More than 75 people gathered last Thursday for Protecting Women’s Rights: International Law & Advocacy, a full-day conference for advocates and lawyers organized by the International Justice Resource Center (IJRC). The training, held at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, featured some of the most distinguished human rights and women’s rights practitioners in the world speaking on a variety
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The United Nations General Assembly has approved the appointment of Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein as Navanethem (Navi) Pillay’s successor to head the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The High Commissioner is the official with the foremost responsibility for human rights activities at the United Nations. See UN General Assembly, Resolution 48/141, High Commissioner for
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On Friday, June 20th the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and nations around the world marked World Refugee Day with diverse tributes and activities. In its efforts to raise awareness about the struggles faced by refugees, UNHCR emphasized that the number of displaced persons in 2013 was the highest in the post-World War II era.
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The European Court of Human Rights has released six new factsheets summarizing its jurisprudence on the topics of: hunger strikes in detention, migrants in detention, domestic violence, elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and political parties and associations. The factsheets provide valuable insights into the kinds of issues being raised before the Court, direct practitioners to key cases and decisions, and
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The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Ms. Fatou Bensouda, has published a Policy Paper on Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes describing the approach her office will take with regard to such crimes going forward. The Policy Paper, released on June 5th of this year, is the latest indicator that the Office of the Prosecutor plans to emphasize sexual and gender-based
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The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted a landmark resolution (Resolution 275) condemning acts of violence, discrimination and other human rights violations against persons on the basis of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity during its 55th Ordinary Session held from April 28 to May 12, 2014 in Luanda, Angola. See ACommHPR, Res. 275: Protection Against Violence and other Human
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The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child is currently holding its 66th Session in Geneva, Switzerland. The session began on May 26 and will continue until June 13, 2014. During this time, the Committee is scheduled to review State reports from Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, the United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, and St. Lucia on their implementation of the Convention
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For apparently the first time, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has published a detailed report concerning its most recent session that: identifies forthcoming decisions on the admissibility and merits of petitions; lists the working meetings held between members of the Commission, States, and civil society; summarizes the information gathered through thematic hearings on a range of rights topics; and, describes
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The Mexican Congress has adopted a revision of the country’s Code of Military Justice to transfer jurisdiction over alleged human rights abuses committed by members of the armed forces against civilians to the ordinary, civilian justice system. [LA Times] Mexico’s military plays an important role in policing and law enforcement in the country, and although thousands of serious human rights abuses by soldiers are reported each
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The International Justice Resource Center is pleased to announce additional details concerning Protecting Women’s Rights: International Law & Advocacy, our June 19, 2014 human rights training for lawyers, advocates, and students working on women’s rights issues. New Speakers Lisa Davis has joined the incredible lineup of expert presenters, to share her experience and insights on using international human rights advocacy to
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