Today is the World Day against Child Labour.  You can find statistics, surveys and resources about this sad phenomenon still affecting more than 200 million children in the world in the ILO (International Labour Organization) website: http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Campaignandadvocacy/wdacl/2013/lang--en/index.htm ...

“There can be no equal societies, development and peace if women and girls remain discriminated against and marginalized.”  – This was a statement made by Ms. Navi Pillay (United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights) in her opening remarks for the Annual Full Day Discussion on Women’s Rights on the 5th of June at the United Nations in Geneva. In the days preceding, the Human Rights Council also discussed the Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women as well the Report of the working group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice....

 On June 4th, at the United Nations in Geneva, IIMA and VIDES Human Rights Office organised, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Uruguay and with the co-sponsorship of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and of Permanent Missions of Costa Rica, France and Holy See, the side event: “Youth Empowerment: which strategies?”. The side event’s goal was to invite all the participants, especially States, to reflect on how young people can become real protagonists of their lives and catalysts for social change.    The Ambassador of Uruguay, Laura Dupuy Lasserre, presided over the Side Event...

“Think.Eat.Save: Reduce Your Foodprint” We would like to celebrate the World Environment Day 2013 through the Message of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon: "We live in a world of plenty, where food production outstrips demand, yet 870 million people are undernourished and childhood stunting is a silent pandemic.  To create the future we want, we must correct this inequity.  We must ensure access to adequate nutrition for all, double the productivity of smallholder farmers who grow the bulk of food in the developing world, and make food systems sustainable in the face of environmental and economic shocks.  This...

The 31st of May, the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Mr. Kishore Singh, was held during the 23rd session of the Human Rights Council (item 3). The report of Mr. Singh focused on the justiciability of the Right to Education which aims to identify different ways to enforce this right through the establishment of judicial and quasi-judicial mechanisms at the national and international level. In fact, he stressed how the improvement of access to justice for all victims of violations of the right to education should be considered a priority by Member States....

On the 27th of May the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navy Pillay, opened the 23rd session of the Human Rights Council expressing her deep concern for the brutal human rights violations presently occurring in Syria, and she strongly urged the International Community to act to put an end to the violence and come to an immediate and lasting solution to the conflict.  She defined the Syrian situation as “an intolerable affront to the human conscience”.  While strongly condemning the violations of human rights and of the international humanitarian law perpetrated by regime’s forces as well as by...

The Conference «Volunteerism – Avenue for Social Transformation» is an annual international forum aimed at forming effective cooperation among volunteers from different countries and at disseminating information and experiences of successful social voluntary practices. This year the Conference took place on the 14th and 15th of May 2013 at Palais des Nations in Geneva. Many speakers of different associations participated in the conference and their speeches focused on: The fundamental role of volunteerism in developing a peaceful society; volunteerism is a resource that can transform society and volunteers, especially young people who are essential in sustainable development.  Volunteerism is based on the shared...

Today we want to propose to you the Message of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for the International Day of Family 2013:   "Families hold societies together, and intergenerational relationships extend this legacy over time.  This year’s International Day of Families is an occasion to celebrate connections among all members of the constellation that makes up a family.  It is also an opportunity to reflect on how they are affected by social and economic trends – and what we can do to strengthen families in response. Unemployment is forcing many young people, often eager for independence, to rely...

On April 29, 2013 the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), opened its fiftieth session with an important innovation: on the fifth of May of this year, the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will enter into force, meaning that victims of violations of rights stated in the Covenant will be allowed to submit statements to the Committee and seek justice at the international level. Uruguay became the tenth country to ratify the Protocol on February 5, 2013, allowing the Committee to start receiving statements submitted by individuals. According to M....

On April, 22 2013 the IIMA Human Rights Office took part in a meeting concerning “The role of migration statistics for treaty reporting and migration policies”, at Palais Wilson in Geneva.   The discussion was organised by the UN Committee in the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (CMW) and also attended by representatives of Governments, UN Committees, International Organizations and various NGOs. The meeting was aimed at focusing on the importance of statistics concerning migrant workers, particularly immigration and the basic human rights of the workers and their families. Many authoritative experts, including representatives of...