Human rights and the 2030 Agenda: Leveraging synergies to achieve the SDGs

by Danica Damplo, Universal Rights Group NYC Agenda 2030, Human rights institutions and mechanisms

On 16 January, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, the Human Rights Council will convene an inter-sessional meeting on the interlinkages between human rights and sustainable development, and on how States can harness the complementarities of international human rights obligations and the SDG commitments to power progress in both areas. The meeting, entitled ‘Human rights and the 2030 Agenda: Empowering …

Moving from pledge to practice – Australia’s efforts to support civil society at the Human Rights Council

by Ms Elizabeth Wilde, Deputy Permanent Representative of Australia to the UN in Geneva By invitation, Human Rights Council membership, Human rights implementation and impact, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Thematic human rights issues

When Australia presented its candidacy for election to the Human Rights Council in 2015, we acknowledged the crucial role that a strong and robust civil society plays in preserving and advancing human rights. We pledged that, if elected, we would promote civil society participation opportunities at the Council, and advocate for the protection of journalists, human rights defenders and civil society …

The 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration and the contemporary human rights emergency of climate change

by David R. Boyd - UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment By invitation, Climate, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Special Procedures, Thematic human rights issues

Monday 10th December 2018, Geneva, New York and Katowice Two concurrent news stories, seemingly unrelated. First, the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a moment in history reflecting humanity’s ambition for a more just and equal world. Second, world leaders gathered in Katowice, Poland, to finalise the rules for implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. …

El 70 aniversario de la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos y la actual emergencia de derechos humanos por el cambio climático

by David R. Boyd - UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment By invitation, Climate, Thematic human rights issues

Dos noticias concurrentes, aparentemente no relacionadas. En primer lugar, el 70 aniversario de la Declaración Universal de Derechos Humanos, un momento de la historia que refleja la ambición de la humanidad de un mundo más justo e igualitario. Segundo, los líderes mundiales reunidos en Katowice, Polonia, para finalizar las reglas para la implementación del Acuerdo de París de 2015 sobre el cambio climático. De hecho, estos dos eventos están …

The future of human rights accountability edges closer: Magnitsky laws move to centre stage in the US and Europe

by Marc Limon, Executive Director of the Universal Rights Group and Ben Greenacre, Universal Rights Group Accountability, Corruption and human rights, Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Justice, Prevention, Prevention, accountability and justice, Thematic human rights issues

The extrajudicial killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey, and the international reaction thereto, could well represent a defining moment in the evolution of systems of international accountability for serious human rights violations. In particular, the US response to the killing is being shaped (or, from the perspective of President Trump, perhaps dictated) …

The death of Jamal Khashoggi and the growing prominence of global ‘Magnitsky’ laws as a means of securing accountability

by Ben Greenacre, Universal Rights Group Accountability, Corruption and human rights, Justice, Prevention, Prevention, accountability and justice, Thematic human rights issues

What do the Russian anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi have in common? Both victims of shocking human rights violations, including torture and, ultimately, extrajudicial killing, their cases have helped to catalyse an important new trend in how the international community addresses serious infractions of international human rights law. In particular, both killings are closely associated …

Latin American civil society gives mixed reception to new UN resolution on the human rights situation in Venezuela

by Mariana Montoya Human rights institutions and mechanisms, Thematic human rights issues

Last week (September 27) the Human Rights Council (the ‘Council’) adopted a number of resolutions that are relevant for Latin America [1] . However, one particular decision has taken the attention of human rights activists, professionals, and the media in the region. In a month that Latin America has seen a wave of news concerning the situation in Venezuela and its impact on the Bolivarian Republic’s …

How UN Treaty Bodies can better address corruption and its negative impact on human rights

by Patrick Mutzenberg, Director of the Centre for Civil and Political Rights. By invitation, Corruption and human rights, Human rights implementation and impact, Thematic human rights issues, Treaty Bodies

It is now widely recognised that corruption negatively affects the enjoyment of civil and political rights, as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Corruption not only has a negative impact on the ability of States to implement their treaty-based human rights obligations, but it also directly affects the population of such countries. This concern was raised several times by …

Igniting the flame: How the anti-slavery campaign launched a human rights movement

by Laura Riches, Universal Rights Group Thematic human rights issues

In his final address to the Human Rights Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein highlighted a growing sense of weariness within the international human rights community; a growing fear that the UN’s human rights pillar is being marginalized. Given the global state of affairs, from rising nationalism, xenophobia, and racial and religious intolerance to clampdowns on civil …

Sin titulación de territorios indígenas no habrá Amazonía ni seguridad para la humanidad

by Forest Peoples Programme By invitation, Climate, Thematic human rights issues

Oslo, miércoles 27 de junio de 2018. En la víspera de su participación en el Oslo Tropical Forest Forum ( OTFF ), la organización nacional indígena peruana  AIDESEP , junto con el  Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) , ha lanzado un informe que destaca el continuo fracaso del gobierno peruano para cumplir con sus compromisos progresivos respecto al reconocimiento de los derechos territoriales de los pueblos indígenas. …