Following up on a previous project held in 2022, IIMA and VIDES Human Rights Office in Geneva committed to develop coordinated advocacy actions to call the attention of the international community and in particular the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on the rights of girls and young women and allow them to participate in events and initiatives where they have the chance to present their proposals and initiatives for policy change. A team of 10 girls and young women across six countries (Ecuador, Kenya, India, Nepal, Peru and South Sudan) was...

In the context of the High-level event for the 75° anniversary of the UNDHR, the OHCHR will organize the Human Rights 75 Youth Dialogue: Amplifying the HR75 initiative among young people from 15:00 - 18:00 CET on December 11, 2023 in Room XVII, Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. We invite you all to watch the event online! On December 10 we celebrate the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reaffirm our commitment to the protection of human rights around the world. 2023 marks, in particular, the 75th anniversary of the...

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 12th of August is International Youth Day, which was created by the United Nations General Assembly as an opportunity to give young people voices and provide them with meaningful participation in political and social life. The 2023 International Youth Day theme is “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World,” to streamline the green transition and the need to develop green skills. The theme is in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in response to the climate change crisis. Green skills, consisting of “knowledge, values and attitudes needed to...

The World Day Against Child Labour was launched in 2002 by the International Labour Organization to highlight the predicament faced by children engaged in labour. It is observed on 12 June annually to bring attention and promote the abolition of child labour. The slogan for World Day 2023 is “Social Justice for All. End Child Labour!” For the last two decades, child labour was steadily decreasing due to the work of the international community. Unfortunately, a series of conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic plunged families into poverty thus leading to a...

The Committee on the Rights of the Child is composed of independent experts who monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its States parties. It also monitors the implementation of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. All states parties are required to report to the committee on how the rights are being met.  On May 9 and 10, 2023,...

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...

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...

On 9 March 2023, the Geneva Graduate Institute, in partnership with the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, hosted a hybrid event entitled “Enabling Youth for Just Transitions: The Way Ahead.” The aim of this event was to “highlight the challenges and opportunities that are shaping the biggest labor and environmental transformations of our time, shedding light on the importance of enabling youth in just transition discourses, activism, and policymaking” (GGI). So, what does a “just transition” mean for youth? Agata Meysner, President of Generation Climate Europe, stated that a just transition...