On Monday, June 16, 2014 IIMA attended the High-Level Panel Discussion on the identification of good practices in combating female genital mutilation at the 26th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.  The exceptionally distinguished panel included the First Lady of Burkina Faso, Mrs. Chantal Compaoré, who has worked against the practice of FGM for over twenty years in her country and internationally; Ms. Mariam Lamizana, President of the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children; Ms. Nafissatou Diop, Coordinator of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Program...

The 26th session of the Human Rights Council began on June 10, 2014 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, opened the Council with her opening statement that described the achievements of the Office since the previous Human Rights Council (March 3-28, 2014) and was followed by a General Debate with the Member States. In her opening statement, Navi Pillay referred to the Universal Periodic Review as an impartial and non-selective process which has succeeded “in encouraging States to recognize...

The IIMA Human Rights Office is pleased to extend the invitation from the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) “to submit original and creative videos that focus on Migration, Diversity and Social inclusion, for consideration in the 2014 PLURAL + Youth Video Festival”. As powerful agents of social change in an intolerant and divided world, youth have the opportunity to share their own perspective on social inclusion and cohesion, migrant integration, and respect for identity, diversity, and human rights, at local and global levels, through...

On Thursday May 15, 2014 at 9:30am, the Human Rights Office welcomed a visit from the Ambassador of Italy, Maurizio Enrico Serra, Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Geneva, and the First Secretary Marco Lapadura. The meeting focused on the primary issue that IIMA and VIDES International promote “Youth Empowerment through Human Rights”. The Human Rights Office and the Italian Ambassador discussed the main issues raised at the March 11, 2014 Side Event which took place during the 25th Session of the Human Rights Council through the collaboration of the...

                                             The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a cyclical review process that evaluates the status of human rights in each UN Member State every four and a half years. During the UPR, Member States of the Human Rights Council provide specific recommendations to the State under review. The 19th Session of the UPR took place from April 28 to May 9, 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland. Using the information provided by our...

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a cyclical review process that evaluates the status of human rights in each UN Member State very four and a half years. During the UPR, Member States of the Human Rights Council provide specific recommendations to the State under review. The 19th Session of the UPR took place from April 28 to May 9, 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland. Using the information provided by our local members, IIMA together with VIDES International and other NGOs, contributed to the review processes of the Democratic Republic of Congo...

ONE STEP FORWARD TO EMPOWER ALBANIAN WOMEN! Give young women a lifetime of opportunity through professional cooking classes and personal development. Why we care: With no education and proper training, young women from Lezhe, Albania are at risk of being extremely marginalized, sexually exploited, or underground immigration. How we’re solving this: We’re giving young women in Lezhe shelter and protection, teaching them how to cook through professional training, and hosting sports activities for their all-around development. With your support, we’ll provide room and board for 10 at-risk young women (16-25 years old) for 12 months....

On Tuesday, March 11th, Room XXVII in Palais des Nations turned into a forum for ideas and hope. “Youth Empowerment through Human Rights” was the headline of the Side-Event IIMA and VIDES International, with the Permanent Mission of Uruguay, organized during the 25th session of the Human Rights Council. The event gave the floor to young people. Co-sponsored by OHCHR and by 25 Permanent Missions, the Side-Event represented the last step on a long road: the interaction with the reality for young people; the Side-Event in June 2011 on “Young volunteers and Human Rights” and the event in June 2013 on...

20th of March - Have a good Day of Happiness!  "Happiness may have different meanings for different people.  But we can all agree that it means working to end conflict, poverty and other unfortunate conditions in which so many of our fellow human beings live. Happiness is neither a frivolity nor a luxury.  It is a deep-seated yearning shared by all members of the human family.  It should be denied to no-one and available to all”. (From the UN Secretary-General’s Message for International Day of Happiness 2014) Read the Message : http://www.un.org/en/events/happinessday/sgmessage.shtml ...