CIVIL SOCIETY

UN Human Rights - What's Happening? - Weekly Update 5
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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 reports on cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights

Invitations
Reminder!  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
 
Reminder!  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
 
Update!  Call for inputs - Gender-sensitive Perspective into Extra-judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killings - Deadline extended to 10 February 2017
 
Call for input - Report on the conscientious objection to military service - Deadline 13 February 2017

Update!   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 extended to 15 February 2017

Call for applications 2018 - UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery - Deadline 1 March 2017

Call for applications 2018 - UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture - Deadline 1 March 2017

Call for Applications - The OPCAT Special Fund accepts project applications aimed at contributing to the implementation of the Sub-Committee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) recommendations on the establishment or effective functioning of national preventive mechanisms - Deadline 1 March 2017
 
Call for inputs - Report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on "human rights in the administration of justice, including juvenile justice" (Human Rights Council resolution 30/7) - Deadline 1 March 2017
 
New!  Call for inputs - Questionnaire from the UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order on the impact of economic and financial policies, especially those of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, on a democratic and equitable international order - Deadline 24 March 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
Update!  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
New! Letter of the President of the Human Rights Council transmitting the report of the Consultative Group with its recommendations regarding the selection of the mandate holders to be appointed at the thirty-fourth session of the Human Rights Council. Letter Report

New! Meeting of the HRC President with NGOs on 21 February 2017 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Room VII, Palais des nations.

New!  Draft Program of Work of the 34th Session of the Human Rights Council (provisional and subject to change).   Read more

Reminder!  Information about NGO participation at the forthcoming 34th Session of the Human Rights Council - 27 February to 24 March 2017 - Palais des Nations Room XX.  Read more
 
18th Session of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, 20-24 February 2017, Palais des Nations Room XX.  Read more: English - French
 
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
Africa
 
The Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights calls for contributions to the draft study on "HIV, the Law and Human Rights in the African Human Rights System: Key Challenges and Opportunities for Rights-based Responses to HIV".   Read more
  
The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights announces the publication of the First Edition of the African Human Rights Yearbook, and invites abstracts for papers that will propose groundbreaking academic style contributions to the human rights discourse in Africa.   Read more
  
Americas
 
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights continues work on the participatory development of its Strategic Plan and invites civil society to regional consultations.    Read more

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights condemns the deaths of nearly 100 people in prisons in Brazil.    Read more

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights presents financial projections for 2017 and opens dialogue to raise funds to defend and protect human rights in the region.   Read more
 
Europe
  
The European Court of Human Rights will be holding its annual press conference on
Thursday, 26 January 2017, in the press room in the Human Rights Building in Strasbourg.    Read more
 
The European Committee of Social Rights makes public its Conclusions 2016 on state compliance with the European Social Charter as regards to rights related to employment, training and equal opportunities.    Read more
News
UN human rights chief comments on meeting with Prime Minister in Davos. 

Statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein ahead of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, 27 January 2017, Geneva

Burundi: Commission of Inquiry calls for the cooperation of Government and all stakeholders 
Read more

Dominican Republic: UN rights experts urge legislators to back President Medina's stand on abortion. 

Human rights & counter-terrorism: UN expert announces follow-up mission to Tunisia 

Torture is torture, and waterboarding is not an exception - UN expert urges the US not to reinstate it
Read more

US travel ban: "New policy breaches Washington's human rights obligations" - UN experts 
Torture prevention: Establishing a national detention monitoring body in Niger. 

Press briefing note on Sir Nigel Rodley

Myanmar: UN rights expert condemns senseless killing of respected Muslim Lawyer Ko Ni
Read more

'Brexit' brings a risk to human rights protection against toxic pollution - UN expert 
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: