UN Human Rights Council

As the Human Rights Council marks its 20th anniversary and the General Assembly reviews its institutional status, HRC62 will be an important test of the Council’s credibility, accessibility and ability to respond to human rights crises. This briefing highlights key opportunities for States and civil society to strengthen civil society participation, address reprisals, uphold the integrity of the Universal Periodic Review, advance climate justice, and ensure principled scrutiny of serious country situations, including those that States should raise during relevant debates. It also provides a practical overview of entry points for civil society engagement during the session.

ISHR introduces a new on-line course on advocacy for environmental human rights defenders, a practical, self-paced resource for activists, community leaders, and allies to defend the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment using UN and regional mechanisms.

Over 90 organisations call on the Syrian transitional government and Member States of the Human Rights Council to ensure that any decisions affecting the future of the Commission of Inquiry are firmly anchored in tangible improvements in the human rights situation in Syria.

On the third anniversary of the conflict in Sudan, NGOs urge the international community to act urgently to save lives in Sudan.

The Human Rights Council was confronted with stark new evidence of the scale, sophistication, and transnational reach of repression by Nicaraguan authorities. The latest report of the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua and public calls by States and civil society at the Council and the General Assembly, underscore the pressing need for accountability and coordinated international action.

A new report prepared by Oxford Pro Bono Publico for ISHR shows that, though UN and regional human rights systems increasingly recognise transnational repression of human rights defenders, States still lack clear, binding obligations to prevent and address it.