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
What do the US protests and the UK’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic tell us about inequality, discrimination and social rights in the ‘Anglosphere’?
by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group
Violence erupts across more than 75 US cities on a sixth night of protests sparked by the death in police custody of African American George Floyd. In London, the UK Government delays the release of an official review of the impacts of COVID-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) Britons. At the end of April one of the UN’s most high-profile Special Rapporteurs, Philip Alston, finished his six-year mandate on extreme poverty and human rights. Three ostensibly unrelated events. Yet in reality, all are linked by a single word: ‘inequality.’ Police brutality against African Americans is not new -…
previous URG Insights
Inequality, discrimination and social rights in the ‘Anglosphere’
by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group
At the end of April one of the UN’s most high-profile Special Rapporteurs, Philip Alston, finished his six-year mandate on extreme poverty and human rights. Over that time, he completed around a dozen country missions to places including Spain, Malaysia, Lao, Ghana, Saudi Arabia and China. Yet in many ways his tenure as Special Rapporteur was defined by two visits in particular: to the United States (December 2017). and the United Kingdom (November 2018). Both visits had a huge impact in the countries concerned and beyond, especially in shifting public perceptions about poverty and its relationship with human rights -…
Is COVID-19 proving to be the ‘Achilles’ heel’ of the world’s populist leaders?
by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group
The rise of populist leaders around the world, with their particularly Orwellian brand of post-truth politics, has been one of the defining geopolitical trends of the past five years. From Trump to Orban, Bolsonaro to Johnson, and Erdogan to Modi, these politicians have seemed to carry all before them. Yet perhaps they have finally met their match in COVID-19? Although the rule does not hold true across the board (in Hungary, for example, Victor Orban has responded to the pandemic by curtailing human rights and democratic institutions – with apparently positive results in terms of infections and COVID-related deaths), in…
Protecting the rights of older persons during the COVID-19 pandemic
by Alfonso Barragues, Deputy Director, UNFPA Liaison Office in Geneva
As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has pointed out, the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most dangerous challenges the world has faced in our lifetime. It is a human crisis with severe health and economic consequences. That is particularly the case for older persons who face a higher mortality risk, with those over 80 years old dying at five times the average rate. The spread of COVID-19 in care homes and institutions is particularly devastating on older people’s lives and rights, with distressing reports indicating instances of neglect or mistreatment. Yet, beyond the virus’ death toll, older person are detrimentally…
Is COVID-19 forcing America to reconsider its views on ‘fake news’ and freedom of expression?
by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group
Back in February, during a preparatory meeting of the 2020 Glion Human Rights Dialogue at the Permanent Mission of Mexico, one of the most contentious discussion points was how – and indeed whether – States should manage the growing problem of ‘fake news,’ especially online. During the dialogue, a diplomat from South-East Asia presented her government’s pioneering efforts to address ‘fake news’ where it threatens public safety – specifically by requiring social media companies to post a factual rebuttal next to the original information. Although this new law has only recently been adopted and applied, the diplomat gave an example…
latest policy report
In the midst of the COVID-19 public health emergency and economic crisis, as we yearn for the social contact and cultural activities that define our…
previous policy reports
The Prevention Council: The business case for placing human rights at the heart of the UN’s prevention agenda
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…The Human Rights Council in 2019
‘The Human Rights Council in 2019’ report aims to provide, inter alia: A written analysis of the main events and development at the Council in…OSLO+1 - International support for the national implementation of UN human rights recommendations, including as a contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
On 10 May 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden and the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation (Sida), in cooperation with the Universal…Policy or aspiration: shedding light on the current status of the UN's Human Rights Up Front initiative
The question of ‘what happened to Human Rights up Front’ is an oft repeated refrain in meetings with New York civil society. However, little consistent,…URG next event
Oslo+digital meeting on how a human rights based approach to development can ensure that we build back better
By invitation only
On 9 and 10 June the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and The Netherlands, in cooperation with the Universal Rights Group (URG) will organise an informal meeting of development partners on 'how a human rights based approach to development can ensure that we build back better.' This will be the first digital meeting of ...future events
No planned events at the moment
past events
-
04 Jun 2020
-
27 May 2020
-
20 May 2020
-
13 May 2020
-
06 May 2020
URG explainers
Coming soon
