The Human Rights Council is the world’s peak multilateral human rights body. It is comprised of 47 Member States and meets at least three times per year in Geneva. It is mandated to strengthen the global promotion and protection of human rights, and to address human rights violations and situations of concern.
ISHR works intensively at the Human Rights Council to support the work of human rights defenders. Our strategic combination of research, capacity building, policy development, and advocacy seeks to ensure that the Council is accessible to human rights defenders, protects them against intimidation and reprisals, and is an effective mechanism for change on the ground.
We also monitor and report on States’ cooperation with the Human Rights Council and advocate to ensure that States that seek membership are held to account for their commitment to ‘uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights’.
Read more about our impact and vision in making progress and preventing regress for civil society at the UN.
During an Enhanced Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan on 19 June, in which he presented his most recent report to the UN Human Rights Council, ISHR made a statement noting that the pursuit of justice for women and girls in Afghanistan demands a multifaceted approach including various accountability mechanisms.
Human rights defenders and journalists face increasing threats and attacks due to acts of transnational repression, according to a new report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression. Host States must increase protection and support for victims of transnational repression, as well as investigate and pursue accountability where such acts occur.
Over the past months, the UN human rights chief has stepped up his condemnation of abuses in Hong Kong and mainland China. Rights groups and activists remain concerned at decreasing UN attention to Tibet and to the UN’s Xinjiang report.
The Human Rights Council held an informal discussion on the role that human rights must have to shape and guide coordinated efforts to tackle the climate crisis in multilateral spaces.
The UN Human Rights Council will hold its 56th regular session at Palais des Nations in Geneva from 18 June and 12 July 2024. Check out the key issues on the agenda.
The Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in the Context of Law Enforcement (EMLER) is up for renewal during the 56th session of the Human Rights Council (18 June - 12 July). The UN Antiracism Coalition (UNARC) calls for this crucial mandate to be renewed.
Understand the structure, purpose and mandate of the Human Rights Council and the opportunities for effective engagement.
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ISHR has published ‘scorecards’ for States seeking election to the UN Human Rights Council for 2025-2027 to help inform voting States’ decisions in the upcoming election.
On April 15 2024, ISHR submitted its annual submission to the UN Secretary General on intimidation and reprisals against defenders engaging or seeking to engage with the UN and its human rights mechanisms.
Ahead of China’s 4th UPR on 23 January 2024, ISHR has prepared an explainer about China’s UPR and its significance, and provides tips for NGOs and human rights defenders to engage with it, and for journalists to report on it.
ISHR has published ‘scorecards’ for States seeking election to the UN Human Rights Council for 2024-2026 to help inform voting States’ decisions in the upcoming election.
Following an earlier version of this submission of the same title in May 2022, this new ISHR report continues to document trends of reprisals in China in 2022-2023 with an analysis of extant cases, and further summarises the way in which it has portrayed civil society’s cooperation with the UN as a ‘criminal act’.
On 17 April 2023, ISHR submitted its annual submission to the report to the UN Secretary General on reprisals and intimidation against defenders engaging or seeking to engage with the UN and its human rights mechanisms.
