Human rights institutions and mechanisms | Page 20

Implementing Resolution 16/18: the role of Rabat and the importance of civil society space

by Andrew Smith, Legal Officer at ARTICLE 19 and the URG team February 18, 2016 By invitation, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Thematic human rights issues

The 31st session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) is a significant marker: not only will the HRC celebrate its 10th birthday, but the session will mark five years since the adoption of resolution 16/18 on “combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatisation of, and discrimination, incitement to violence, and violence against persons based on religion or belief .” In the current geopolitical context, the consensus that underpins resolution 16/18 is increasingly precarious, despite being more important than ever. In March, the HRC will consider …

Shifting gears? How Cuba-U.S. rapprochement is playing out at the Human Rights Council

by Ashley Miller, Ted Piccone and the URG team February 5, 2016 Human rights institutions and mechanisms

The long-overdue shift in U.S.-Cuba relations—formally initiated on December 17, 2014 2014, when both countries agreed at the highest political level to resume formal relations—advances their shared interests and over time may position them to work together toward a more cooperative future. So far, the two countries have made modest progress in advancing this new rapprochement: diplomatic relations were officially restored; bilateral …

2016: a year for celebration, but also reflection

by H.E. Ambassador Choi Kyong-lim, 10th President of the Human Rights Council and the URG team February 3, 2016 By invitation, Human rights institutions and mechanisms

2016 has begun, as all New Years should, with hope and optimism – and a common resolve to build a safer and better world for ourselves and our children. Regrettably though, if we look at the facts on the ground, little seems to have changed since last year, when the human exodus from Syria, terrorist attacks in major world cities, …

Burundi: today a Special Session; tomorrow a Council Member

by Nicolas Agostini, Representative to the United Nations for DefendDefenders and Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group December 17, 2015 Human Rights Council reports, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Special session

Later today (17th December), the UN Human Rights Council will hold a Special (i.e. emergency) Session on ‘preventing the further deterioration of the human rights situation in Burundi.’ The Session comes against a backdrop of escalating violence, political turmoil, and gross and increasingly systematic human rights violations in the central African country. And yet, in just over two week’s time, …

Reflections on the new EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy

by Peter Sørensen, Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Union to the UN, Geneva and the URG team October 14, 2015 Human rights institutions and mechanisms

The weeks after a Human Rights Council session are a good time for reflection, a moment to take a step back and refocus. It is now almost one year since I took over as Head of the European Union Delegation to the UN here in Geneva, and much has happened during that time. For me, Geneva represents many things, but …

Confessions of a small State on human rights

by Ambassador Foo Kok Jwee, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva and the URG team September 7, 2015 Human rights institutions and mechanisms

Size matters in international relations. Small States do not perform any fundamentally irreplaceable role in the international system; yet it is hard to imagine a world without big countries such as the United States, China, India, Russia, Indonesia and Brazil, or even without medium-sized States like Japan, South Africa and Germany. The only viable strategic response for small States is …

Is the UN Human Rights Council delivering on its mandate to mainstream human rights?

by Paul Hunt, University of Essex (UK); University of Waikato (New Zealand) and the URG team August 24, 2015 Human rights institutions and mechanisms

When UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke for the last time to the Commission on Human Rights he emphasised that “the era of declaration is now giving way, as it should, to an era of implementation.” [1] In the past, human rights implementation was often narrowly understood to mean passing a law and securing a favourable judicial decision. Of course, laws and …

Reflections on the Human Rights Council: the Way Forward

by H.E. Ambassador WU Hailong, Permanent Representative of China to the UN Office at Geneva and the URG team July 22, 2015 Glion Human Rights Dialogues, Human rights implementation and impact, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Special Procedures

In October 2013, before taking office as the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Office in Geneva, I led the Chinese delegation that participated in our second cycle review under the Universal Periodical Review (UPR). The review took place, of course, in Room 20 of the Palais des Nations, and I was deeply impressed by the colourful ceiling designed by the …

Breaking the accountability taboo in the post-2015 negotiations

by Kate Donald and the URG team June 4, 2015 Human rights institutions and mechanisms

Late last month at the UN, representatives of all member states gathered to discuss how they would review and monitor progress once implementation of the post-2015 sustainable development agenda begins. For the members of the Post-2015 Human Rights Caucus , pursuing accountability for post-2015 commitments is a priority, given its centrality to human rights practice and the stark failure to promote accountability in the context of the MDGs . Therefore members of the Caucus – and many …

Connecting the pillars: Human Rights and the post-2015 agenda

by Naiara Costa and the URG team May 11, 2015 By invitation, Human rights institutions and mechanisms

If you follow the work of the United Nations (UN) you may have already discovered that 2015 seems to be the year for the ‘development’ pillar of the organisation. Three main agreements are expected to be adopted until the end of the year and the complexity of the negotiations are increased by the interconnectedness amongst them. The first agreement is …