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Read on to remain up to date with the latest international human rights news, views and developments!

Saudi Arabia loses bid to join UN Human Rights Council

In an almost entirely uncompetitive election, States at the UN General Assembly did not support Saudi Arabia’s candidacy to the Human Rights Council, halting the Kingdom’s push to play a larger role in human rights mechanisms in spite of its abysmal record.

African Commission: Alert to NGO Forum and 81st Ordinary Session

The 81st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Commission, or ACHPR) will be held in Banjul, The Gambia, from 17 October 2024 to 6 November 2024. The session will be preceded by the NGO Forum, which will also be held in Banjul from 13 to 15 October 2024.

Human rights defender Mariam Al-Khawaja urges the Council to do its part on Bahrain

During the 57th session of the Human Rights Council, human rights defender Mariam Al-Khawaja delivered a video statement calling on the Council to take effective measures to ensure the release of all those arbitrarily detained, including her father, human rights defender Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, as well as Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, and political leader Hassan Mushaima.

Key issues on the agenda of the General Assembly’s 79th session’s Third Committee

The Third Committee, the UN General Assembly’s principal human rights committee, has just kicked off its deliberations. This year's session will run for seven weeks, from 3 October to 22 November 2024, and it will be chaired by the Permanent Representative of Burundi to the United Nations, Zéphyrin Maniratanga. Below is ISHR's outline of expected resolutions, reports and events related to human rights defenders and the strengthening of the UN human rights system.

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