Credit: UN Web TV
In June 2022, various international human rights bodies will meet – some virtually – to continue their monitoring and oversight of States’ human rights practices. For more information on each of the bodies mentioned, visit the Courts & Monitoring Bodies section of the IJRC Online Resource Hub.
At the regional level, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and Inter-American Court of Human Rights will be in session in June. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will hold a hearing on June 29 in the case of Sanchez v. France, which concerns the conviction of a politician for incitement to hatred based on his failure to promptly remove others’ comments from his Facebook page.
At the United Nations, the three human rights treaty bodies in session are those focused on the rights of children, discrimination against women, and prevention of torture. The UN special procedure mandate holders scheduled to carry out country visits in June include the Special Rapporteur on housing, to the Netherlands; the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, to Greece; and, the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, to Malaysia.
Finally, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and special procedures have issued many calls for input with deadlines in June, including for submissions related to: the Draft Convention on the Right to Development and Draft Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization, as well as reports on self-determination, climate change, climate and racial justice, extrajudicial executions, racial justice in the context of law enforcement, the human rights of minorities at the UN, privacy in the digital age, and peaceful assembly and association. Treaty bodies are seeking input regarding reviews of Morocco, Ukraine, Switzerland, Mongolia, and Colombia; and special procedures seek input for upcoming visits to Iraq, Uruguay, Mauritius, Greece, and Turkey.
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) is holding its 65th Ordinary Session from May 30 to June 14 at its seat in Arusha, Tanzania. [AfCHPR Press Release] The judges will deliberate privately. On June 23, the Court will publicly deliver judgments via the Court’s YouTube channel.
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) will hold its 184th Period of Sessions from June 13 to 24, in a hybrid format. [IACHR Press Release] The IACHR has decided to convene two hearings ex officio, on gender stereotypes and access to justice, and on labor and trade-union rights in Cuba. Ahead of the session, it will announce the full schedule of hearings to be held from June 21 to 24. By June 8, civil society members may register to participate in a virtual meeting to be held on June 15 concerning the Commission’s draft Strategic Plan 2022-2026. [IACHR Press Release: Participation]
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) will hold its 149th Period of Sessions from June 13 to July 1. During its sessions, the Court holds public hearings in cases and deliberates in private. The agenda for the 149th Period of Sessions is not yet available.
Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council will hold its 50th regular session from June 13 to July 8, in person in Geneva, Switzerland. Among other activities, the draft programme of work and agenda indicate the Council will select experts to select mandate holders including for the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Special Rapporteur on the situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Special Rapporteur on torture, Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and the Working Group on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
The Council will also consider various reports from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and numerous special procedure mandate holders. The documentation for the session is available online, and the public portions of the session will be webcast on UN Web TV.
UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies
UN treaty bodies have resumed State party reviews and in-person sessions, which had been postponed because of COVID-19. Note that the sessions are listed in reverse chronological order, based on their start date, on the Meeting and Events page of the OHCHR’s website and also visible on its Teamup Calendar. Treaty bodies’ public activities, including constructive dialogues held as part of State party reviews, will be webcast on UN Web TV.
This month, States will elect members to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Human Rights Committee, and the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women when States parties to the pertinent treaties convene in New York on June 6, 14-16, 17, and 23, respectively.
Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is holding its 90th Session from May 3 to June 3 in Geneva. In May, the Committee held constructive dialogues with Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Greece, Iceland, Kiribati, Somalia, and Zambia concerning their implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The programme of work and provisional agenda contain additional details.
Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) will hold its 82nd Session from June 13 to July 1, in hybrid format. The Committee will conduct constructive dialogues with Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Portugal, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates concerning their implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Civil society will be able to participate in briefings in person or remotely. See the documentation on the session webpage, including the information note on NGO participation, for additional information.
Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) will hold its 47th Session from June 7 to 17, privately.
Additional Information
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the scheduling and format of supranational human rights bodies’ sessions and other activities, particularly at the regional level. The IJRC monthly overviews have detailed these changes, beginning in April 2020. For an overview of the initial changes in human rights oversight caused by the pandemic, see our July 2020 post on OpenGlobalRights.
To view human rights bodies’ past and future activities, visit the IJRC Hearings & Sessions Calendar. For more information on the various human rights monitoring bodies, visit IJRC’s Online Resource Hub. To stay up-to-date on international human rights law news, visit IJRC’s News Room.