In order to contribute to more informed and efficient policymaking at the Human Rights Council, and thereby to contribute to more effective UN interventions and greater on-the-ground impact, the URG is pleased to present a series of new online tools. It is our hope that these tools will help diplomats, civil society representatives, UN staff and independent experts to more …
‘By Invitation’ URG Insights blogs aim to offer an inclusive platform for all stakeholders to express and share information and opinion. The views expressed are the authors’ own, and do not necessarily represent the position of the URG. The 2015 edition of Freedom House’s Freedom in the World reported that observance of civil and political rights saw a decline for the ninth …
In October 2012, US Under Secretary of State for terrorism and financial intelligence, David Cohen, delivered a talk at Chatham House in London on the growing trend of ‘kidnapping for ransom’ (KfR). This monetary-driven form of terrorism, led by al-Qaeda and similar groups, seeks to use kidnapping and ransoms as a means of generating revenue to support further terrorist activities. In this regard, the extremist militant …
Wednesday 27th May 2015, Geneva The Universal Rights Group (URG) today welcomed the holding of the first informal Human Rights Council briefing with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, a new work format discussed and developed through inclusive talks during the 2015 Glion Human Rights Dialogue . The informal Council briefings, organised in cooperation with and following a request by the UN High Commissioner …
At its 56th Ordinary Session held in Banjul from 21st April to 7th May 2015, the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights granted Observer Status to the Universal Rights Group in accordance with the resolution on the Criteria for Granting and Enjoying Observer Status to NGOs Working in the Field of Human and People’s Rights. This decision as well as …
Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the emergence of an international legal framework for protecting and promoting human rights, new challenges have constantly emerged in our rapidly-changing world. These challenges include climate change; the fight against poverty; global terrorist movements; issues related to migration; threats to privacy in cyberspace; or unforeseen economic and financial crises …
17th December 2014, Geneva Barbados and Tuvalu have become the first two countries to benefit from the Fellowship Program under the Voluntary Trust Fund for the participation of SIDS and LDCs in the work of the Human Rights. In 2012, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution to establish the Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to Support the Participation …
13th October 2014, Geneva The Universal Rights Group (URG) is pleased to announce that Catarina de Albuquerque, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, has joined its Board of Trustees. The URG Board sets the overall strategic direction of the organisation and guarantees its independence and integrity. De Albuquerque is the first UN Special …
10 Octobre 2014, Journée mondiale contre la peine de mort La peine de mort est un acte cruel, inhumain et dégradant : elle n’est en rien utile à la lutte contre la criminalité et elle est toujours le signe de l’échec de la justice. En ce 25ème anniversaire de l’adoption du Protocole international visant à abolir la peine de mort, …
Next month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will release his Budget Outline for the biennium 2016-2017. This will provide a preliminary estimate of the resources required for each of the fourteen parts of the UN’s regular budget. The Budget Outline is a crucial moment in the long process that will eventually end with the General Assembly’s adoption of the programme budget …
