Centre for Civil and Political Rights

📢 Save the Date | Presentation of the 2025 Yearbook

We are very pleased to invite you to the presentation of the 2025 Yearbook on the Jurisprudence of the Human Rights Committee 🇺🇳, organized by the Law Clinic of the LL.M. International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute in collaboration with CCPR Centre, and with the presence of Yuval Shany, Farzad Fallah and Irene Aparicio García.

🗓 1 June 2026
⏰ 13:00 (CEST)
📍 Geneva Graduate Institute and online

This year’s edition comes in a different context, as the Human Rights Committee’s summer session will unfortunately not take place. As a result, unlike in previous years, there will be no presentation before Committee members. Instead, the Geneva Graduate Institute is opening its doors to us to share the findings and key developments from this year’s work with colleagues, practitioners, students, and everyone interested in international human rights law.

🔗 Register here to attend: https://tinyurl.com/form-event-yearbook-2025

Do UN Treaty Bodies 🇺🇳 still matter in 2026?

Multilateral institutions like the UN Treaty Bodies are facing growing pressure, including challenges to their legitimacy and persistent funding constraints that affect their ability to operate effectively.

Nevertheless, Treaty Bodies, including the Human Rights Committee:
👉 Provide independent scrutiny of States’ human rights obligations
👉 Ensure accountability beyond domestic political cycles
👉 Create spaces for dialogue and amplify civil society voices
👉 Clarify and interpret international human rights law
👉 Document patterns of abuse and discrimination

Even when their impact is not always immediate, Treaty Body recommendations shape legislation, inform litigation, support advocacy efforts, and strengthen public accountability over time.

In a period of democratic strain and shrinking civic space, they remain one of the few consistent international accountability mechanisms available to rights holders and civil society.

Photo credits: Victor Alonso Del Pozo Rodriguez

Au début de l’année, le CCPR Centre a mené une mission à Libreville afin d’appuyer le renforcement des capacités du 🇬🇦 en matière de mise en œuvre, de suivi et de rapportage aux mécanismes onusiens des droits humains, notamment dans le cadre du rapport du pays au Comité des droits de l’homme au titre du , toujours attendu depuis 2003.

La mission a réuni les autorités nationales, le Comité interministériel et des organisations de la société civile autour d’ateliers consacrés au fonctionnement du mécanisme national de mise en œuvre, de rapport et de suivi (NMIRF), à l’utilisation de la base de données nationale de suivi des recommandations (NRTD), ainsi qu’à la participation de la société civile aux organes de traités des Nations Unies.

👉 Dans un contexte de fragilisation du multilatéralisme, le renforcement des mécanismes nationaux et de la coopération avec la société civile demeure essentiel pour une protection effective des droits humains.

📰 Pour en savoir plus, cliquez ici : https://ccprcentre.org/ccprpages/avec-lappui-du-ccpr-center-

The Human Rights Committee 🇺🇳 completed the first reading of the draft General Comment No. 38 on the right to freedom of association during its March 2026 session and has now launched a global consultation process for comments and submissions. This is a significant opportunity for civil society, trade unions, academics, and human rights practitioners to help shape how this fundamental freedom is interpreted and protected globally.

General Comments are authoritative interpretations of treaty obligations under the hashtag . Once adopted, they often shape domestic legislation, judicial reasoning, advocacy strategies, and international accountability processes

At a time when civic space is shrinking in many parts of the world, contributions from affected communities and practitioners can help ensure that the interpretation of article 22 of the hashtag reflects contemporary challenges, including restrictions on NGOs, attacks on unions, and barriers faced by marginalized groups.

📅 Deadline for submissions: 30 June 2026.

🔗 Read more here: https://ccprcentre.org/ccprpages/call-for-inputs-general-comment-no38-on-freedom-of-association

The CCPR Centre, together with the Geneva Human Rights Hub ( ) and the GQUAL Campaign, is pleased to invite you to attend an online public presentation of candidates in the context of the Human Rights Committee 🇺🇳 elections.

📅 12 May 2026, from 13:00 to 15:00 (CEST)

🎙️ This event will provide an opportunity to hear directly from candidates on their experience, perspectives on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and to engage with them through a moderated Q&A.

