Credit: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré
In March 2018, several universal and regional human rights bodies and experts will assess States’ compliance with their human rights obligations through the consideration of State and civil society reports, country visits, interactive dialogues, and hearings on individual complaints. Four United Nations treaty bodies will be holding sessions throughout March on the rights of persons with disabilities; the rights of women; economic, social, and cultural rights; and civil and political rights. The UN Human Rights Council will continue its session from last month. Additionally, one UN rapporteur, two UN independent experts, and one UN working group will conduct country visits this month.
Regionally, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) will continue its session from last month, and will consider the admissibility and merits of pending complaints before the Court. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will hear arguments in three cases, two on the right to life and one on the right to property, and the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) will be in session. Additionally, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will be in session, and will hold public hearings during those sessions.
The UN treaty body sessions and the public hearings of the European Court, Inter-American Commission, and Inter-American Court may be watched via UN Web TV, the European Court’s website, the Inter-American Commission’s website and Vimeo, respectively. To view human rights bodies’ past and future activities, visit the IJRC Hearings & Sessions Calendar.
Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 19th Session and 9th Pre-Sessional Working Group
19th Session
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) will continue its 19th Session in Geneva, Switzerland. The session began on February 14 and will end on March 9, 2018. According to the proposed programme of work, the CRPD considered State reports from Haiti, Nepal, and Oman. It will continue to review State reports from the Russian Federation, Seychelles, Slovenia, and Sudan to assess their implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. After reviewing the States’ reports and civil society alternative reports on State implementation, the CRPD will issue concluding observations for each State, noting challenges to and positive developments in implementing the Convention. Furthermore, the CRPD will consider and adopt lists of issues prior to reporting for Costa Rica, New Zealand, Paraguay, and the Republic of Korea.
According to the information note for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), any civil society organizations wishing to participate must register for the session by March 9, 2018 through the session’s page on the Indico system. The information note on accreditation states that it may take two business days to process a request.
To view session documents, including information submitted by civil society, visit the CRPD’s 19th Session webpage. For more information on the CRPD, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
9th Pre-Sessional Working Group
After concluding its 19th Session, the CRPD will hold its 9th Pre-Sessional Working Group from March 12 to 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. The CRPD will consider the State reports of Algeria, Cuba, Malta, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The CRPD will then adopt lists of issues prior to the full Committee’s review of their State reports at a later session.
To view session documents, including State party reports, visit the 9th Pre-Sessional Working Group webpage.
Any NGOs and civil society organizations wishing to attend the session must register for accreditation by March 16, 2018 through the session’s page on the Indico system.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women 69th Session
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) will continue its 69th Session in Geneva, Switzerland. The session began on February 19 and will end on March 9, 2018. According to the programme of work and the session agenda, in February the Committee reviewed State reports from Chile, Fiji, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Suriname. In March, the CEDAW Committee will review the State reports of Luxembourg (under the simplified reporting procedure) and Marshall Islands. The CEDAW Committee will review answers to lists of questions from Luxembourg as its State report, as called for under the simplified reporting procedure. After reviewing State reports and alternative reports from civil society on the States under review, the CEDAW Committee will discuss any follow-up matters and issue concluding observations on each State at a later date, noting positive developments and challenges to implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Civil society was invited to participate in the session by providing relevant country information, which can be shared through written submissions or oral statements. Written submissions had to be sent by January 29, 2018 to [email protected]. Oral interventions by NGOs occur during informal public meetings with the CEDAW Committee that take place once a week during each of the two weeks of the session. Each of the meetings focus on the corresponding countries under review during the given week. Civil society may make statements during those meetings, which may be viewed during the public webcast.
To view the session documents, including State reports, visit the 69th Session webpage. For more information on the CEDAW Committee, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 63rd Session
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) will hold its 63rd Session between March 12 and March 29, 2018 in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the programme of work, the CESCR will examine the State reports of Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Mexico, New Zealand, Niger, and Spain. The Committee will issue concluding observations on each of those States later, noting challenges and positive developments in implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). During the remainder of the session, the Committee will hold closed discussions.
