CIVIL SOCIETY

UN Human Rights - What's Happening? - Weekly Update 12
Our Publications

Civil Society Space and the
United Nations Human Rights System

 
 
How to Follow Up on United
Nations Human Rights Recommendations
 
Arabic -  Chinese -  English -  French - Russian -  Spanish -  Armenian -  Azeri -
 

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
NEW!  Your views matter! Help OHCHR define its strategic direction for 2018-2021
 
NEW!  Global Call for nominations - Pool of candidates for positions of Special Representative of the Secretary-General and deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General - UN Missions
 
Call for inputs - Report of the UN Secretary-General - Question of death penalty - Deadline 31 March 2017

Call for inputs - 
Committee against Torture (CAT) - General comment - "Article 3 of Convention in context of article 22"  
 
- Deadline 31 March 2017
 
NEW!   20th session - Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD) -  Consultation with Civil Society - 5 April 2017, 15h00 - Palais Wilson, First floor Conference Room

Eighteenth session - Working Group on the Right to Development - 3 to 7 April 
 
Call for inputs - Report of the Special Rapporteur on human rights to water and sanitation to the 36th session of the Human rights Council - Deadline 7 April 2017
 
NEW!   UN General Assembly Preparatory Process for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration - Deadline 9 April 2017
 
Call for inputs - "Good practices and challenges in business and access to financial services by indigenous peoples" - Deadline 12 April 2017

Call for inputs - "The role of national human rights institutions in Southeast Asia in protecting human rights" - Deadline 15 April 2017 
 

Deadline extended! Questionnaire - "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 20 April 2017

Call for inputs - Secretary-General's Report - "Role of national human rights institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights" - Deadline 24 April 2017

Call for inputs - Report of High Commissioner - "Civil society space in multilateral institutions"  - Deadline  1 May 2017
 
Call for inputs- Report on access to justice for the 37th HRC session - Article 13 of the Convention on Rights of persons with disabilities 
- Deadline 1 May 2017
 
Call for inputs - Special Rapporteur - "Non-State Actors and Extra-judicial, Summary or Arbitrary Killing" - Deadline 31 May 2017
 
Treaty Bodies
Update!  Regularly updated news about what committees are meeting, documentation, jurisprudence, etc.   Read more

119th Session of the Human Rights Committee, 6 - 29 March 2017, Geneva.  Read more - Programme - Information for NGOs

26th session of the  Committee on Migrant Workers, 3 - 13 April 2017, Geneva.  See the information note for NGOs:   English  - French
 
The Committee will hold a meeting with civil society organizations and national institutions on Monday, 3 April 2017 from 11:00 to 12:00

The  Committee against Torture will hold a General Discussion (GD) on the draft revised general comment " on the  implementation of article 3 of the Convention in the context of article 22  ",  Friday, 28 April 2017, 10.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m., Room XIX, Palais des Nations, Geneva. Read More
    
Who's up for election?  Read more

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



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

NEW! New Special Procedures communications search website 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!  Invitation -  Special meeting - Visit of Michelle Bachelet Jaria, President of Chile - 29 March 2017, 11:30, room XX, Palais des Nations. Read more

Call for applications 4 vacancies of mandate holders to be appointed at HRC35 (June 2017) English - French

Reminder! 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) not later than the day of the given deadline (3:00 p.m.).  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

Asia

ASEAN, UN join forces to end violence against children. Read more

News
Escalation of hostilities has exacerbated civilian suffering - UN report .   Read more

UN expert calls for urgent action to safeguard progress made in minority rights protection.  Read more

UN experts urge Filipino legislators to reject death penalty bill.  Read more

Malawi should invest in community based protection systems to stop attacks on people with albinism - UN Expert .   Read more

Target hate speech and hate crimes, Zeid urges States. Read more

States urged by UN experts to act now against racial profiling and incitement to racial hatred   Read more

UN torture prevention body to make first visit to Hungary Read more


UN expert warns of deteriorating situation for human rights defenders in Palestine and Israel.   Read more

Press briefing note on Libya Read more

"Development cooperation is key to realizing rights to safe drinking water and sanitation" - 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:

CAGI Delegate Welcome Service and Delegates Information Desk
Read More: English - French
Read More on financial support procedure: English - French - Spanish