On 13 December 2021, the UN Security Council (UNSC) once again missed the opportunity to assert its leadership in the field of climate security and anchor its ability to more effectively and comprehensively address the global threat posed by climate change. After months of tense negotiations, a draft resolution (first circulated on 23 September by Ireland and Niger), which would have defined …
Making it real: Why members of the Human Rights Council should make use of their power to conduct ‘good offices’ missions
From 23-25 October, members of the Security Council carried out country missions to Mali and Niger, under the auspices of the Kenyan presidency of the body. In Mali, they met with members of the Transitional Government, including the Transitional President and Prime Minister, signatory armed groups, representatives of civil society, the Special Representative of the Secretary‑General for Mali, and representatives …
Building a coherent Human Rights Council-Security Council relationship – The prevention of human rights crises, violent conflict and atrocity crimes
In her first address to the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) Third Committee as High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2018, Michelle Bachelet urged States to remember that ‘the human rights system is not a Cassandra, correctly predicting crises yet unable to prevent them. It is a force for prevention. When it is backed by the political will of key …
‘Cuando las armas callan’: el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU debate sobre Justicia Transicional
El 13 de febrero, el Consejo de Seguridad celebró su primer debate sobre Justicia Transicional como una cuestión temática, con Estados de todas las regiones ofreciendo informaciones de primera mano y pidiendo a la ONU que desempeñe un papel de apoyo. Bélgica, que preside el Consejo de Seguridad durante el mes de febrero, inició y presidió el debate abierto sobre …