UN Update

About Us

Letter from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (18 August 2020)

UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and UN Women, jointly with other UN and civil society partners, organized a global civil society online consultation on the role of the UN in protecting and promoting civic space, from 13 to 24 January 2020.

Visit our webpage on "Protecting and Expanding Civic Space"

Visit our webpage for civil society resources

OHCHR Management Plan 2018-2021 on "Enhancing participation and protecting civic space"

Campaigns

Announcements - Call for submissions

Reminder:

* Thematic report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, on the killings of human Rights defenders -- Deadline 5 October 2020

* Llamamiento a la sociedad civil: Informe Temático de la Relatora Especial sobre la situación de los defensores de derechos humanos - Fecha límite 5 de octubre de 2020.

* Appel à la société civile: Rapporteuse spéciale sur la situation des défenseurs des droits de l'homme - Echéance : 5 octobre 2020.

The questionnaire and concept notes are available in English (original language), in French and Spanish (unofficial translations). Shortly, the Arabic and Russian (unofficial translations) will be also uploaded.

We are pleased to share with you a set of indicators developed by the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedoms of peaceful assembly and of association, M. Clément Voule, which were launched on the 7th month anniversary of the declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic by WHO. These indicators aim to measure State's compliance with international standards regarding civic space, peaceful assembly, and political participation during public health emergencies. These indicators are available in the following formats:

1) 10 printable assessment cards: they can be used by field presences and civil society actors to measure the degree of conformity of measures taken by governments to tackle COVID19 and their impact on the civic space in general. They are available in English, French and Spanish and downloadable under toolbox section here.

2) An online survey (in ENGLISH, FRENCH and SPANISH). Field presences and civil society can carry out their assessment online and share their results with the Special Rapporteur preferably before 30 November 2020. The results of this survey will be fed into the preparation of a dedicated report on "protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests during crisis situations", which the Special Rapporteur was tasked with by Resolution A/HRC/44/L.11 adopted at the 44th session of the Human Rights Council. This report will be presented to the HRC in June 2022.

Call for submission to Civil Societies from the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy -- Deadline for applications 30 September 2020 (Read more)

Events and Meetings

New: The first Biennial panel discussion on the right to development will take place on Thursday 17 September from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the ongoing 45th session of the Human Rights Council, Assembly Hall, Palais des Nations, Geneva. This panel on the theme 'COVID19 and the Right to Development: We Are All in This Together', will focus on strengthening international cooperation and solidarity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. It will consider ways to operationalize the right to development (which is premised on the duty of international cooperation and solidarity) to advance global solidarity and shared responsibilities, and to strengthen international cooperation, unity and solidarity to operationalize the right to development in responding to COVID-19. The event will be broadcast live and archived at http://webtv.un.org

New: The 2020 Human Rights Council Social Forum will take place on 8 and 9 October, in Room XX of the Palais des Nations. This year the Social Forum will focus on "good practices, success stories, lessons learned and current challenges in combating poverty and inequalities". Participants can attend the Social Forum in presence (Geneva based participants) and remotely (online). Registrations to the event are now open at https://indico.un.org/event/20111/. For more information on the panels and speakers, please check the programme of work.

6th session of the UN Open-ended intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights (OEIGWG) -- from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2020, Geneva - Read more

21st session of the UN Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development on the elaboration of a draft legally binding instrument on the right to development --

Monday 2 to Friday 6 November 2020 -- Palais des Nations (TBC)

Read more -- About 21st session -- Register here

13th session of the Forum on Minority Issues on the theme of "Hate Speech, Social Media and Minorities" -- from Thursday 19 to Friday 20 November 2020 -- Palais des Nations, Geneva

3rd session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law on the theme of "Equal access to justice for all: a necessary element of democracy, rule of law and human rights protection" -- from Thursday 26 to Friday 27 November 2020 -- Palais des Nations Room XVII, Geneva

26th public session of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on environmental justice, the climate crisis and people of African descent -- from Monday 30 November to Friday 4 December 2020 -- Palais des Nations Room Ariana 2, Geneva

About the Working Group -- Concept note -- Draft programme -- Register here

13th session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples -- from Monday 30 November to Friday 4 December - Read more

Human Rights Council

New: In accordance with information from the United Nations Office at Geneva and due to COVID-19, side events cannot be held in the Palais des Nations on the margins of the 45th regular session of the Human Rights Council. Requests for NGO side-events that the Secretariat received and could not accommodate due to COVID-19, can be found here. For any confirmations or further information on these events, please contact the organizing NGO directly via the email indicated in the table. In the case where such events would be confirmed to be held outside the Palais des Nations or virtually, the organising NGO bears the sole responsibility for their organization and conduct. The Secretariat bears no responsibility or liability whatsoever related to the holding of such events. For any further information, please contact the Secretariat at: hrcngo@ohchr.org

, Letter by the President and the Gender Focal Point, together with the attached file containing data on the participation of women in the Council's work.

Letter of the President of the Human Rights Council regarding the appointment of the Chairs-Rapporteurs of the 2020 Social Forum. Read the letter

Letter from the Vice-President of the Human Rights Council and Chair of the Task Force on accessibility for persons with disabilities, in relation to the Task Force's activities in 2020. Read the letter -- Draft work plan

Letter by the President of the Human Rights Council appointing Co-facilitators and Focal Points for 2020. Read the letter

NGO Participation in the Human Rights Council

Video - Human Rights Council tenth anniversary 2006-2016

Video - What is the Human Rights Council?

Treaty Bodies

Treaty Body weekly update 25 (click here)

New: Report by the co-facilitators appointed by the President of the General Assembly to consider the state of the treaty body system, 14 September 2020 Click here

New: Information on upcoming remote sessions of the treaty bodies (September-December 2020)

19th session of the Committee on Enforced Disappearance (7 - 25 Sep 2020), Palais Wilson 1st Floor Conference Room, Geneva. Dialogues with States Parties: Colombia, Iraq, Mongolia, Switzerland. Lists of Issues: Czechia, Greece, Mali, Niger. Read more (English - French - Spanish)

Who's up for election?

Treaty Bodies - Protecting Your Rights

عربى - 中文 - English - Français - Pусский - Español

Urgent Actions of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances

English - Français - Español

Training Guide on Reporting to the UN Treaty Bodies ( Part 1 - Part 2 )

United Nations Treaty Body Database

Jurisprudence Database

Find out more on Treaty bodies

Treaty Body Sessions Webcast

Video - What is a treaty body?

Universal Periodic Review

38th session of UPR (

39th session of UPR (dates changed to Oct-Nov 2021): Deadline for NGO written contributions to the UPR stakeholder report is tentatively 18 March 2021 for the following countries: Suriname, Greece, Samoa, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Hungary, Papua New Guinea, Tajikistan, United Republic of Tanzania, Antigua and Barbuda, Eswatini, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, Ireland.

40th session of UPR (dates changed to Jan-Feb 2022): Deadline for NGO written contributions to the UPR stakeholder report is tentatively 1 July 2021 for the following countries: Togo, Syrian Arab Republic, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Iceland, Zimbabwe, Lithuania, Uganda, Timor Leste, Republic of Moldova, Haiti, South Sudan.

Latest UPR news and press releases

High Commissioner's letters to member states

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