the URG team, Author at Universal Rights Group

Civil society reacts to the Secretary-General’s post-2015 SDG report

by the URG team January 1, 2015 Prensa

Beyond 2015 – a global civil society campaign which the URG is proud to be a part of – has published a reaction paper to the UN Secretary General’s synthesis report, The road to dignity by 2030: ending poverty, transforming all lives and protecting the planet , an important contribution to the post-2015 process. In the reaction paper, Beyond2015 provides a review of the Secretary General’s broader call for an ambitious, universal agenda, with equality and equity, participation, people and planet at the …

UN failing to stem rising tide of religious hatred and intolerance

by the URG team December 17, 2014 Prensa

It is almost impossible to turn on the news today without witnessing scenes of hatred, violence and intolerance perpetrated in the name of religion or belief. The march of ISIL across Syria and Iraq, with associated reports of gross and systematic violations of human rights, may be an extreme example of such hatred, but it is part of a broad …

UN LDCs/SIDS Voluntary Trust Fund – strengthening the capacity of LDCs and SIDS in the work of the Human Rights Council

by the URG team December 16, 2014 Prensa

17th December 2014, Geneva Barbados and Tuvalu have become the first two countries to benefit from the Fellowship Program under the Voluntary Trust Fund for the participation of SIDS and LDCs in the work of the Human Rights. In 2012, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the resolution to establish the Voluntary Technical Assistance Trust Fund to Support the Participation …

URG launches global media analysis of HRC visibility and relevance

by the URG team December 10, 2014 Blog

To mark Human Rights Day 2014, the Universal Rights Group has commissioned a global media survey analysing the quantity and content of coverage of the Human Rights Council. Such an analysis of media interest in and opinions on the Council and its mechanisms is a useful means of understanding how the body is seen beyond the cantonal boundaries of Geneva, …

Human Rights Council appoints seven new Special Procedures Mandate-Holders

by the URG team November 6, 2014 Blog, International human rights institutions, mechanisms and processes

The Council today moved to appoint seven new Special Procedures mandate-holders, including for the new mandate of Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities (created in June 2014). These mandate-holders should have been appointed in September, during the 27th session, but the Council decided (as already happened earlier in 2014 with another batch of new mandate-holders) to postpone their …

Global Civil Society Statement: “No target met unless met for all”

by the URG team October 14, 2014 Prensa

The Universal Rights Group has joined over 270 organisations – representing over 3,000 organisations globally – in calling on the UN Secretary General to make sure that inequality is fully addressed is his upcoming Synthesis Report. GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT: NO TARGET MET UNLESS MET FOR ALL “Inequalities are not an inevitable outcome of development progress. If we are to …

Catarina de Albuquerque joins URG Board

by the URG team October 13, 2014 Prensa

13th October 2014, Geneva The Universal Rights Group (URG) is pleased to announce that Catarina de Albuquerque, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, has joined its Board of Trustees. The URG Board sets the overall strategic direction of the organisation and guarantees its independence and integrity. De Albuquerque is the first UN Special …

URG announces new Economist Intelligence Unit global survey on corporate respect for human rights

by the URG team October 13, 2014 Prensa

13th October 2014, Geneva An alliance of organisations, of which the Universal Rights Group is part, has commissioned The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to carry out a global programme of research to build understanding of business awareness, commitment and progress regarding human rights. As part of the research, the EIU will survey over 750 businesses (including major multinationals and SMEs) …

The Secretary-General’s Budget Outline and the human rights pillar: responding to a “global scandal”

by the URG team September 26, 2014 Blog, International human rights institutions, mechanisms and processes

Next month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will release his Budget Outline for the biennium 2016-2017. This will provide a preliminary estimate of the resources required for each of the fourteen parts of the UN’s regular budget. The Budget Outline is a crucial moment in the long process that will eventually end with the General Assembly’s adoption of the programme budget …

Report on the 27th Session of the Human Rights Council

by the URG team September 24, 2014 URG Human Rights Council Reports

The new UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, makes his inaugural address at the opening of the 27th session of the Human Rights Council. Quick Summary The 27th regular session of the Human Rights Council was held from 8th – 26th September 2014. At the opening of the session the new UN High Commissioner for Human …