Any NGOs and civil society organizations wishing to attend the session must register for accreditation by March 29, 2018 through the session’s page on the Indico system.
To view session documents, including State reports and civil society’s alternative reports, visit the 63rd Session webpage. For more information on the CESCR, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
Human Rights Committee 122nd Session
The Human Rights Committee will hold its 122nd Session in Geneva, Switzerland from March 12 to April 6, 2018. According to the programme of work, the Human Rights Committee will consider the State reports of El Salvador, Guatemala, Hungary, Lebanon, Liberia, and Norway. After considering reports from States and civil society, the Human Rights Committee will later issue concluding observations on each State under review, noting challenges and positive developments.
Additionally, the Human Rights Committee’s task forces will consider and adopt lists of issues for Belize, Guinea, and Sudan. The States’ responses to lists of issues will be posted on the Committee’s webpage. The Committee will also adopt lists of issues prior to reporting as part of the simplified reporting procedure for Botswana, Tunisia, and Uruguay. The simplified reporting procedure allows States to use answers to lists of issues to fulfill their reporting requirement. In closed session, the Committee will also consider communications on individual complaints alleging violations of the International Covenant on Civil Political Rights (ICCPR).
According to the NGO Information Note, civil society members wishing to attend the Committee’s session must register for accreditation by March 2, 2018 through the session’s page on the Indico system. Information on the States parties under review during this session needed to be submitted by February 12, 2017.
To view session documents, including State reports, alternative reports from civil society, and information for NGOs and NHRIs, visit the 122nd Session webpage. For more information on the Human Rights Committee, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
Human Rights Council 37th Session
The United Nations Human Rights Council will continue its 37th Session in Geneva, Switzerland. The session began on February 26 and will end on March 23, 2018. According to the agenda and the list of reports for the session, the Human Rights Council will receive the annual, and other, reports from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN High Commissioner’s office, and the UN Secretary General; final outcome reports from the Universal Periodic Review Working Group on specific States for the Council to adopt; and reports from UN special procedures mandate holders.
The Human Rights Council will select from a proposed list candidates to fill the UN special procedures mandates of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali; Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order; Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence; Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; and Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination. Additionally, the Human Rights Council will select two independent experts to join the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
During the session, the Council will also convene several panel discussions on the challenges and opportunities of promoting and protecting human rights through the Universal Periodic Review mechanism; the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 25th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action; protection of the rights of the child in humanitarian situations; Article 13 of the ICRPD on access to justice; the human rights of children in Syria; and the promotion of tolerance, inclusion, unity, and respect for diversity while combating racial discrimination.
Only NGOs in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) can be accredited to participate in the Human Rights Council’s sessions as observers. NGOs accredited as observers may attend and observe the Council’s proceedings that are open to NGOs; submit written statements; make oral interventions; participate in debates, dialogues, and discussions; and engage in side events. For more information on accreditation and participation in the Human Rights Council’s sessions, visit its page on NGO participation.
Relevant documents and other information, including the reports considered during the session, submissions from civil society, and the Council’s programme of work and final agenda, is available on the Human Rights Council’s 37th Session webpage.
The Human Rights Council holds at least three regular sessions per year and may hold additional special sessions to address urgent human rights violations if one third of the Member States request it. The Council is an inter-governmental body of the United Nations, composed of 47 UN Member States that are elected by the UN General Assembly. The Human Rights Council is responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights and is tasked with addressing human rights violations and making recommendations. Its mandate covers all human rights issues. Among the mechanisms that facilitate the Human Rights Council’s mandate are the Universal Periodic Review, the Advisory Committee, and the Complaint Procedure.
For more information about the Human Rights Council, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
UN Special Procedures
One special rapporteur, two independent experts, and one working group have country visits scheduled for the month of March.
The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression is scheduled to visit Liberia from March 5 to 12, 2018.
The Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons is scheduled to visit Georgia from March 12 to 22, 2018.
The Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights is scheduled to visit Brazil from March 18 to 29, 2018.
The Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises is scheduled to visit Thailand from March 26 to April 4, 2018.
During their country visits, these special procedures mandate holders will assess both the overall human rights situation in the country and the issues specific to their thematic focus. Experts They also meet with civil society, government, and national human rights institutions when they visit a country. Their findings are published later in reports addressed to the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly. See OHCHR, Country and other visits of Special Procedures.
To view the full list of forthcoming country visits, visit the OHCHR website. For more information on each special procedure, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights 48th Session
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) will continue its 48th Session in Arusha, Tanzania. The session began on February 26, 2018 and will end on March 23, 2018. During its sessions, the AfCHPR holds hearings on the admissibility and merits of pending complaints alleging violations of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and any other international human rights treaty.
The AfCHPR is a regional human rights tribunal that has both advisory and contentious jurisdiction. Generally, the AfCHPR holds four ordinary sessions a year, but it may hold additional extraordinary sessions if the President of the Court calls for one. Individuals and non-governmental organizations with observer status before the ACHPR may bring cases directly to the AfCHPR if the relevant State has accepted the AfCHPR’s jurisdiction over individual complaints. As of April 2017, only eight States allow for the AfCHPR’s jurisdiction over individual complaints: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Malawi, Tanzania, and Tunisia. See IJRC, African Human Rights System. Rwanda previously allowed for jurisdiction over individual complaints but subsequently withdrew its declaration that accepted the jurisdiction. [AfCHPR Press Release] The AfCHPR may also hear cases on the merits that are referred by the ACHPR or brought by a State party to the Protocol to the African Charter on the Establishment of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights against any of the 30 States that have accepted the jurisdiction of the Court.
For more information on the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will hold three Grand Chamber hearings this month.
On March 7, 2018, the ECtHR will hold a Grand Chamber hearing in the case of Fernandes de Oliveira v. Portugal. See ECtHR, Calendar of Hearings. In this case, the applicant alleges that the psychiatric hospital caring for her son was negligent in its supervision of him, and that the hospital’s negligence contributed to her son’s suicide. [ECtHR Press Release: Fernandes] The applicant argues that the Portuguese Supreme Administrative Court’s dismissal of her claim violated her son’s rights under Article 2 (right to life and right to investigation) of the European Convention on Human Rights. On March 28, 2017, a chamber of the ECtHR found that the Portuguese court’s dismissal had violated his rights under Article 2. [ECtHR Press Release: Fernandes]
On March 14, 2018, the ECtHR will hold a Grand Chamber hearing in the case of Lekić v. Slovenia. See ECtHR, Calendar of Hearings. In this case, the applicant challenges a Slovenian court decision to hold him personally liable for the debts of a company (of which he was a member) that could not pay its debts. [ECtHR Press Release: Lekić] Specifically, the applicant challenges a 1999 Slovenian law, as applied to him, which permits courts to strike certain companies from the court register and hold members of the company joint and severally liable for the debts of the company. [ECtHR Press Release: Lekić] The applicant alleges that because the debts were incurred in 1993, before the change in Slovenian law, it is a violation of Article 1 (right to property) of Protocol No. 1 of the European Convention. [ECtHR Press Release: Lekić] On February, 14, 2017, a chamber of the ECtHR found that the application of the 1999 law to the applicant did not violate his rights under the European Convention. [ECtHR Press Release: Lekić]
On March 28, 2018, the Grand Chamber will hold a hearing in the case of Güzelyurtlu and Others v. Cyprus and Turkey. See ECtHR, Calendar of Hearings. In this case, the applicants allege that Cyprus and Turkey have both violated Article 2 (right to life) and Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention for failing to investigate and prosecute individuals connected with the murder of three of the applicants’ relatives. [ECtHR Press Release: Güzelyurtlu] The murder occurred in Cypriot-Government controlled area of Cyprus, after which the killers fled back to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. [ECtHR Press Release: Güzelyurtlu] Although Cyprot and Turkish authorities each conducted separate investigations, the governments refused to cooperate with one another, each desiring to prosecute the suspected killers within their own judicial system. [ECtHR Press Release: Güzelyurtlu] The disagreement over which State was to conduct the prosecution caused a halt in the investigation and prosecution of the suspected killers. [ECtHR Press Release: Güzelyurtlu] In its Chamber judgment of April 4, 2017, the ECtHR found that both States violated Article 2 of the European Convention. [ECtHR Press Release: Güzelyurtlu] The chamber relinquished the case to the Grand Chamber in September 2017. [ECtHR Press Release: Güzelyurtlu]
The ECtHR is a regional human rights judicial body based in Strasbourg, France. The Court has jurisdiction to decide complaints that allege violations of the European Convention on Human Rights and are submitted by individuals, or States, against States parties to the European Convention. During the three-month period following this Chamber’s judgment, either party may request that the case be referred to the Grand Chamber of the Court pursuant to Articles 43 and 44 of the European Convention. If a party requests review of the judgment, a panel of judges will either refer the case to the Grand Chamber or refuse the referral, making this judgment final on that day.