🔗 The concept note and the registration form are available on the event page:
https://lnkd.in/eiMS2XeZ

📰 On hashtag , we wish to remind everyone that a free press is not only a democratic ideal, but a legal guarantee under international human rights law.

📜 Article 19 of the hashtag protects the freedom to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, the essential basis for independent journalism public debate, and accountability. As the Human Rights Committee 🇺🇳 reaffirmed in General Comment No. 34, freedom of expression remains a foundation stone of every free and democratic society.

Moreover, meaningful participation in public affairs is only possible where people can access reliable, diverse, and independent information. When journalists face censorship, intimidation, or violence, the impact weakens transparency and public trust.

👉 How can young people and emerging actors in human rights use the UN system to make their voices heard?

Last February, in Tunis 🇹🇳, the CCPR Centre had the chance to be part of a workshop with students, young researchers, and emerging civil society actors interested in human rights advocacy exploring exactly that.

The workshop was designed as a practical introduction to UN mechanisms in a context where access to these spaces can often feel distant. Over two days, it went from how the system works (mainly the Universal Periodic Review and treaty bodies like the Human Rights Committee), to putting it into practice: drafting submissions, formulating recommendations, and simulating advocacy engagement with international mechanisms.

The focus was not just on understanding the system, but on building the skills and confidence to engage with it.

🤝 Creating that bridge between international human rights frameworks and local actors is essential, especially in contexts where access to global mechanisms is still uneven.

📰 Read more about it here: https://ccprcentre.org/ccprpages/workshop-with-tunisian-students-on-un-human-rights-mechanisms-and-advocacy

🌍 Today is the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.

Multilateralism is about States working together through shared rules, dialogue and institutions to address common challenges. In the field of civil and political rights, this takes shape through frameworks like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 📜 and the work of the Human Rights Committee 🇺🇳, which monitors its implementation.

These mechanisms create spaces for dialogue, scrutiny and accountability, helping to prevent tensions and strengthen the rule of law without resorting to confrontation. Their effectiveness depends on sustained engagement by States, civil society, and organisations working to connect international standards with realities on the ground.

🤝 In that space, the CCPR Centre contributes by supporting civil society engagement with UN mechanisms and helping translate recommendations into follow-up at the national level.

❓ At a time when the multilateral system faces increasing pressure and contestation, how can we ensure it continues to deliver meaningful impact where it is needed most?

🇪🇨: la respuesta a la crisis de seguridad se ceba sobre los grupos más vulnerables

Entre el 26 y el 29 de enero de 2026, el CCPR Centre llevó a cabo una misión de seguimiento en Quito junto a la miembro del Comité de Derechos Humanos 🇺🇳, Tania Abdo Rocholl, y la Coalición Nacional de Mujeres del Ecuador. La misión reunió a autoridades, sociedad civil y agencias de Naciones Unidas para evaluar la implementación de las recomendaciones del Comité de Derechos Humanos de noviembre de 2024.

✅ La misión evidenció ventanas de oportunidad relevantes: voluntad de diálogo en sectores del Ejecutivo, apertura a la cooperación internacional y disposición a fortalecer capacidades técnicas.

❌ Sin embargo, persisten preocupaciones clave como el uso extendido del estado de excepción, la criminalización de la protesta y de personas defensoras, la crisis penitenciaria y la reciente reconfiguración institucional que integró la agenda de derechos humanos dentro del Ministerio de Gobierno.

📰 Artículo completo aquí: https://lnkd.in/eu95FBF8

🔍 Inside the 🇺🇳: How are the independent experts chosen?

The Human Rights Committee is composed of 18 independent experts serving in their personal capacity.

🗳️ Members are elected by States parties to the ICCPR through a formal election process: every two years, 9 members are elected by secret ballot at a Meeting of States Parties held at UN Headquarters in New York. Once nominations close, the list of candidates is circulated by the UN Secretary-General. Elected members serve four-year terms and may be re-elected if nominated again.

📅 The next elections will take place on 15 June 2026. For this cycle, 16 candidates were submitted. You can see the entire list here: https://www.ohchr.org/en/events/events/2026/42nd-meeting-states-parties-2026-elections

Beyond expertise and independence, the election process also reflects equitable geographical distribution and representation of different legal systems and civilizations, as required under the ICCPR framework.

➡️ Which profiles or areas of expertise do you think are most needed on the Committee today?