IIMA Human Rights Office joined forces with VIDES International for the realization of the Project “Youth to Reshape the World– Youth as Advocates and Agents of Transformative Actions in Social Inclusion and Environment Protection”. Funded by the European Commission, this project to be implemented in 2023 – 2025 includes a critical Human Rights advocacy and capacity building component in order to: Empower youth to become change-making agents in terms of social inclusion and environmental protection within the communities in which they operate in EU cities and countries; Capacitate youth to...

The 12th of August is International Youth Day, which was created by the United Nations General Assembly as an opportunity to give young people voices and provide them with meaningful participation in political and social life. The 2023 International Youth Day theme is “Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World,” to streamline the green transition and the need to develop green skills. The theme is in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in response to the climate change crisis. Green skills, consisting of “knowledge, values and attitudes needed to...

Water is the driving force of all nature. - Leonardo da Vinci Since early times it has been clear to us that water is crucial for our existence and development. Since 1993, this has been officially emphasized by celebrating the 22nd of March as World Water Day. This day serves for all of us as a reminder of the importance of clean water and to become more aware of how we use and manage the water available to us. It is addressed to governments and businesses to create policies and practices...

On 9 March 2023, the Geneva Graduate Institute, in partnership with the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, hosted a hybrid event entitled “Enabling Youth for Just Transitions: The Way Ahead.” The aim of this event was to “highlight the challenges and opportunities that are shaping the biggest labor and environmental transformations of our time, shedding light on the importance of enabling youth in just transition discourses, activism, and policymaking” (GGI). So, what does a “just transition” mean for youth? Agata Meysner, President of Generation Climate Europe, stated that a just transition...

 The 42ndSession of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations started in Geneva on the 9thof September, and will finish on September 27. During this period, there will be debates, several reports from the Special Procedure mandate-holders as well as side events on different human rights issues with special emphasis on indigenous people’s rights. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, identified several challenges confronting us today. In particular, she highlighted how climate change is becoming a global threat to human rights. In fact, according to the World...

IIMA and VIDES International had the pleasure to be co-organizers of the side event “Climate Change: It is happening here, it is happening now”, that took place on June 26, 2019, during the 41st Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), organized by the Permanent Mission of the Philippines and the Associazione Papa Giovani XXIII (APGXXIII) . Among the distinguished panelists were the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Philippines, H.E. Mr. Evan Garcia, Mr. Obiorar Okafor, Independent Expert on Human Rights and International Solidarity, Mr. Stefano Saldi, Representative of the...

On November 21, 2017, representatives of the IIMA Human Rights Office attended the meeting on the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) Official Management Plan 2018-2021. The presentation was held by the Deputy High Commissioner Mrs. Kate Gilmore and addressed several NGO’s involved in Human Rights advocacy. The meeting took place in Room VII in Palais des Nations, Geneva. Mrs. Gilmore reaffirmed that the Human Rights promotion in the United Nations is guided by the principle, “Leaving no one behind”. She noted that respecting human rights shall not merely...

On Friday, October 6, 2017 the Intersessional panel discussion on human rights, climate change, migrants and persons displaced across international borders was held at the Palais de Nations. The discussion’s focus regarded the impact of climate change on migration. The talks premised on an understanding of the negative effects that severe weather can have on the stability and functionality of governments as it relates to providing for their citizens. With these limitations in mind, panelists turned their attention to the “human element” of the crises- this means that they examined...

On June 6 thru 23, 2017, at Palais de Nations, Geneva Switzerland, the IIMA office was busy with work as they prepared for their participation in the 35th regular session of the United Nations (UN) Human Right Council (HRC). The main role IIMA played in the 35th UN HRC was through the submission of oral statements thanks to the work of interns and volunteers. Four oral statements were given on behalf of IIMA and VIDES, along with the co-sponsorship of several other joint statements. The first oral statement was presented on June...