An independent analysis of the High Level Segment of the Human Rights Council At the opening of the 37th session of the Human Rights Council, nearly one hundred world leaders (e.g. presidents, prime ministers, ministers) delivered high level speeches commenting on the state of global human rights in 2018, and presenting their country’s priorities for the year ahead. The Universal Rights …
2018: the start of a meaningful process of Human Rights Council strengthening and reform?
There is a growing recognition that as the Human Rights Council approaches its twelfth anniversary there is a need to undertake an inclusive, cross regional and structured dialogue to review how States might strengthen the fulfilment of the Council’s mandate and purpose, as set down in GA resolution 60/251 . Following an important event organised by the Netherlands, UK, Latvia, Rwanda and Mexico on …
What are the world’s human rights priorities in 2017 and what to look out for in 2018?
Human rights analysis of high level speeches at the General Debate at the UN General Assembly What are the human rights situations and issues that keep world leaders up at night in 2017? What are the human rights priorities of governments for the next twelve months? The best place to get a sense of both is the general debate of …
Human rights as ‘part of the cure’
When UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, addressed the Human Rights Council for the first time earlier this year, he did not mince his words: ‘Disregard for human rights is a disease, and it’s a disease that is spreading.’ He appealed to the Council to be ‘part of the cure,’ especially through being ‘pivotal for prevention – sounding early warnings of crises.’ …
Modernizando el Sistema de Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas
En su edición de fin de semana del 15-16 de febrero de 2014, el Financial Times publicó extractos de un libro reciente: “En 100 años: los economistas líderes predicen el futuro”, editado por Ignacio Palacios-Huerta y publicado por MIT Press. En uno de los extractos, Robert Shiller, Premio Nobel de Economía, profesor de Economía en la Universidad de Yale, escribió …
Modernising the United Nations human rights system
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 …
Building on past success and dealing with the challenges: ideas for strengthening technical cooperation at the Human Rights Council
The central importance of the Council’s mandate, as set down in GA resolution 60/251, to provide ‘advisory services, technical assistance and capacity-building … in consultation with and with the consent of Member States concerned,’ is, I believe, self-evident. For many developing countries, especially Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the task of engaging, in a meaningful …
Eliminating ‘selectivity’ at the Council as a contribution to effective prevention: the practical application of the ‘Irish Principles’
UN Member States have long recognised the importance, under certain circumstances, of addressing country-specific human rights situations. Where a given country’s government is unable or unwilling to protect the rights of its people, or indeed, where a government is actively complicit in serious human rights violations; then the international community must be ready to step in. This principle, first introduced …