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What are the #HumanRights priorities of world governments in 2019? Read @URGthinktank independent analysis of the High-Level Segment of the Human Rights Council here: bit.ly/2TPBGF9 #HRC40 #Agenda2030 #SDGs universal-rights.org/blog/wha…
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latest policy report
Between 2021 and 2026, the General Assembly (GA) is scheduled to consider the question of the status of the Human Rights Council (Council), i.e. whether… previous policy reports
The Human Rights Council in 2018
‘The Human Rights Council in 2018’ report aims to provide, inter alia: A written analysis of the main events and development at the Council in…The global human rights implementation agenda: the role of national parliaments
This new policy brief, published by the URG and the Commonwealth secretariat, is the second in a new series of URG publications exploring how universal…URG Insights
The human rights implications of the new UN Resident Coordinator system
by Rodrigo Saad
In 2017, Secretary General António Guterres unveiled extensive plans to reform the United Nations Development System (UNDS). His proposal, which coincides with parallel measures to restructure the UN’s peace and security architecture and revise its management paradigm, is part of a broader agenda to make prevention a cross-pillar priority. More specifically, the repositioning of the UNDS seeks to foster an integrated approach to development that meets the requirements of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In his July 2017 briefing to ECOSOC, the Secretary General affirmed that sustainable development is the “most powerful tool for prevention.” His claim echoes the…
previous URG Insights
High Commissioner discusses human rights, justice, and prevention at the Security Council
by Danica Damplo, Universal Rights Group NYC
On March 11th, at UN headquarters in New York City, High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet gave her first address to the Security Council in her capacity as High Commissioner for Human Rights. She spoke at an Arria-Formula meeting, on the topic of “human rights, accountability, and justice: contributions to international peace and security” (watch it here). The High Commissioner briefed the Security Council alongside two other speakers: Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, and Theodor Meron, former President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT). The…
The history of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders: its genesis, drafting and adoption
by Petter Wille, Special Adviser to the National Human Rights Institution of the Kingdom of Norway, JANIKA SPANNAGEL, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, GLOBAL PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE
Introduction Human rights defenders have been on the agenda of the United Nations (UN) for several decades. After more than 13 years of negotiations, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders in 1998. This was a historic achievement. It was the first UN instrument to particularly recognise the importance and legitimacy of the work of human rights defenders, as well as their need for better protection. The adoption of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders has provided recognition of human rights defenders and increased their visibility, which also paved the way for the establishment of…
The nature of power and influence at the Human Rights Council: a membership network analysis
by Anatoly Boyashov, Universal Rights Group
Why do States run for membership of the Human Rights Council? All UN Member States are, in principle, able to participate in and contribute to the work of the Council, either as a member or an observer. So why do some States choose to ‘go the extra mile’ and campaign for a seat on the body? The answer is that while Council membership does not guarantee influence and — seen the other way around — while States can still be highly influential as observers, the fact remains that membership brings with it a number of particular responsibilities and privileges. Regarding the latter,…
Does the UN already have the tools to prevent violent extremism? The newly discovered role of social exclusion and discrimination in violent extremism
by Samuel Gordon, URG
When the United Nations was established in 1945 one of its fundamental ambitions was to create a world that wasn’t plagued by religious and racial persecution and discrimination. In the aftermath of WW2, the mantra of never again, was continuously used to represent the new commitment to the protection of religious and minority rights. This immediately began to manifest itself in international law and policy in Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human rights. It is therefore curious how in 2019 a prevalent theory that one of the predominate causes of violent extremism is the consistent, daily discrimination, and…
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The Istanbul Process and the implementation of the UN’s action plan to combat religious intolerance: Taking stock after 8 years
The main UN global policy framework for combatting religious intolerance, stigmatisation, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons based on religion or belief is set down in Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 and its sister resolution at the General Assembly – GA resolution 66/167. Resolutions 16/18 and 66/167 were adopted by consensus in 2011, ...future events
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14 Mar 2019
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31 Jan 2019