Modernising the United Nations human rights system

by Dr Bertrand G. Ramcharan and Geneva Beyond the Council, Blog, By invitation

In its weekend edition of 15-16 February 2014, the Financial Times serialised extracts from a recent book: ‘In 100 years: Leading Economists Predict the Future,’ edited by Ignacio Palacios-Huerta and published by MIT Press. In one of the extracts, Nobel Laureate for economics, Robert Shiller, Professor of Economics at Yale University, wrote that the next century carries with important risks …

Report on the 35th Session of the Human Rights Council

by the URG team International human rights institutions, mechanisms and processes, URG Human Rights Council Reports

Quick summary  The 35th regular session of the Human Rights Council (HRC35) was held from Tuesday 6th June to Friday 23rd June 2017. On 6th June, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, H.E. Mr Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, presented an oral update on the global human rights situation. A number of dignitaries delivered statements during the session, including inter alia, H.E. Mr Tabaré Vazquez, …

President Trump and the Human Rights Council: What did we learn from Nikki Haley’s visit?

by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group and Geneva Beyond the Council, Blog, International human rights institutions, mechanisms and processes

Wednesday 7th June 2017, Geneva As expected, all the talk on day one of the 35th session of the UN Human Rights Council was on the visit of America’s Ambassador to the United Nations, H.E. Ms Nikki Haley, and the message she brought about the Trump Administration’s views and position on the Council and the US’s role therein. In the end, Ambassador Haley’s …

Perspectives on the human rights priorities of the new UN Secretary-General 

Perspectives on the human rights priorities of the new UN Secretary-General As António Guterres begins his important duties, the Universal Rights Group has asked a range of opinion-leaders and policy-makers to offer their thoughts on key human rights challenges, opportunities and priorities for the new UN Secretary-General. Mouse over to reveal the quoteSir Nigel RodleyMember of the UN Human Rights ...

Report on the 26th Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the Human Rights situation in South Sudan

by the URG team International human rights institutions, mechanisms and processes, URG Human Rights Council Reports

On Wednesday 14 December, in view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation and ‘grave human rights crisis’ in South Sudan, a Special Session was convened on ‘the human rights situation in South Sudan.’ [1] The Special Session was requested, via an official letter on 9 December 2016, written by H.E. Ambassador Filloreta Kodra of Albania, H.E. Ambassador Juan Esteban Aguirre Martinez of Paraguay, H.E. Ambassador Julian …

Human rights focus can strengthen Paris climate deal

by Manuel González-Sanz, Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group, Cecilia Rebong, Mary Robinson and the URG team Blog, Contemporary and emerging human rights issues

Climate change was top of the agenda last month at the UN’s leading human rights body, writes Manuel González-Sanz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, Cecilia Rebong, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Philippines to the United Nations at Geneva, Mary Robinson, President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice, Marc Limon, Executive Director of Universal Rights Group. Following great efforts by a …