IIMA Human Rights Office joined forces with VIDES International for the realization of the Project “Youth to Reshape the World– Youth as Advocates and Agents of Transformative Actions in Social Inclusion and Environment Protection”. Funded by the European Commission, this project to be implemented in 2023 – 2025 includes a critical Human Rights advocacy and capacity building component in order to: Empower youth to become change-making agents in terms of social inclusion and environmental protection within the communities in which they operate in EU cities and countries; Capacitate youth to...

The United Nations Human Rights Council held its Fifty-fourth session from 11 September to 13 October 2023 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The agenda of the session included several high-level meetings addressing crucial human rights issues. IIMA and VIDES International, together with other partners, delivered two oral statements on youth and human rights, one under Item 3 – Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order (text and video) and a another one on the occasion of the Panel discussion on...

The United Nations Human Rights Council held its fifty-second session from 27 February to 4 April 2023 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The agenda of the session included several high-level meetings addressing crucial human rights issues, such as the Annual Panel on human rights mainstreaming, the Annual Debate on rights of people with disabilities, and the Annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child focusing on the rights of the child and the digital environment. IIMA and VIDES especially welcomed the choice to dedicate the annual high-level panel discussion...

Water is the driving force of all nature. - Leonardo da Vinci Since early times it has been clear to us that water is crucial for our existence and development. Since 1993, this has been officially emphasized by celebrating the 22nd of March as World Water Day. This day serves for all of us as a reminder of the importance of clean water and to become more aware of how we use and manage the water available to us. It is addressed to governments and businesses to create policies and practices...

The United Nations Human Rights Council held its fifty-first session from 12 September to 07 October 2022 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Several topical issues were addressed during this session of the Council, such as the right to privacy in the digital age as well as the Human rights implications of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on young people. To both discussions, IIMA and VIDES contributed through two oral statements which were prepared based on the information provided by local members and partners from Ecuador and the Philippines. In particular the...

The United Nations Human Rights Council held its fiftieth session from 13 June 2022 to 08 July 2022 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The agenda of the session included several high-level meetings addressing crucial human rights issues, such as the Panel on Good Governance in Protecting Human Rights during and after Covid-19 Pandemic and the Panel on Adverse Effects of Climate Change on Human Rights of People in Vulnerable Situations. During the session of the Human Rights Council, IIMA and VIDES International delivered oral statements during the Interactive Dialogues with the Special...

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 35th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was held from the 20th to the 31st of January at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Universal Periodic Review is a mechanism of the Human Rights Council. Its primary function is to review all UN Member States, every 4 ½ years, to improve the human rights conditions of each State. During the UPR, States comment on the actions they’ve taken to implement previous UPR recommendations and highlight the current challenges they are facing. The UPR Working Group then derives...

 The 42ndSession of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations started in Geneva on the 9thof September, and will finish on September 27. During this period, there will be debates, several reports from the Special Procedure mandate-holders as well as side events on different human rights issues with special emphasis on indigenous people’s rights. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, identified several challenges confronting us today. In particular, she highlighted how climate change is becoming a global threat to human rights. In fact, according to the World...

After the tragic events of 14th May 2018 in Gaza, the Human Rights Council (HRC) convened the 28th special session on the deteriorating human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. In accordance with resolution 5/1, the HRC  can convene special sessions, when needed, for emergency and urgent human rights violations and situations which need the attention of the HRC, at the request of a member of the Council with the support of one-third of its membership. The resolution A/HRC/S-28/L.1 demanded that the HRC “urgently dispatch an independent,...