Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women – 85th Session on Venezuela 18 May 2023 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system. It requires countries to eliminate discrimination against women and girls in all areas and promotes women’s equal rights to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. On May 18, 2023, Venezuela was reviewed by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) at the Palais des Nations, Geneva. The...

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women – 85th Session on Spain 16 May 2023 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system. It requires countries to eliminate discrimination against women and girls in all areas and promotes women’s equal rights to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Issues of Concern & Spain’s Progress The main concerns the committee had was Spain’s treatment of migrant, refugee, Roma, and disabled women and...

The United Nations Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order, Livingstone Sewanyana, asked NGOs to provide written inputs for his Thematic Report on Youth Participation and Engagement in Intergovernmental Forums. The Human Rights Council passed a resolution on Youth Rights where it called upon States to empower youth to contribute to the political, civil, economic, social, and cultural development of their countries. The report will be used to identify good practices of youth participation in intergovernmental forums globally to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. The...

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a cyclical review process of all 193 UN Member States. Once every four years the human rights situation in each State is reviewed. The State under review declares what action has been taken and the measures to be adopted to improve human rights within the Country. During the UPR, specific recommendations are made by the Member States of the Human Rights Council to the State under review. The 43rd UPR session was held from May 1 to 12 in Palais des Nations, Geneva. Among other...

The United Nations Human Rights Council held its forty-sixth regular session from 22 February to 23 March 2021 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.  It started off with a high-level segment from 22 to 24 February where dignitaries representing more than 130 countries addressed the Council on their governments’ efforts to promote and protect human rights. It was held for the first time entirely online. This session also welcomed the new president, Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji.  It was opened with speeches from Secretary-General of the United Nations, António...

The 2019 Social Forum took place on the 1stand on the 2ndOctober 2019 in room XX, at Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Social Forum is an annual meeting convened by the Human Rights Council to provide a unique space for an open and interactive dialogue between all stakeholders on a specific theme chosen each year. In accordance with the resolution 38/17 of the Human Right Council this year’s Social Forum focused on“the promotion and protection of the rights of children and youth through education”. Though all children and young people have...

From September 9th to 27th, 2019, the Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice (IIMA) Human Rights Office and VIDES International, participated in the 42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council delivering three oral statements on the following: Items 3 & 5 Clustered interactive dialogue on SR Report on indigenous peoples; Item 6 on the UPR outcomes of Costa rica and Nicaragua. IIMA and VIDES welcomed the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. However, the attainment of the full and equitable enjoyment of the human rights of all indigenous peoples...

Emeritus Superior General of the Institute of Mary Help of Christians On July 1, 2019, Mother Antonia Colombo, emeritus Superior General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco) passed away at Varese, Italy. She was born in Lecco, Italy on April 12, 1935. She made her religious profession on August 6, 1959 and in the same year she graduated in Law. She then taught Law for one year at the International Institute of Pedagogy and Religious Sciences. From 1960 to 1963, she studied...

On the occasion of the 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council, IIMA and Vides International, together with the permanent Mission of the Philippines, organized the side  event: “Promoting a Safe and Empowering Environment for all Children and youth - best practices for child and youth protection and participation through human rights education” held at the Palace of the Nations on September 25, 2019. The event was co-sponsored by sixteen Permanent Missions: Egypt, El Salvador, Italy, Portugal, Ethiopia, Montenegro, Poland, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Thailand, Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Spain, Holy See, Uruguay; and also...

The 38th regular session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) was officially opened on 18th June 2018 by H.E. Ambassador Vojislav Šuc, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and HRC President. After which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, gave the oral update on the situation of human rights worldwide and on the activities of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). 22nd June was an important day for IIMA, Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice, VIDES International, the...