Much of the criticism of UN SG Guterres for his “silence” on human rights is misplaced—he is rather making a good faith effort, alongside High Commissioner Bachelet, to balance the public and private diplomacy aspects of his mandate. Is Secretary-General António Guterres really committed to human rights? That’s a question that has been vexing diplomats, civil society representatives and journalists …
Desde el estabelecimiento de las Naciones Unidas en 1946, la Organización ha reconocido la importancia y el valor central de la prevención y ha declarado su determinación de colocar ese enfoque en el centro de su actuación. De hecho, las primeras palabras de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas dejan evidente que la misión primordial de la ONU es prevenir …
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 …
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 …
El lunes 24 de febrero, el primer día de la 43ª sesión del Consejo de Derechos Humanos (CDH43) , el Secretario General de la ONU, António Guterres, lanzó un nuevo “Llamado a la acción por los derechos humanos” . Rumores de un “anuncio importante” del Secretario General circulaban desde fines del año pasado, y el propio Guterres los confirmó en un discurso de apertura ante la Asamblea General el 22 de enero. En esa ocasión, el Secretario …
On Monday 24 February, the first day of the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council (HRC43), UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched a new ‘Call to action for human rights.’ Rumours of a ‘major announcement’ from the Secretary-General had been circulating since late last year, and were confirmed by Guterres himself in a keynote speech to the General Assembly on 22 January. In it, he identified four key contemporary challenges facing humanity (he called …
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 …
UN efforts over the past thirty years to shift its approach to crises and conflicts from reaction to prevention have largely failed for two main reasons, according to a new report by the Universal Rights Group (URG) think tank. First, because it is far easier for world governments to invest political and financial capital in responding to humanitarian disasters (especially …
In Michelle Bachelet’s address at the 74th session of the Third Committee at the UN General Assembly (GA) she highlighted recent ‘pushbacks on women’s equality’ and the need for a ‘pushback to the pushback.’ Indeed, over the last several years, women’s rights, and especially women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), have been a point of contention at the UN. …
En su discurso en la 74ª sesión de la Tercera Comisión en la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas (AGNU), Michelle Bachelet destacó los recientes “retrocesos contra la igualdad de género” y la necesidad de una “oposición al retroceso”. De hecho, en los últimos años, los derechos de las mujeres, y especialmente la salud y derechos sexuales y reproductivos (SDSR) de …
