The UN Human Rights Committee held its 110th session from March 10 to 28 to consider the State reports of Chad, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Nepal, Sierra Leone, and the United States of America. Following the session, the Committee released its concluding observations, detailing key concerns and recommendations for these States’ improved implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
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The Commission on the Status of Women held its 58th Session from March 10 to 21 at the UN Headquarters in New York, bringing together States and civil society organizations to discuss the priority theme of “challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls.” The discussion both centered on, and informed revisions to,
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IJRC is pleased to share some new informational tools for advocates and individual complainants in the Americas, which can now be found in the Online Resource Hub. Our popular animated video and legal handbook on the Inter-American human rights system have been revised to reflect important changes in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ Rules of Procedure and the Inter-American Court
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As the world becomes more reliant on the internet, digital communication, and other innovations, it is increasingly apparent that technology presents both solutions and challenges for human rights defenders, and can also give rise to new forms of rights abuses. Unfortunately, many of the same tech tools that allow activists to work more effectively also leave them vulnerable to attack. And, in
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International Women’s Day, observed annually on March 8, provides opportunities for discussion and engagement around the human rights of women. This year, the United Nations has chosen the theme, “Equality for women is progress for all” to focus on the critical importance of gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s human rights for economic and social development. [UN] Celebration of Women’s Day
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This week, the International Justice Resource Center (IJRC) is participating in RightsCon 2014, a conference focused on the intersections between technology and human rights “with the goal of protecting the open internet and the digital rights of its users.” The three-day convening is hosted by Access and is taking place in San Francisco, California.
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Tensions have escalated in Thailand, Ukraine, and Venezuela in recent weeks as political protests have given rise to violent clashes and political upheaval. The United Nations and international human rights bodies have called upon each government to engage in meaningful dialogue to address these conflicts and develop solutions. [OHCHR; COE; UN News Centre] UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon emphasized that “there
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On February 20, 2014, a historic Haitian appellate court ruling opened the door to the possible prosecution of former Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier (“Baby Doc”) for crimes against humanity. Survivors of the Duvalier regime’s abuses and human rights activists see the decision as an important victory in their quest for justice and accountability. [UN Radio; Reuters]
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Today marks the fifth annual observance of World Day of Social Justice, an opportunity for the international community to collectively recognize the ongoing need for social development and social justice amid rising inequality in the world. By establishing a day devoted to the promotion of social justice, the United Nations created a platform to “support efforts of the international community
Read moreThis month, The Opportunity Agenda and the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) of Northeastern University School of Law issued a comprehensive survey of significant determinations by state courts and attorneys general in the United States that address international human rights law. The report, entitled Human Rights in State Courts 2014, follows up on a 2011 edition
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