Mr Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group
The Human Rights Council (Council) this week convened a first inter-sessional seminar on how to operationalize its prevention mandate, as set forth in paragraph 5f of GA resolution 60/251. The seminar, the first of three sets of consultations with States and civil society to be held in 2019 (two in Geneva and one in New York), was held pursuant to Council resolution 38/18 adopted last June. It was convened by three eminent experts: Yvette Stevens (chair-rapporteur), Pablo de Greiff (rapporteur) and Nils Muiznieks (rapporteur).
Over the course of two days, participants offered their views on how to better use existing Council mechanisms (e.g. the UPR, Special Procedures, and Commissions of Inquiry) and procedures (e.g. the Confidential Complaints Procedure), and how to develop new mechanisms and procedures, to fulfil the Council’s 5f mandate to ‘contribute, through dialogue and cooperation, towards the prevention of human rights violations and respond promptly to human rights emergencies.’ ...
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LATEST Policy Reports
On 9-10 January 2019, the Universal Rights Group, with the support of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, convened a regional workshop on ‘lifting religion-based reservations to the core international human rights conventions as a means of strengthening women’s rights at national level, and the role of women’s rights advocacy groups in that regard.’
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URG Insights
Mid-way to universality! CTI2024 supporting all States to ratify and implement the UN Convention against Torture
By Dr. Alice Edwards, Head of the CTI Secretariat
Guiding States on how to prevent and respond to torturous forms of abuse of power or position is what the UN Convention against Torture is all about. Yet, despite torture being long condemned and the prohibition recognised as a jus cogens international norm, there continue to be grave abuses perpetrated in many countries and in all regions. In others, lack of safeguards or systems can lead to incidents, and if not guarded against, could spiral into patterns of unacceptable behaviour. Guiding States on how to prevent and ..…
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Magnitsky Acts and the future of accountability for violations of international human rights law: An interview with Bill Browder
By Ben Greenacre, Universal Rights Group
Since the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow jail cell in 2009, US financier turned anti-corruption activist Bill Browder has led an (almost) one man crusade to strengthen national legal frameworks and responses to alleged gross violations of human rights and/or cases of grand corruption (which are of course linked to serious human rights violations). Over the intervening ten years, Mr Browder’s determination and refusal to accept conventional legal wisdom about human rights accountability, has led …
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The UN human rights system and Sudan: a new chapter?
By Nicolas Agostini, UN Representative of DefendDefenders
In September 2018, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 39/22, on ‘Technical assistance and capacity-building to improve human rights in the Sudan.’ No one should be fooled by its title: this latest iteration of the Council’s Sudan-focused resolutions was, in the words of Human Rights Watch, ‘an abdication of the Council’s responsibility to human rights victims in Sudan while grave .…
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UN Development System reforms: An update
By the Universal Rights Group - NYC team
On 31 May 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 72/279 , accepting measures for change along the lines of the Secretary General’s recommendations and setting in motion one of the most comprehensive reforms of the UN Development System (UNDS) to date. This post provides an update on these reforms and is the first in a series of blogs produced …
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URG Events
FUTURE EVENTS
May 8 / 2019
Geneva
Pre-Glion policy dialogue with the Permanent Mission of Thailand on 'Towards 2026: Perspectives on the future of the Human Rights Council'
(By invitation)
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May 10 / 2019
Stockholm
Oslo+1 meeting on international support for the national implementation of international human rights obligations and recommendations
(By invitation)
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May 27 / 2019
Chardonne
The Glion Human Rights Dialogue 2019 (‘Glion VI’): ‘Towards 2026 – Perspectives on the future of the Human Rights Council’
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PAST EVENTS
May 2 / 2019
Geneva
Pre-Glion policy dialogue with the Permanent Mission of Botswana on 'Towards 2026: Perspectives on the future of the Human Rights Council'
(By invitation)
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April 11 / 2019
Nadi
Building an international human rights implementation agenda: the emergence and evolution of National Mechanisms for Implementation Reporting and Follow-Up (NMIRFs)
(By invitation)
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April 8 / 2019
Geneva
The Istanbul Process and the implementation of the UN's action plan to combat religious intolerance: Taking stock after 8 years
(Public event)
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