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Urgent Debate on the #HumanRights situation in #EasternGhouta now under way at #HRC37 in Geneva! Follow live here twitter.com/URGthinktank/s…
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In this groundbreaking new policy report on the UN human rights petitions system, Marc Limon offers a first-ever comparative analysis of the visibility, accessibility, responsiveness and effectiveness of all the main international communications procedures (i.e. those provided by the Special Procedures and the Treaty Bodies, and by the Human Rights Council through its Confidential Complaints…
Human Rights Council strengthening conference
There is a growing recognition that as the Human Rights Council (HRC) approaches its twelve year anniversary there is a need to undertake an inclusive, cross regional and structured dialogue…
Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals – Pursuing Synergies
If the 2030 Agenda is to be realised in a way that truly does ‘leave no one behind,’ then human rights obligations and commitments must be applied, implemented and protected…
The Human Rights Council in 2017
The ‘Human Rights Council in 2017’ report provides a critique of the main events, developments, successes and failures of the Human Rights Council in 2017. The review includes: – A quantitative…
Media coverage of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2016
Global human rights crises and concerns are never far for the front pages of the world’s major newspapers, nor far from the screens of our TVs and iPads. Yet this…
Operationalizing the Council’s ‘prevention’ mandate (Glion IV)
by the URG teamThe Human Rights Council’s mandate to respond to human rights violations, including gross and systematic violations – as set down in operative paragraph 3 of GA resolution 60/251 – is…
The march of universality? Religion-based reservations to the core UN human rights treaties
by Mariana Montoya (URG) and Basac ÇaliURG’s new Policy Report on ‘The march of universality?’ by Başak Çalı and Mariana Montoya presents the findings of a two-year project to map and analyse the implications of all…
Environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs): risking their today for our tomorrow
by John H. Knox, Special Rapporteur on the human rights and the environmentURG today launches a new Policy Brief on the situation of ‘environmental human rights defenders’ (EHRDs), individuals working, often at great personal risk, at the interface of human rights and…
URG Insights
Inter-American Court clarifies human rights obligations of States in the context of environmental protection
by Liliana Ávila
Advisory opinion also clarifies extraterritorial obligations On February 7, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights shared its response to an advisory opinion solicited by Colombia on the international obligations of States regarding activities that could negatively impact the environment. Advisory opinions are legal concepts in which the Court, as the highest human rights court in…
What are the human rights priorities of world governments in 2018?
by the URG team
An independent analysis of the High Level Segment of the Human Rights Council At the opening of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council, nearly one hundred world leaders (e.g. presidents, prime ministers, and ministers) delivered high level speeches commenting on the state of global human rights in 2018, and presenting their country’s priorities…
by Emilie Filmer-Wilson, Human Rights Adviser, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
The number of human rights recommendations made to Member States has increased rapidly over the past few years. To track progress with meeting these recommendations in a more systematic manner, a number of Member States have created specific tracking mechanisms and tools. In these efforts, they are increasingly turning to UN Country Teams for support.…
A new approach to advancing dialogue on human rights
by Yoni Ish-Hurwitz, Executive Director of the Human Rights Likeminded Office
Polarisation and politicisation at the United Nations – words on the mind of every diplomat and international activist working on human rights. More often than not in debates and decisions at the Human Right Council, group dynamics come into play, often masking differences or commonalities in national positions. For example, a country that normally supports…
Time to act – recognising the right to a healthy environment
by Marcos A. Orellana, Director of the Environment and Human Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, Geneva
Global recognition of the right to a healthy environment is long overdue. There are opportunities emerging to do so, and this would give crucial support to threatened environmental activists. In March 2016, armed intruders battered down the door of the house where Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres, 44, was staying and killed her. By then,…