The United Nations Human Rights Council held its Fifty-fourth session from 11 September to 13 October 2023 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The agenda of the session included several high-level meetings addressing crucial human rights issues. IIMA and VIDES International, together with other partners, delivered two oral statements on youth and human rights, one under Item 3 – Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order (text and video) and a another one on the occasion of the Panel discussion on...

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...

The World Day Against Child Labour was launched in 2002 by the International Labour Organization to highlight the predicament faced by children engaged in labour. It is observed on 12 June annually to bring attention and promote the abolition of child labour. The slogan for World Day 2023 is “Social Justice for All. End Child Labour!” For the last two decades, child labour was steadily decreasing due to the work of the international community. Unfortunately, a series of conflicts and the COVID-19 pandemic plunged families into poverty thus leading to a...

The Committee on the Rights of the Child is composed of independent experts who monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its States parties. It also monitors the implementation of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. All states parties are required to report to the committee on how the rights are being met.  On May 9 and 10, 2023,...

The United Nations Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order, Livingstone Sewanyana, asked NGOs to provide written inputs for his Thematic Report on Youth Participation and Engagement in Intergovernmental Forums. The Human Rights Council passed a resolution on Youth Rights where it called upon States to empower youth to contribute to the political, civil, economic, social, and cultural development of their countries. The report will be used to identify good practices of youth participation in intergovernmental forums globally to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. The...

The United Nations Human Rights Council held its fifty-second session from 27 February to 4 April 2023 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The agenda of the session included several high-level meetings addressing crucial human rights issues, such as the Annual Panel on human rights mainstreaming, the Annual Debate on rights of people with disabilities, and the Annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child focusing on the rights of the child and the digital environment. IIMA and VIDES especially welcomed the choice to dedicate the annual high-level panel discussion...

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...

Calling all Youth!  Are you interested in sharing your vision to help shape the future of human rights?  Consider joining the Human Rights 75 Youth Advisory Group! Established by UN Human Rights, this group will aim to include youth perspectives to promote youth rights globally. The qualifications to join are: Be 18-29 years old (as of March 2023) Have a minimum of 2 years of experience advocating for human rights at a local, national, regional, or international level Have English language proficiency (working level) The Youth Advisory Group will run until the end of...

On 27 February, 2023, the UN began its 52nd Human Rights Council.  In the afternoon, a high-level mainstreaming panel was held at Room XX of Palais des Nations. The theme of this year’s panel is “A Reflection on Five Years of the UN Youth Strategy (Youth 2030): Mapping a Blueprint for the Next Steps.”   There were many speakers in attendance, including representatives from South Africa, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, El Salvador, Qatar, and the European Union. One of the keynote speakers was Vulker Türk, the present High Commissioner for Human Rights. He spoke...