crises and conflicts from reaction to prevention have largely failed for two main reasons, according to a new report by the Universal Rights Group (URG) think tank. First, because it is far easier for world governments to invest political and financial capital in responding to humanitarian disasters (especially …
On 1st July, Universal Rights Group New York (URG NYC) was formally incorporated, with the primary aims of strengthening URG’s engagement with States, UN officials and NGOs active at UN headquarters, and more effectively covering and analyzing developments in key New York-based UN bodies and organizations, including the General Assembly (especially the Third Committee), the Security Council, the High Level …
The Universal Rights Group is pleased to announce that renowned human rights expert Pablo de Greiff (Colombia) has joined the organisation’s Board of Trustees upon the invitation of the Board. Pablo de Greiff has over 20 years experience in global policy development of country level initiatives to prevent and recover from mass atrocities and human rights violations. His work focuses …
On July 18, the Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley gave the keynote address at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative American think tank, on the US withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council. The full speech and subsequent panel discussion can be found here . Ambassador Haley characterised the United States as a unique nation, with values of freedom and human dignity embedded in its very foundation. She …
5 June, 2018 Corruption has major negative implications, both direct and indirect, for the enjoyment of human rights and the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals’ ‘leaving no one behind’ Findings from new policy paper presented in Geneva on 22 May provides policymakers and other stakeholders with an empirical basis to tackle corruption from a human rights perspective Corruption is …
17h May 2018, Bogota One of the primary purposes of the Universal Rights Group (URG) is to deliver real change and real on-the-ground impact on human rights issues of immediate relevance and importance around the world. With that in mind, in 2015, the URG took the decision to explore opening regional offices in different regions of the world, including Latin …
On 17thApril the Universal Rights Group (URG) was granted special consultative status by the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Consultative status provides NGOs with access to UN bodies that are open to NGOs, including ECOSOC and the Human Rights Council, and the various UN human rights mechanisms. Commenting on the news, URG Executive Director Marc Limon said: ‘It has …
Friday 28th October 2016, Fiji On 27-28 October 2016, the Universal Rights Group supported the organisation of a Convention against Torture Initiative (CTI) workshop for Pacific Island States in Natadola, Fiji. The regional workshop, entitled ‘Benefits of, and challenges to, the ratification and implementation of the UN Convention against Torture in the Pacific region: sharing experiences and building capacity,’ represented …
