CIVIL SOCIETY

UN Human Rights - What's Happening? - Weekly Update 1
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The Big Picture
Reports
Report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on "Practical recommendations for the creation and maintenance of a safe and enabling environment for civil society, based on good practices and lessons learned"  (April 2016)
 
The UN Secretary-General's report on cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights
 
Invitations
Call for applications - UN Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples - Sessions of international human rights mechanisms that will take place between April and June 2017 - Deadline 13 January 2017
 
New!  Call for inputs - Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on ways to bridge the gender digital divide from a human rights perspective (Human Rights Council resolution 32/13) - Deadline 15 January 2017
 
Call for inputs - Draft General Comment of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the State obligations under the ICESCR in the context of business activities - Deadline 20 January 2017
 
Call for inputs - The Special Rapporteur on violence against women is seeking information in preparation of her country visit to Australia scheduled to take place from 13 to 24 February 2017 - Deadline 23 January 2017
 
New!  Invitation -  Public consultation convened by the UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity - from 24 to 25 January 2017 - Palais des Nations Room XXV (Deadline for confirmation 16 January 2017)
 
Call for inputs - Gender-sensitive Approach to Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killing - Deadline 31 January 2017
 
Call for inputs - Report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the UN Human Rights Council on the impact of arms transfers on human rights - Deadline 3 February 2017
 
Call for inputs - Report of the UN Secretary-General to the UN General Assembly on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity - Deadline 3 February 2017
 
Call for Inputs - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the issue of civil society space (Human Rights Council resolution 32/31) - Deadline 1 May 2017
 
Treaty Bodies
Regularly updated news about what committees are meeting, documentation, jurisprudence, etc. Read more
  
26th session of the Committee on Migrant Workers, 3 - 13 April 2017, Geneva.  See the information note for NGOs:  English - French
 
119th Session of the Human Rights Committee, 6 - 29 March 2017, Geneva.  Read more - Programme - Information for NGOs
   
12th Session of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, 6 - 17 March 2017, Geneva. Deadlines for the participation of NGOs to the 12 session of CED:  13 February 2017 for the review of Cuba, Ecuador and Senegal.   Read more - Information for NGOs
    
SG report on status of the treaty body system.  ( English - French - Spanish - Chinese)

Who's up for election?  Read more

Treaty Bodies - Protecting Your Rights.  ( Arabic - Chinese - English - French - Russian - Spanish )



  
Special Procedures
Update! Regularly updated calendar about which Special Procedures expert is travelling where? Read more

The Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is appointed by the UN Human Rights Council.  Read more

Latest report of cases of human rights violations taken up by Special Procedures. 
Read more

Acts of intimidation and reprisal for cooperation with the special procedures.  Read more

Submission of information to the Special Procedures
 


Human Rights Council -- UPR
Human Rights Council reaffirms mandate of the Commission on human rights in South Sudan and concludes special session.  Read more

Human Rights Council elects new President and Vice-Presidents for 2017 - Joaquín Alexander Maza Martelli of El Salvador Appointed as President-elect.  Read more
 
The deadlines for the stakeholders' submissions for the 28th and 29th sessions of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review are as follows: 30 March 2017 for 28th session and 29 June 2017 for 29th session.   Stakeholders should submit their contributions through the online UPR submissions registration system ( https://uprdoc.ohchr.org ).  Should organizations encounter technical problems using the online system, please contact the UPR Submissions Helpdesk ( uprsubmissions@ohchr.org).  Read more - Online portal
   
UPR Submission Guidelines for NGOs.  Read more

  
Regional Human Rights Mechanisms
Asia and the Pacific
 
Statement by the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) Malaysia in commemoration of the adoption of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. Read more  
  
Africa

The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a decision on unlawful arrest and detention in Nigeria. For further information, please contact ECOWAS at: francaofor2000@yahoo.com  Read more
  
Americas
 
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Launches Preliminary Report on Poverty, Extreme Poverty, and Human Rights in the Americas.  Read more
 
News
Best practices to achieve "virtuous cycle for human rights progress".  Read more

UN expert hails US move placing atheists on equal footing with faith groups.  Read more

UN rights experts welcome end of "discriminatory" US counter-terrorism measure.  Read more
UN experts condemn string of Ecuador clampdowns on human rights organizations.  Read more

Empowering young lawyers in Kyrgyzstan through human rights training.  Read more

Sharing Resources
Other useful links
Useful information for non-governmental organizations based in Switzerland inviting participants to meetings and events organized in Switzerland: