On May 7, 2019, the International Labour Organization (ILO) announced the launch of a new plan including a series of urgent interventions aimed at addressing the security, economic, and social integration needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. See ILO, Appeal: Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean. Under this
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More than 160 countries adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (Compact), the first-ever intergovernmental agreement negotiated to holistically and comprehensively cover all aspects of international migration, following a two-day conference in Marrakech, Morocco that took place from December 10 to 11, 2018. [UN News: Marrakech; NYT] The document presents a framework for international cooperation and proclaims
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The United States is reportedly planning to withdraw all financial support from the United Nations’ key human rights bodies – the Human Rights Council and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) – and from the UN agency that provides humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees. [AP; CNN] John Bolton, the current U.S. National Security Advisor and former Ambassador to
Read moreMANDATE OF THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON REFUGEES, ASYLUM SEEKERS, MIGRANTS AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS The Special Rapporteur on Refugees, Asylum Seekers, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons is one of the special mechanisms overseen by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Special Rapporteurship was created in 2004 during the Commission’s 35th Ordinary Session to protect the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, and internally
Read moreOVERVIEW States have been granting protection to individuals and groups fleeing persecution for centuries; however, the modern refugee regime is largely the product of the second half of the twentieth century. Like international human rights law, modern refugee law has its origins in the aftermath of World War II as well as the refugee crises of the interwar years
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In October 2021, various international human rights bodies will meet – mostly 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
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In the midst of a global pandemic that has highlighted the need to make water accessible for all, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has published new Guidelines on the Right to Water in Africa. [ACHPR Press Release] While the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (African Charter) does not expressly include the right to water,
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The Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has published new guidance for States on the entitlement of victims of trafficking, and persons at risk of being trafficked, to international protection. See Council of Europe GRETA, Guidance Note on the entitlement of victims of trafficking, and persons at risk of being trafficked, to
Read moreThis webpage collects the resolutions, press releases, and other statements from human rights bodies and their parent intergovernmental organizations on States’ obligations to respect human rights in mitigating COVID-19. The “Thematic Overview” section organizes the most significant of these statements by issue area. Statements are then organized by body or organization, beginning with United Nations entities and then regional human
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The latest report by the United Nations Victims’ Rights Advocate (VRA) reviews the progress made in 2019 to address sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations personnel, and calls on the international community to dedicate additional resources to supporting and protecting victims and ensuring accountability. [UN News] Jane Connors, the first-ever UN Victims’ Rights Advocate is responsible for strengthening the
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