Credit: UN Web TV
In June 2023, various regional and universal human rights bodies will hold sessions or hearings to continue their oversight and adjudication of human rights issues. 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 and Inter-American Court of Human Rights will be in session. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has not scheduled any hearings in June.
At the United Nations, the two human rights treaty bodies in session are the Human Rights Committee and Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture. Additionally, States parties to several UN human rights treaties will meet in New York to elect new members to the: Committee on Enforced Disappearances (on June 12), Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (on June 22), and the Committee on Migrant Workers (on June 27). The chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies are also holding their annual meeting in New York from May 29 to June 2, to discuss and advance their working methods and practices.
The UN special procedure mandate holders scheduled to carry out country visits in June include the Independent Expert on foreign debt, to Liechtenstein; and the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, to Malta.
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 2023, including for submissions related to: online hate speech, foreign investment and the right to a healthy environment, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances’ draft General Comment on enforced disappearances in the context of migration, internally displaced persons, the human rights of people of African descent, the right to development, national and local promotion of freedom of thought. Several mandate holders are also seeking inputs for upcoming visits to South Africa, Brazil, Japan, and Malta.
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) will hold its 69th Ordinary Session from June 12 to July 7. In recent sessions, the AfCHPR has been convening in person at its seat in Arusha, Tanzania. The Court livestreams delivery of newly-adopted judgments toward the end of its sessions. Session details will be posted to the AfCHPR’s website.
Inter-American Court of Human Rights
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) will hold its 159th Regular Session from June 12 to 30. During its sessions, the Court holds public hearings in cases and deliberates in private. The agenda for the 159th Regular Session is not yet available.
Human Rights Council
The UN Human Rights Council is holding its 53rd regular session from June 19 to July 14, in person in Geneva, Switzerland. Among other activities, the draft programme of work and agenda indicate the Council will appoint experts to special procedures and other mandates, including the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and Special Rapporteur on counter terrorism and human rights.
The Council is scheduled to adopt the outcome reports from the latest Universal Periodic Review cycle for Czechia, Argentina, Gabon, Ghana, Peru, Guatemala, Benin, South Korea, Switzerland, Pakistan, Zambia, Japan, and Sri Lanka.
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
Various UN treaty bodies will convene this month. The full schedule can be viewed on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Teamup Calendar. Treaty bodies’ public activities, including constructive dialogues held as part of State party reviews, will be webcast on UN Web TV.
Human Rights Committee
The Human Rights Committee will hold its 138th Session, in person in Geneva, from June 26 to July 26. The Committee’s programme of work includes constructive dialogues with Brazil, Burundi, Colombia, Cyprus, Lesotho, Somalia, the State of Palestine, and Uganda. It will adopt lists of issues for Honduras, Suriname, Jamaica, Moldova, and will consider the implementation of prior recommendations by Mexico, Niger, Portugal, and Senegal under its follow-up procedure. June 9 is the deadline to register for the briefings by civil society representatives to the Committee.
Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture
The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) will convene privately for its 50th Session, from June 5 to 16, in Geneva. On June 8, the SPT will hold a day of general discussion, in hybrid format, on its draft General Comment on Article 4 (obligations concerning preventive visits to “places of detention”) of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture.
Additional Information
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.