Video
The Prevention Council
3 February 2020
For the UN’s prevention agenda to work, it is vital to build a business case for placing human rights at its heart.
URG Insights
Time to ask again: is being the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights an impossible job?
by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group
In February 2018, I published a blog on the early departure of the previous High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. The blog responded to David Petrasek’s article in OpenGlobaRights entitled ‘Another one bites the dust’ (8 February 2018). The article attempted to look past Zeid’s stated reasons for leaving his post (in effect, that the worldwide retreat from human rights had made his position untenable) to the real underlying reason: namely the multifaceted nature of the High Commissioner’s mandate, a mandate that requires the mandate-holder to both publicly criticise States and to work closely with them within…
previous URG Insights
Report of the 34th Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression
by the URG team
On Thursday 12 May 2022, the Human Rights Council convened a Special Session to address ‘the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression’. The Special Session was requested via an official letter dated 9 May and signed by H.E. Yevheniia Filipenko, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations in Geneva. This letter, addressed to H.E. Mr Federico Villegas, President of the Human Rights Council, was officially supported by 16 member States and 36 observer States. In conformity with operative paragraph 10 of the General Assembly resolution 60/251, the Human Rights Council is ‘able…
International borders: Dividing lines for Indigenous Peoples’ rights
by Marine KRAUZMAN, URG Geneva
Today, nearly 476 million Indigenous Peoples live in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 5,000 different cultures and 6.2 percent of the world population. Many of these communities live across national borders, such as the Amazighs in North Africa, the Mapuche at the Chile-Argentina border, or the Sámi in Northern Europe. Current border governance practices often hamper Indigenous Peoples’ full enjoyment of land rights when access to land is essential to guarantee their livelihoods, food security and cultural survival. While existing international legal frameworks recognise these cross-border rights, to this day they have not been fully realised. There are,…
Council President speaks of centrality of human rights to the multilateral system, including to peace and security, and sustainable development
by Abigail WEISS, URG Fellow
On April 21, 2022, Ambassador Federico Villegas of Argentina, the President of the Human Rights Council, gave a lecture at the New School in downtown New York, on the place of human rights in the UN system. Although he touched on a variety of themes, a key point was that human rights is integral to - and should be better linked with - crisis/conflict prevention, peace and security, and sustainable development. Respect for human rights is, he said, ‘the best way to prevent conflict.’ It is also, he added, ‘the best way of reconstructing the social and institutional fabric of…
#TheTimeIsNow – UN recognition of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment: Past developments and future prospects
by Abigail WEISS, URG Fellow
Last week, the URG, the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, Dr. David Boyd, in partnership with New York University, held an expert seminar to look ahead towards the possible UN General Assembly recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (R2HE). Over the course of the seminar, the panelists gave informative and often heartfelt speeches – making the compelling point that GA recognition of R2HE is not only justified, but urgent. Furthermore, it was repeatedly noted that R2HE is broadly supported by civil society, by private…
latest policy report
May 2022
SUPPORTING ENVIRONMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS: Developing New Guidance for Donors and Civil Society Organisations
Over the last two years, the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED) worked closely with defenders and local organisations in five countries: Brazil,…
previous policy reports
Understanding and responding to the protection needs of climate activists and movements
As climate change impacts our everyday lives, livelihoods, and ecosystems, significantly harming the world’s most vulnerable populations, thousands of individuals and groups have raised their…The Human Rights Council in 2021
What were the main developments, achievements and flash-points at the Human Rights Council in 2021? What were the Council’s principle outputs and what kind of…Placing digital technology at the service of democracy and human rights (3D2)
From 16-17 November, a high-level meeting of State representatives, UN officials, technology company representatives, and civil society, took place in Montreux, Switzerland, as well as…URG next event
future events
No planned events at the moment
past events
-
16 May 2022
-
27 Apr 2022
-
26 Apr 2022
-
12 Apr 2022
-
11 Mar 2022
The Istanbul Process is the dedicated mechanism for follow-up on the implementation of the action plan set out in Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 on combatting intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatisation of, and discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against, persons based on religion or belief.
> View the website
