On 10 December every year, Human Rights Day commemorates the date on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaiming its principles as the “common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.” This year’s slogan, Human Rights 365, encompasses the idea that every day is Human Rights Day. It celebrates the fundamental proposition in the Universal Declaration that each one of us, everywhere, at all times is entitled to the full range of human rights, that human rights belong equally to each of us and bind...

 The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme will organize a special event on 5 December 2014 in observance of International Volunteer Day (IVD). This year’s celebration at the United Nations Headquarters in New York will recognize and celebrate the contributions and engagement of  corporate volunteers making change happen locally, nationally and internationally. The highlight of International Volunteer Day 2014 will be the launch of IMPACT 2030 - a business-led global collaboration between the United Nations, the private sector and civil society organizations, created to appropriately mobilize corporate volunteers to directly and substantially...

On November 25-26, the 7th Forum on Minority Issues took place to promote dialogue and cooperation. The goal was to identify, share, and analyze the good practices, opportunities, challenges, and initiatives to better implement the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious, and Linguistic Minorities. In the introductory speech it was reminded that people are not born with a  sense of categorization, children do not have the idea of friend/enemy; external elements, such as society or competition, introduced this notion. For this reason there is a strong...

Monday, October 27 in room XX at the United Nations in Geneva the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review of Italy took place.  Lapo Pistelli, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation stated that the new government was accelerating the implementation of international recommendations, for example in the matters of cyber crime, of migrant workers rights and of their families, of torture and also about the creation of a National Human Rights Institution in accordance with Paris Principles. During the interactive dialogue, many States congratulated the Italian Government for the efforts done on carrying out the recommendations of the first cycle and for the significant progress. Pistelli underlined that...

The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been commemorated consistently since 1993, when the United Nations General Assembly, by reslution 47/196, assigned this day to raise familiarity with the need to eradicate destitution and desperation in all nations. Battling neediness stays at the center of the Millennium Development Goals (Mdgs) and the advancement of the post-2015 development agenda. The 2014 subject perceives and underscores the requesting test of distinguishing and securing the investment of those encountering great destitution and social prohibition in the "Post-2015 Development Agenda" that will supplant the Millennium Development Goals. The official commemoration on 17 October...

During the 27th session of the UN Human Rights Council ( September 8 to 26 , 2014) IIMA and VIDES have contributed to the Periodic Review of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Costa Rica and Nicaragua with a Joint Oral Statement for each country during the  item 6 ( Universal Periodic Review , UPR consideration of outcomes ) . Also presented was another oral statement on the empowerment of young people (Youth Empowerment: a human rights perspective) during Item 8 (General Debate on Follow Up) . The latter was a response to the recent side event (Youth...

On Thuesday, September 9th, 2014 IIMA attended the High-Level Panel Discussion on history teaching and memorialization at the 27th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The President of the HRC(Baudelaire Ndong Ella) opened the meeting by giving the floor to Flavia Pansieri (United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights), who has introduced the two reports of Pablo de Greiff (the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and Guarantees of non-recurrence). In the first report on the writing and teaching of history, the Special Rapporteur stressed that, in many countries, the historical narratives promoted by...

The third and final week of the 26th Session of the Human Rights Council took place from June 23 until June 27, 2014 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The week contained an array of official and unofficial events that covered many topics and concluded with the official decision making process on the new resolutions. IIMA attended several of the sessions as well as a few of the side events. On Monday, the Human Rights Council held a Panel Discussion on Preventing and Eliminating Child, Early, and Forced Marriage. Moderated...

On Tuesday, June 24, 2014 IIMA and VIDES presented a joint oral statement on youth empowerment during the 26th session of the Human Rights Council. The statement was presented during the Item 8 General Debate on Follow Up and Implementation by Maria D’Onofrio and was entitled “Youth Empowerment: A Human Rights Perspective.” The statement was in response to the recent cross-regional statement on the situation of youth worldwide that was supported by 116 cosigning States. IIMA and VIDES took the opportunity to express its support in this positive step forward in...

From Monday, June 16 through Friday, June 20, 2014, IIMA attended the second week of the 26th Session of the Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The week began with a panel discussion on the identification of the best practices in combating female genital mutilation (FGM). Over 125 million girls and women have undergone FGM in 29 African countries that contain the highest prevalence rates, with even more affected within specific populations worldwide. The practice violates the right to physical and mental integrity and is a...