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 November 20, 2017, as part of the “UN Library Talks Geneva” series, there was a presentation of the book “Indispensable ONU” by its author, the former French high diplomat Mr. Jean-Marc de La Sablière. The Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva Mr. Michael Møller participated in the meeting, as well as the distinguished journalist Mrs. Catherine Fiankan-Bokonga. In the audience, the Ambassadors of France, Togo and Benin honoured the presentation of the book with their presence. After a lifelong career in the French top diplomacy, Mr. de La...

October 17, 2017, is the 25th anniversary of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The day is a time for raising awareness calling to mind one of the most vulnerable groups among us- the poor. By bringing special attention to the plight of the poor the hope is that their difficulties will be highlighted and that the world will come together to meet the challenges necessary to remedy the situation and eliminate poverty entirely. Mr. Philip Alston (Australia) has been the current Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human...

On Friday, 6 October, representatives from IIMA and Vides attended the "Seminar on the  Implementation of Effective Safeguards to Prevent Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment During Police Custody and Pretrial Detention" held in the Palais des Nations. The seminar followed the adoption of resolution 31/31 (2016) of the Human Rights Council. The different panelists discussed the question of prevention from several angles: the legal and juridical safeguard, the practical measures to prevent torture, the role of medical professionals and lawyers, the role of oversight and complaint...

On Friday, 29 September ended the 36th session of the Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva. This last meeting, occurring from Thursday 28th to Friday 29th, has been dedicated to the exam of Item 1, or the “Organizational and procedural matters”. In other words, during these last two days, all of the resolution projects elaborated during the last 3 weeks of HRC regular session have undergone the vote of the member States. Moreover, the “Election of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee members” as well as...

On September 20, 2017 the Human Rights Council held its panel discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples. The backdrop for this event was the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The panel was headed by Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore who noted that many years ago the chief of the Iroquois, a historical North American native tribe, came to what was then the League of Nations and felt an atmosphere of indifference. This begs the question,...

During the 36th Session of the UN Human Rights Council from September 11-29, 2017, IIMA and VIDES contributed to the Universal Periodic Review of Brazil, Ecuador, Tunisia and India. While expressing satisfaction in seeing that the concerned countries accepted most of the recommendations relating to the protection of children, young people and women- especially those in the most vulnerable situations, IIMA and VIDES voiced specific concerns and made concrete recommendations in order to achieve full implementation of human rights for these vulnerable groups. With regard to Brazil, recommendations were given to...

Last 11th August 2017 in Battambang, IIMA members in Cambodia had the honour together with other NGOs to meet with the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Cambodia, Ms. Rhona Smith. The purpose of her mission was to collect information on the human rights situation in Cambodia focusing on the protection of children in the context of migration and trafficking. At the meeting, civil society representatives had the opportunity to express their worries and report the reality of the situation experienced by children in the country. The visit of the...

Organized by UN-Habitat and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, a very interesting Panel Discussion on “Reviewing State of Safety in Cities”, was held on June 28th in Room XXV of Palais des Nations. This event was organized in the scope of the outcomes of the UN “Habitat III” conference, resulting in the “New Urban Agenda”, and to facilitate partnership between local and national governments, civil society and other stakeholders to fully endorse the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.   During the Panel, it was examined how nowadays’ speed of urban development brings...

IIMA is pleased to announce the recent Human Rights Council resolution 35/14 that focuses on the issue of international youth rights. This resolution was adopted after the IIMA office, along with other stakeholders and States, pressed the Human Rights Council for a better promotion of youth rights through UN mechanisms. The resolution was made during the 35th regular Human Rights Council Session in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2017. It recognizes the fact that the world’s youth population face “… growing challenges that disproportionately affect [them]…”[1] and invites states to take concrete...