UN Accountability Mechanisms

UN Accountability Mechanisms Establishing Effective Accountability Mechanisms for Human Rights Violations (By Navanethem Pillay 31.12.2012) U.N. Human Rights Experts: More Transparency and Accountability Required  (2013 Paper by The Heritage Foundation) United Nations capacity-building project to strengthen national mutual accountability mechanisms (UN-DCF Briefing Note, January 2013) Comparing the Effectiveness of Accountability Mechanisms in Eastern Europe and Latin…

Submitting Statements

General Guidelines for submitting a statement NGOs can submit written or oral statements to the Human Rights Council. Written statements:  NGOs in general consultative status are allowed 2,000 words -NGOs in special consultative status and on the roster are allowed 1,500 words Oral statements: -Time given to  single NGOs: 2 minutes -Time given to statements…

Conventions & Secretariats

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007. There were 82 signatories to the Convention, 44 signatories to the…

Minorities

Indigenous Youth Experts, governments, and observers debate challenges of identity and strategies for action From 29-31 January 2013, the International Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on “Indigenous Youth: identity, challenges and hope: articles 14, 17, 21 and 25 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” was convened at the recommendation of the…

UN Organisations

The special organs of the United Nations have come into being through the UN General Assembly Resolutions and they report either directly (or via the Economic and Social Council) to the General Assembly. Some of these special organs had been created by and were inherited from the League of Nations, though restructured when integrated into…

Women

The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women –  CEDAW UN Women – Commission on the Status of Women – CSW UNDP launches “Powerful synergies: gender equality, economic development and environmental sustainability” On 27 September, a high-level event was organized by UNDP on the launch of the publication “Powerful synergies: gender equality, economic development…

How to Engage with the UN

How to Engage with the UN The United Nations is both a participant in and a witness to an increasingly global civil society. More and more, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society organizations (CSOs) are UN system partners and valuable UN links to civil society. CSOs play a key role at major United Nations…