Opportunities to Contribute to UN Reports with March Deadlines

This month, civil society organizations and human rights defenders have the opportunity to contribute their comments on three upcoming UN reports on the topics of the right to peace, the relationship between human rights and traditional values, and the death penalty.

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UN Launches the Rabat Plan of Action

On 21 February  2013, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) launched the Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. The Rabat Plan aims to provide guidance on how to balance between Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and

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UN Publishes Guide for Measuring Human Rights

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) at the end of 2012 released a new publication entitled Human Rights Indicators: A Guide to Measurement and Implementation, which is available online in English and Spanish.  The Guide supports the identification of objective indicators for measuring countries’ progress in realizing human rights and came about in response to requests

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Mali Conflict: Concerns Persist for Protection of Human Rights, Displaced Populations, Minority Groups

The West African nation of Mali, previously hailed as a democratic model for other regional governments, has become engulfed in a human rights and political crisis that is now the target of international attention and military intervention. Government and foreign forces are attempting to reclaim territory from separatist rebel groups, while the International Criminal Court and UN and African human rights

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A Look at Human Rights Day 2012

What is Human Rights Day? Human Rights Day began in 1950 to commemorate the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10, 1948.  Although the UDHR is not legally binding on UN Member States, it is the origin for binding human rights instruments that followed, including the International Covenant on Civil and

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The Gambia Suspends Executions after International Outcry

President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia announced on September 15 that he will be suspending further executions of death row inmates. [BBC] In August, President Jammeh had unexpectedly announced all of the remaining forty-eight prisoners on death row would be executed by September, ending the country’s over twenty-five year old moratorium on executions. [BBC]  The following Sunday, nine prisoners were executed

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Vacancy: UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announced a call for applications for the position of Deputy High Commissioner with the deadline of October 15, 2012. The OHCHR, led by High Commissioner Navi Pillay since July 2008, is the main UN entity responsible for creating policies and programs to promote and protect human rights. The OHCHR

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