In the occasion of the 30th Convention on the Rights of the Child anniversary, ratified in 1989 by the highest number of Countries (196) and in the fastest way than the others, a three-day commemorative celebration was held in Palais des Nations on the 18th, 19th and 20th of November in Geneva. The event, that took place in the symbolic city of the Convention writing and negotiation, was the peak of a series of events organized throughout 2019. Moreover, the “30 Years of Children’s Rights” book has been published in...

The publication "Education as a Driver to Integral Growth and Peace" was presented by the Holy See together with the Caritas in Veritate Foundation during a side event held on November 19, 2019, in the Palais des Nations, Geneva on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the Conventions on the Rights of the Child. Intended as an opportunity to reflect on quality education at the global level, the publication aims to share good practices in educational settings to face the challenges of the contemporary world, integrating an ethical perspective with...

The 19th  November 2019, among the numerous events that marked the 30th  anniversary ceremony of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See organized the side event “The Right to Education - Towards a Renewed Commitment to Education” which was held in Room XXIV of the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The event was co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of the Philippines, Zambia, Poland, Lebanon and the Sovereign Order of Malta as well as by the associations: Caritas in Veritate Foundation, OIDEL, OIEC,...

The 2019 Social Forum took place on the 1stand on the 2ndOctober 2019 in room XX, at Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Social Forum is an annual meeting convened by the Human Rights Council to provide a unique space for an open and interactive dialogue between all stakeholders on a specific theme chosen each year. In accordance with the resolution 38/17 of the Human Right Council this year’s Social Forum focused on“the promotion and protection of the rights of children and youth through education”. Though all children and young people have...

From September 9th to 27th, 2019, the Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice (IIMA) Human Rights Office and VIDES International, participated in the 42nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council delivering three oral statements on the following: Items 3 & 5 Clustered interactive dialogue on SR Report on indigenous peoples; Item 6 on the UPR outcomes of Costa rica and Nicaragua. IIMA and VIDES welcomed the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. However, the attainment of the full and equitable enjoyment of the human rights of all indigenous peoples...

Emeritus Superior General of the Institute of Mary Help of Christians On July 1, 2019, Mother Antonia Colombo, emeritus Superior General of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco) passed away at Varese, Italy. She was born in Lecco, Italy on April 12, 1935. She made her religious profession on August 6, 1959 and in the same year she graduated in Law. She then taught Law for one year at the International Institute of Pedagogy and Religious Sciences. From 1960 to 1963, she studied...

On the occasion of the 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council, IIMA and Vides International, together with the permanent Mission of the Philippines, organized the side  event: “Promoting a Safe and Empowering Environment for all Children and youth - best practices for child and youth protection and participation through human rights education” held at the Palace of the Nations on September 25, 2019. The event was co-sponsored by sixteen Permanent Missions: Egypt, El Salvador, Italy, Portugal, Ethiopia, Montenegro, Poland, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Thailand, Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Spain, Holy See, Uruguay; and also...

From June 24 to July 12, 2019, Istituto Internazionale Maria Ausiliatrice (IIMA) Human Rights Office and VIDES International, contributed to the 41st Session of the UN Human Rights Council with five oral statements on migrants, education, violence against women, women and climate change and on the UPR outcomes of the Dominican Republic.   The Special Rapporteur on the rights of migrants highlighted in his report the situation of  migrant girls and women. In our oral stamen we recommended that States provide complete gender-responsive and child-sensitive information on migration-related risks and on the...

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...

The 41st session of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations started in Geneva on the 24th of June (until the 12th of July). With the participation of numerous experts there will be more than 100 reports examined on various topics, such as the right to education, health, migrants, freedom of expression, racism, genocide prevention, extreme poverty, trafficking in human beings among others. Public debates and parallel events will take place as well on different issues. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet opened the session with a...