For more information on the European Court, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
European Committee of Social Rights 298th Session
The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) of the Council of Europe will hold its 298th Session from March 20-22, 2018 in Strasbourg, France. The agenda and synopsis of the meeting will be published on the European Committee of Social Right’s calendar.
The ECSR assesses States’ compliance with the European Social Charter, which protects economic and social rights. During its sessions, the ECSR reviews collective complaints, examines national reports, and follows up on the Turin process, which aims to improve implementation of the Charter at the continental level.
According to the ECSR’s calendar for national reporting, it will consider State reports concerning the Charter’s labor rights from the Netherlands, Sweden, Croatia, Norway, Slovenia, Cyprus, and the Czech Republic throughout the 2018 calendar year. The ECSR will consider simplified reports on the same topic from France, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, and Finland throughout the 2018 calendar year. Simplified reports focus on areas of non-conformity identified in the Committee’s previous conclusions. The Committee adopts and publishes conclusions at the end of the calendar year on each State’s compliance with the relevant provisions of the European Social Charter. The Committee’s conclusions may also include recommendations. See IJRC, European Committee of Social Rights.
The European Committee of Social Rights is a regional human rights body that oversees the protection of certain economic and social rights in most of Europe. In addition to the reporting system, the Committee also receives collective complaints against States on violations of the European Social Charter. Fifteen States have accepted the jurisdiction of the collective complaints procedure. See IJRC, European Committee of Social Rights.
For more information on the European Committee of Social Rights, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
Inter-American Court of Human Rights 122st Session
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) will hold its 122st Session from March 5 to 16 in San Jose, Costa Rica. During its sessions, the IACtHR typically holds public hearings on the merits of individual complaints and deliberates on contentious cases alleging human rights violations.
The IACtHR has jurisdiction over cases brought against a Member State of the Organization of American States (OAS) that has accepted the Court’s jurisdiction as authorized by Article 62 of the American Convention on Human Rights. There are 20 OAS Member States that have opted into the IACtHR’s contentious jurisdiction, which are Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Uruguay. The contentious cases reviewed by the Court are always first processed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The IACtHR also has authority to issue advisory opinions. For more information on the IACtHR, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 167th Period of Sessions
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is scheduled to continue its 167th Extraordinary Session in Bogotá, Colombia. The session began on February 22 and will end on March 2, 2018. The IACHR will hold thematic and contentious hearings on matters involving any Member State of the Organization of American States except Colombia. The online system to submit requests for a hearing or meeting is currently closed. The schedule of hearings is available on the IACHR’s website.
The IACHR is a regional body in the Americas that promotes and protects human rights violations within the Member States of the Organization of American States. Both individuals and NGOs may submit requests for thematic hearings and submit complaints on alleged human rights violations to the IACHR.
For more information on the IACHR, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.
Additional Information
For more information on UN treaty bodies; the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the Human Rights Committee; the Human Rights Council; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons; the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights; the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises; UN special procedures; the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights; the European Court of Human Rights; the European Committee of Social Rights; the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; or the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, or for a calendar of upcoming sessions and hearings, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub.