ISHR provides both analytical and practical information to human rights defenders to strengthen their access to and engagement with human rights bodies and mechanisms at the international, regional and national levels.
In February 2023, the CESCR conducted its third periodic review of China, Hong Kong and Macau. ISHR has developed an explainer on the Concluding Observations of the review, summarizing the key recommendations and how civil society can use them to assist documentation and advance change.
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.
ISHR has developed a simple list of ten concrete actions the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights says businesses should take to respect human rights defenders and adhere to the UN Guiding Principles.
Ahead of China, Hong Kong and Macao's review by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in May 2023, ISHR has prepared an explainer summarising the Committee's work to oversee the implementation of women’s rights, and opportunities for civil society engagement in its review process. Civil society plays a vital role in informing the Committee's assessment, and pointing to key areas of concern.
Human rights and multilateralism are making a remarkable comeback. Discover why and how in our Annual Report!
In this briefing paper, ISHR looks at the powerful role of China over the UN human rights treaty bodies (UNTBs), identifying the ways in which China deploys influence, from an official discourse that consistently focuses on restricting their scope of work to direct threats to independent NGOs who wish to engage with the UN experts.
ISHR's Simple Guide to the UN Treaty Bodies has been updated. The 2022 edition is now available in English and Turkish. Updates to other language versions will follow.
'Colectivo 46/2' has published an Evaluation Benchmark on the implementation by the Nicaraguan government of Human Rights Council resolution 49/3 on the human rights situation in the country.
On 31 August 2022, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released its much-awaited report on serious human rights violations in the Uyghur region (Xinjiang). ISHR prepared a multilingual explainer to break down the report's findings.
Drawing on legal analysis and illustrative cases, this report shows that one of the many challenges posed by the National Security Law for Hong Kong is an effective criminalisation of engagement with the UN - and as a result, a chilling effect on defenders' engagement.
