Realizing rights, changing lives: The impact of the United Nations human rights system on the enjoyment of children’s rights

by Geneva Beyond the Council, In focus: domestic implementation of universal norms, Policy reports, Reportes

Realizing rights, changing lives: The impact of the United Nations human rights system on the enjoyment of children’s rights

The international community has invested enormous time and energy in building the international human rights system over the past 70 years. Yet for as long as that system has existed, commentators have questioned the degree to which it is capable of, and is succeeding in, securing real-world change – i.e. demonstrable improvements in the on-the-ground enjoyment of human rights. According …

Guide to the 2020 Human Rights Council Elections

by the URG team International human rights institutions, mechanisms and processes, Policy reports

Guide to the 2020 Human Rights Council Elections

The sixth annual yourHRC.org Guide to the Human Rights Council elections provides comprehensive at-a-glance information on the 2020 Council elections (tentatively scheduled to take place on 13 October at the General Assembly in New York), when States from all regions will compete to win seats for new three-year membership terms (2021-2023). In particular, the Guide aims to promote transparency and …

The human rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic: A summary of the RightOn web chat series

by the URG team

The human rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic: A summary of the RightOn web chat series
The COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty it has brought have upended our lives. One consequence has been that many parts of the UN have not been able to meet – dealing a blow to multilateral diplomacy, including in the human rights sphere.
Against that background, in March 2020, a group of partners came together to ‘keep the conversation going’ in the area of human rights during the lock-down, by launching the ‘RightOn’ Wednesday web chat. Each week, these web chats brought together representatives of the international human rights community, as well as members of the general public, to debate and discuss the different human rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, and States’ responses thereto.
This new report summarises the main discussion points, conclusions and outcomes of this ‘first season’ of RightOn.
An interactive version of the report can also be found here.

7th meeting of the Istanbul Process

by Geneva In Focus: Human rights and religion, Policy reports

7th meeting of the Istanbul Process

On 18-19 November 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with the support of the Universal Rights Group (URG) hosted the seventh meeting of the Istanbul Process. The meeting was entitled, ‘Combatting religious intolerance: building inclusive and resilient societies, and pushing back against incitement to hatred and violence.’ This was the first Istanbul Process meeting …

The Human Rights Council in 2019

by Geneva International human rights institutions, mechanisms and processes, Policy reports

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 2019. Data on the quantitative evolution of the Council’s work in 2019, as well as since the body’s establishment in 2006. This includes the number of resolutions adopted; the number of voted resolutions; the number …

OSLO+1 – International support for the national implementation of UN human rights recommendations, including as a contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

by the URG team Beyond the Council, In focus: domestic implementation of universal norms, Policy reports

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 Rights Group (URG), convened a meeting of bilateral and multilateral development partners in Stockholm on how international cooperation could be better leveraged to support the national implementation of international human rights obligations and commitments. This …

Shedding light on the current status of the UN's Human Rights Up Front initiative.

Policy or aspiration: shedding light on the current status of the UN’s Human Rights Up Front initiative

by Danica Damplo, Universal Rights Group NYC and Rodrigo Saad, former Universal Rights Group - NYC Beyond the Council, Policy reports, Universal Rights Group NYC

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 and clear information has been provided by the UN secretariat on the status of the initiative. This has led many inside and outside the system to claim that the initiative is dead or reconfigured beyond recognition. …

Report of stocktaking meeting organised by the European Union, Denmark, and the Universal Rights Group.

Eight years of the Istanbul Process on combatting religious intolerance: Taking stock

by the URG team In Focus: Human rights and religion, Policy reports

Eight years of the Istanbul Process on combatting religious intolerance: Taking stock

The main intergovernmental 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 (Council) resolution 16/18 and its sister resolution at the General Assembly (GA) – GA resolution 66/167. Resolutions 16/18 and 66/167 were adopted by consensus in 2011, and hailed by stakeholders …