UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – International Justice Resource Center

March 2020: UN Treaty Bodies, Human Rights Council, and Regional Bodies in Session

In March, universal and regional human rights bodies and experts will assess States’ compliance with their human rights obligations through the consideration of State and civil society reports and country visits. Five United Nations treaty bodies and two pre-sessional working groups will be in session to assess States’ progress regarding economic, social and cultural rights; children’s rights; civil and political

UN Reports Inadequate Access to Education in Post-ISIL Iraq

February 26, 2020 IJRC children, economic, social & cultural rights, education, international human rights, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal system

A new United Nations report on the right to education in Iraq concludes that, two years after the defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), many children and young adults remain unable to access secondary education because of difficulties obtaining the necessary documents, restrictions on travel within the country, and limited or inadequate educational programs. [UN

UN Finds Evidence of Crimes Against Humanity in Ituri, DRC

January 16, 2020 IJRC armed conflict, crime & impunity, international criminal law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

In a new report, a United Nations entity asserts that violent attacks, including sexual violence, between members of the Lendu and Hema community in the Democratic Republic of Congo since late 2017 may constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes. In January 2020, the Human Rights Division of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the

Recent Developments Highlight Increased Collaboration Among Human Rights Bodies

November 14, 2019 IJRC African System, civil society, discrimination, European System, Inter-American System, international human rights, regional human rights protection, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal system

Over the past several months, supranational human rights bodies have announced a flurry of joint events and agreements, highlighting some specific rights challenges and the increasing importance of technical collaboration. Between September and November 2019, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the Inter-American

Guatemala & Nicaragua: Cooperation with Human Rights Monitors Deteriorates

January 16, 2019 IJRC assembly and association, civil society, Inter-American System, international human rights, regional human rights protection, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

The governments of Guatemala and Nicaragua each recently issued decisions terminating cooperation with international and regional oversight bodies in critical areas of human rights, prompting strong criticism. [UN News: Nicaragua; IACHR Press Release: Guatemala; European Council Press Release] Escalating his September 2018 decision that Guatemala would not renew its agreement with a United Nations-backed anti-corruption investigatory body, the International Commission

Guatemala and Nicaragua Reject UN Human Rights Monitors Amid Turmoil

September 12, 2018 IJRC assembly and association, civil society, crime & impunity, extrajudicial executions, health, human rights defenders, Inter-American System, international human rights, security & rule of law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Security Council

Two Central American governments ended their cooperation with the United Nations on specific human rights initiatives and sought to exclude UN representatives from their territories in late August 2018. In Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales announced on August 31 he would not renew the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) when it expires in 2019 and barred

U.S. to Cut Funding to UN Rights Bodies, Palestinian Refugees

September 5, 2018 IJRC civil society, international human rights, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal system

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

September 2018: Human Rights Council, UN Treaty Bodies, and Regional Human Rights Bodies in Session

September 3, 2018 IJRC African System, children, civil society, cultural rights, discrimination, economic, social & cultural rights, enforced disappearance, European System, Inter-American System, international human rights, judicial independence, LGBTI rights, migrants, monthly overview, persons with disabilities, regional human rights protection, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, Universal system

In the month of September, several universal and regional bodies will be in session to assess States’ compliance with their human rights obligations through the consideration of State and civil society reports, country visits, and the review of individual complaints. Five United Nations treaty bodies will meet in September to engage with States regarding their treaty obligations related to the

OHCHR Issues First UN Report on Human Rights Abuses in Kashmir

July 3, 2018 IJRC assembly and association, crime & impunity, economic, social & cultural rights, education, international human rights, right to life, thought, expression & association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Universal system, women's rights

In June, the United Nations Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued the first ever UN report detailing human rights abuses in Kashmir. [OHCHR Press Release] See OHCHR, Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Kashmir (2018). The report seeks to draw attention to the victims of the human rights violations created by the political situation

Ten Human Rights Standards Implicated by U.S. Immigration Policy Changes

June 27, 2018 IJRC children, discrimination, due process & judicial protection, family, immigration & asylum, Inter-American System, international human rights, liberty & security of person, migrants, right to life, U.S. courts, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies

Recent changes in the United States’ immigration policies have drawn fresh condemnation from human rights experts and civil society, particularly as news spread that authorities had separated approximately 2,000 children from their parents at the country’s southern border. [IACHR Press Release; OHCHR Press Release; UNHCR Press Release] These changes include automatic criminal prosecution and detention of adults – including asylum