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Alert to the Human Rights Council’s 32nd session
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The UN Human Rights Council will hold its 32nd regular session at Palais des Nations in Geneva from 13 June to 1 July 2016.
Read our full Alert to the session online here
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Do not miss these ISHR events:
Tuesday 21 June, 15:00-16:00, room XXIII
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Stay up-to-date
Follow @ISHRglobal and #HRC32 on Twitter, and look out for our weekly Human Rights Council Monitor.
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Highlights from our Human Rights Council Alert
10th anniversary of the Human Rights Council
2016 marks the end of the first decade of the Council's work, and an opportunity to take stock of progress, spell out an overarching vision for the future and initiate necessary course corrections. To acknowledge the anniversary, ISHR will publish a special edition of its monthly Human Rights Monitor dedicated to the 10th anniversary.
The monitor features an impressive line-up of human rights defenders, national and international policy makers, political leaders, and human rights experts from all regions. Already today, the Council has a vital role to play in strengthening the protection of rights, preventing violations, promoting accountability, and pursuing implementation of human rights obligations by State and non-State actors ... more |
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Creation and maintenance of a safe and enabling environment for civil society
Of significance this session is a substantive resolution that will be presented by Ireland, Chile, Japan, Sierra Leone and Tunisia on the creation and maintenance of a safe and enabling environment for civil society.
This resolution directly responds to a new report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to be tabled at the 32nd session of the Council. The Report spells out the essential ingredients to respect and protect civil society, and ‘optimise its transformative potential’ when it comes to human rights, peace, security and development.
The report demonstrates that respect for civil society contributes to social cohesion, reduced inequality, accountable government, responsive public policy, a conducive environment for business and investment, and the empowerment of marginalised and disadvantaged groups... more
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Sexual orientation and gender identity
Following on from the 2014 resolution on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, the Council will once again consider an initiative on addressing discrimination and violence on these grounds.
As noted by the High Commissioner ‘current arrangements to protect the human rights of LGBT and intersex persons are inadequate’. Furthermore, ‘there is as yet no dedicated human rights mechanism at the international level that has a systematic and comprehensive approach to the human rights situation of LGBT and intersex persons’... more
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Violence against women
A major focus of the June session is on violence against women, including a resolution run by Canada focusing on prevention and response to violence against indigenous women. This resolution aims to reinforce the work of other mechanisms of the Council. It also seeks to make concrete recommendations on how States and other stakeholders can identify gaps in protections of indigenous women, who are proportionately at much higher risk of being victims of sexual and gender-based violence.... more
Discrimination against women
The mandate of the Working Group on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women is scheduled for renewal at this session, through a resolution which is sponsored by Colombia and Mexico. The Working Group has become a critical tool for women human rights defenders globally in contributing to broader considerations of the ways in which discrimination on the basis of gender can lead to violations of a range of human rights... more
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Business and human rights
Access to remedy is one of the three pillars of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, but arguably has received less attention by the Council. The resolution on business and human rights to be presented by Norway, Argentina, Ghana and Russia aims to pick up on the content of the OHCHR report on its efforts to outline guidance for States to improve access to state-based remedy... more
Freedom of peaceful assembly and association
It is critical at this time of increasing restrictions on civil society and NGOs, as well as growing limitations on the right to peaceful assembly in the name of 'national security', that the mandate for the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Peaceful Assembly be renewed.
The resolution is also a chance to follow-up on key elements of Special Rapporteur, Maina Kiai's, work over the last five years related to the benefits of civil society in strengthening respect for human rights on the ground, including professional associations such as those in the legal, medical and business sectors.
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Burundi
Following the special session of the Council on Burundi in December 2015, and the enhanced interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner on the human rights situation in Burundi in March 2016 there will be an interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner during which he will present his report on the human rights situation in Burundi... more
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China
In flagrant disregard of the concerns raised by the joint statement highlighting human rights violations in China at the March Council session - not to mention those raised by the High Commissioner and various Special Procedures - the Government continues to silence dissent, harass defenders and suppress civil society.
ISHR urges governments to stand resolutely with Chinese human rights activists to call for transparency, reform and accountability of laws and policies that undermine human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the unconditional release of detained human rights defenders, lawyers such as Wang Yu and Li Heping, and press freedom and democracy activists, in particular Guo Feixiong... more
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Organisational meeting
During the organisational meeting for the 32nd session, the President of the Human Rights Council once again stressed that delegations and organisations should contribute to a constructive working atmosphere.
He highlighted that it is in ‘the common interest of all those engaging in this Council session that a climate free from intimidation or reprisals be maintained’.
There is a heavy programme of work for the session, which includes 6 panel discussions and 82 reports to be presented... more
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Further information also available on:
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