In September 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, European Committee of Social Rights, and Inter-American Court of Human Rights will be in session in September. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will hold a hearing in the case of Pietrzak v. Poland and Bychawska-Siniarska and Others v. Poland, which concerns national legislation on secret governmental surveillance of communications and related collection of metadata.
At the United Nations, the three human rights treaty bodies in session are those focused on the rights of children, migrant workers, and persons with disabilities and on the topics of enforced disappearances and economic, social, and cultural rights. The UN special procedure mandate holders scheduled to carry out country visits in September include the Special Rapporteur on the environment, to Slovenia and to Portugal; the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, to Italy; the Special Rapporteur on internally displaced persons, to Japan; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, to Serbia; the Special Rapportuer on cultural rights, to Germany; the Special Rapportuer on freedom of assembly, to Algeria; and the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, to Maldives.
Finally, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and special procedures have issued many calls for input with deadlines in September, including for submissions related to: monitoring the impact of unilateral sanctions, international financial obligations and digital systems, practices related to accusations of witchcraft, and the rights of persons with disabilities, as well as upcoming special procedure visits to Bangladesh, Maldives, and Paraguay.
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) is holding its 66th Ordinary Session from August 29 to September 23 at its seat in Arusha, Tanzania. [AfCHPR Press Release] The judges will deliberate privately and publicly deliver judgments on September 22 via the Court’s YouTube channel.
European Committee of Social Rights
The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) will hold its 329th Session from September 12 to 16. The agenda is not yet available online.
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) is holding its 151st Ordinary Period of Sessions from August 29 to September 9. [IACtHR Press Release (Spanish)] The Court will deliberate several judgments, and will hold public hearings – virtually – concerning one pending case and several requests for provisional measures.
Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council will hold its 51st Session from September 12 to October 7, in person in Geneva, Switzerland. Among other activities, the draft programme of work and agenda indicate the Council will hold panel discussions on diverse topics and interactive dialogues with various special procedure mandate holders. The Council will appoint new mandate holders for the special rapporteurships on contemporary forms of racism, the human rights of internally displaced persons, and the independence of judges and lawyers, and for the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
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.
Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is holding its 27th Session from August 15 to September 9, in Geneva and in hybrid format. The CRPD will hold constructive dialogues with Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, New Zealand, and Singapore concerning their implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Additional information is available in the programme of work and provisional agenda.
Committee on the Rights of the Child
The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is holding its 91st Session from August 29 to September 23, in Geneva. The Committee will hold constructive dialogues with Germany, Kuwait, North Macedonia, Philippines, South Sudan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam concerning their implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Additional information is available in the tentative programme of work.
Committee on Enforced Disappearances
The Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) will hold its 23rd Session from September 12 to 23, in Geneva. The Committee will hold constructive dialogues with Czech Republic and Mali concerning their implementation on the Convention for the Protection of All Persons against Enforced Disappearance. Additional information is available in the provisional agenda and tentative programme of work.
Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers
The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW) will hold its 35th Session from September 19 to 30, in Geneva. The Committee will hold constructive dialogues with Bolivia, Syria, and Venezuela concerning their implementation on the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Additional information is available in the provisional agenda and in the note for civil society.
On September 27, the CMW will hold a half-day general discussion on its draft General Comment No. 6, concerning the “Convergence of the Convention and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.” The CMW is also accepting submissions concerning the draft, through September 12.
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) will hold its 72nd Session from September 26 to October 14. The Committee will conduct constructive dialogues with El Salvador, Guatemala, Italy, Luxembourg, Mongolia, and Tajikistan concerning their implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Additional information is available in the draft programme of work.
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.