Credit: AfCHPR
In December 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 European Committee of Social Rights will be in session. The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will hold a hearing in the case of Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea) on December 13.
At the United Nations, the human rights treaty bodies in session are those focused on racial discrimination and the rights of migrant workers. The UN special procedure mandate holders scheduled to carry out country visits in December include the Special Rapporteur on housing, to the Netherlands. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is planning several activities connected to the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including a high-level event scheduled for December 11 and 12.
Finally, the OHCHR and special procedures have issued many calls for input with deadlines in December 2023, including for submissions related to: arms transfers, the situation of people of African descent in the Asia Pacific region, civil society space, and the gendered impacts of the coup and conflict in Myanmar.
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) is holding its 71st Ordinary Session from November 6 to December 4, in Algiers, Algeria, where it will also meet with governmental representatives and the Bar Association. During the session, the judges will deliberate on 13 pending applications and deliver nine judgments. Videos of the opening ceremony and delivery of the judgments are available on the Court’s YouTube channel.
European Committee of Social Rights
The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) will hold its 338th Session from December 4 to 8, at its headquarters in Strasbourg, France. The session agenda and synopsis will subsequently be available on the sessions webpage.
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.
Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is holding its 111th Session, in person in Geneva, from November 20 to December 8. The Committee’s programme of work includes constructive dialogues with Bolivia, Bulgaria, Germany, Morocco, South Africa, and Vietnam. While the CERD will conduct its dialogues with States in person, its meetings with non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions will take place in a hybrid manner.
Committee on Migrant Workers
The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CMW) is holding its 37th Session from November 27 to December 8, in person in Geneva. The CMW will consider the State reports of Kyrgyzstan, Sao Tome and Principe, and Uruguay, and will adopt lists of issues for its review of Benin, Gambia, and Mexico. The Committee will also conduct follow-up to its prior concluding observations for Chile. While the CMW will mostly conduct its dialogues with States in person, its meetings with non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions will take place in a hybrid manner, per its programme of work.
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.