The UN human rights treaty system: Getting closer to the ground?

by Christof Heyns, Professor of Human Rights Law, Univeristy of Pretoria and Member of the UN Human Rights Committee and Willem Gravett, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria By invitation, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Special Procedures, Treaty Bodies

In a 2017 post on this site (and drawing on an idea advanced 20 years ago by Christof Heyns and Frans Viljoen ), we argued that the current process of reform of the human rights treaty system should include efforts to “bring the treaty system closer to the people on the ground.” More specifically, treaty bodies should not only conduct their work in Geneva, but also hold meetings away from their home base, in particular in the …

El sistema de tratados de derechos humanos de la ONU: ¿más cerca del terreno?

by Christof Heyns, Professor of Human Rights Law, Univeristy of Pretoria and Member of the UN Human Rights Committee and Willem Gravett, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria By invitation, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Treaty Bodies

En una publicación de 2017 en este sitio (y basándose en una idea presentada hace 20 años por Christof Heyns y Frans Viljoen ), argumentamos que el proceso actual de reforma del sistema de tratados de derechos humanos debe incluir esfuerzos para “acercar el sistema de tratados a la gente en el terreno”. De manera más específica, los órganos de tratados no solo deben realizar su trabajo en Ginebra, sino también celebrar reuniones en otras partes, en particular …

The Human Rights Council in 2020 – Views of the 14th President of the Human Rights Council H.E. Ms. Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger

by H.E. Elisabeth TICHY-FISSLBERGER, President of the UN Human Rights Council By invitation, Human rights implementation and impact, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Special Procedures, Universal Periodic Review

Geneva, 20 February 2020 It is a very special honour for me to preside over the Human Rights Council during this year, and I am fully aware of the responsibility I have assumed from my predecessor. The Human Rights Council is unique in many ways. Unlike many other UN bodies, the Council provides a place where States and civil society …

The UN Human Development Report must go farther on inequality

by Steven L. B. Jensen, Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights By invitation, Inequality and social rights, Thematic human rights issues

This post first appeared on OpenGlobalRights . In December, UNDP launched the  Human Development Report 2019 . It was announced in advance that the new report would reconceptualize human development around the concept of inequality. This framing offers a more holistic take on existing injustices around the world. The report combines income and wealth inequalities with those more traditionally associated with human development such as health …

El Informe de Desarrollo Humano de la ONU debe ir más lejos cuanto a la desigualdad

by Steven L. B. Jensen, Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights By invitation

Este texto fue publicado originalmente por OpenGlobalRights . En diciembre, el PNUD lanzó el Informe sobre Desarrollo Humano 2019 . Anteriormente, ya se había anunciado que el nuevo informe reconceptualizaría el desarrollo humano bajo el concepto de desigualdad. Esta formulación ofrece una visión más holística de las injusticias existentes en todo el mundo. El informe combina las desigualdades de ingresos y riqueza con aquellas más tradicionalmente asociadas …

Inequality a prominent concern for UN human rights monitors

by Steven L. B. Jensen, Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights By invitation, Human rights implementation and impact, Inequality and social rights, Thematic human rights issues

UN human rights bodies are highlighting inequality when making recommendations to states – showing that this issue should be seen and acted on as a central human rights concern. Do human rights have anything to say about material inequality? The question is worth asking, especially in light of recent critiques. In his 2018 book Not Enough – Human Rights in an Unequal World, historian Samuel Moyn argued that “… …

Desigualdad es una preocupación importante para los observadores de derechos humanos de la ONU

by Steven L. B. Jensen, Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights By invitation, Human rights implementation and impact, Inequality and social rights, Thematic human rights issues

Los organismos de derechos humanos de la ONU están enfatizando la desigualdad al hacer recomendaciones a los Estados, mostrando que la consideración y acción sobre el tema debe ser una preocupación central de los derechos humanos. ¿Los derechos humanos tienen algo que decir sobre la desigualdad material? Vale la pena hacer la pregunta, especialmente a la luz de críticas recientes. …

Holding the UK Government accountable against its international human rights obligations and commitments?

by Hayley Willingale and Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) By invitation

As Britain faces a future of ever faster and deeper change, it is more important than ever that its human rights record and related compliance with its international human rights obligations and commitments is completely transparent, so that the State can be held to account and we can see where improvements might be made. That’s why the Equality and Human …

Women’s rights and freedom of religion or belief

by Marie Juul Petersen By invitation, Thematic human rights issues

In China, women from the Muslim Uighur minority are allegedly subject to rape and forced sterilisation in the so-called ‘re-education camps’ where hundreds of thousands of people are detained solely because of their religious affiliation. In Egypt, religiously justified family laws on e.g. marriage, divorce and custody of children discriminate not only against women, but also religious minorities, leaving religious …

‘Unfriending’ online hate: The contribution of the World Jewish Congress

by Leon Saltiel, WJC’s Representative in Geneva and Project Manager on Countering Antisemitism and Yfat Barak-Cheney, WJC’s Director of International Affairs By invitation, Thematic human rights issues

There is little doubt that one of the modern world’s principal political challenges is the rise of hate speech, particularly in the cyber arena. Such hateful and intolerant expression, especially when widely circulated via the internet, promotes populism, extremism and radicalisation and deplorably leads to violence and murderous attacks. This incitement tears societies apart, threatens democracy and the rule of …