Download Asia Key issues

Regional Consultations :
developing sub- themes and
concept of the workshop
By Liza Sekaggya; Focal Point for Cooperation with RHRMs ;
OHCHR
THE PROCESS ?
Americas
•
Coopration with the Inter American Commission and Court on
human rights
•
Context: IACHR 157th session , Washington April 2016
•
Key participants: Civil society actors (approx 80
organisations of HRDs),OHCHR, IACHR Rapporteur on
Human Rights Defenders
.
Key participants.
-: http://goo.gl/O8snt
• Member, UN Working
Group on Enforced,
• UN SR on Independence of judges and lawyers
• UN SR on Torture , SR VAW
• IACHR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of
Expression
 rAmerican Court on
• Vice President of the Inter
Human Rights
NGOs included: Centro Pro, México,AIDA, Regional
CONECTAS, COFAVIC Venezuela
Americas
Regional and UN human rights
mechanisms and participation of human
rights defenders and civil society:
opportunities and challenges.
PANEL 2 - Using Public spaces: rights
and challenges in the hemisphere;
Legal and administrative spheres
PANEL 3 - Development, natural
resources and civil society. Utilisation
of the criminal justice system to
penalize human rights defenders work
Working groups: conclusions and
identifying priority themes for
Workshop on Regional Arrangements
Geneva, October2016)
Americas: Key Issue
• Challenges faced by women human rights defenders,
opportunities and challenges
• Enforced disappearances and how UN and RHRMs
cooperate: eg. joint statements , press releases etc
• NGO concerns: many death threats and tragic deaths,
have occurred;
• states need to respect measures of protection imposed
by RHRMs
• CSOs to encourage visits of UNSRs, and put pressure
on governments to allow the visits
• Severe Anti terrorism laws
Africa : Regional consultations
• OHCHR and the African Union Commission on
Women, Gender and Development Directorate and
the AU Department of Citizens and Diaspora
Organizations
• Context : African Union (AU) High Level panel on Gender
, equality and women’s empowerment (9-10 July 2016),
preceeding the AU heads of States Summit in Kigali
Rwanda
•
Key participants: OHCHR; UN Experts, including the SR
on Slavery;
• regional and sub-regional African human rights
mechanisms including: the AU Special Rapporteur on
human rights defenders; the ECOWAS Court, The East
African Court of Justice ; NHRIs; African Ministers,
Members of Parliament; and civil society organizations
Africa : Key Issues
• Plight of refugee and asylum seekers
Addis Ababa framework –– common
initiatives; joint missions; communication
and reporting to HRC and UN GA
-Addressing HR obligations of non-state
actors (Business, Terrorists)
-Great lakes – Impact of terrorism and
women
-Challenges – resource challenges ;
individual activist and CSOs serve as
early warning mechanisms
Africa
• Women’s rights organizations and NHRIs
encouraged to use the UN and regional
mechanisms e.g bringing cases ; amicus
briefs to regional courts and mechanisms.
• Cooperation between all mechanisms in
follow up of recommendations was
discussedo state parties was also a key area of
discussion
Asia Regional Consultation
29 August 2016, OHCHR and Asia
Justice and Rights (AJAR),regional nonprofit organization in
Indonesia and Bridges Across Borders
South East Asia Community Legal
Education Initiative (BABSEACLE)
Context : the 5th Asia Pro Bono
Conference;
a workshop focused on current and
Key Participants ?
- OHCHR-Geneva Office
- UN Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights,
- Working Group on Enforced Disappearances,
- Member of the UN CEDAW
- anlaw schools, bar associations, NGOs, policy
makers
- approx 200 participants
OHCHR
Asia Key issues:
Key Themes: addressing mass
human rights violations in contexts
of transitions to democracy , gender
based violence; transitional justice
and stolen children
 lawyers were encouraged to
inform clients on the UN HR
system.

Lawyers pursuing strategic
litigation, and providing reports and
information to the mechanisms.
 HRDs work to support
women trafficked and
abused
 Working with RHRMs and
UN to deal with stolen
children and human rights
issues
 Relatives of victims
Europe
 OHCHR and Council of Europe –co-organised
 Context :OSCE Human Dimension
Implementation Meeting- side event 21
September 2016
 Key participants: : OSCE, ODHIR, CoE Commissioner
for human Rights
 NGOs
Key issues:
Overall theme: “the deteriorating
situation of human rights
defenders in Europe” :.
 Shrinking space for HRD:
regressive legislation,
legal and admin hurdles for
funding,
smear campaigns in the media ,
reprisals,
Violent attacks
Trials and imprisonment on
trumped charges
 HRDs stressed the states
responsility to create
enabling environment for
CSOs-
 Need for more advocacy
for vulnerable groups
ore
Themes of
todays
workshop
 Reflect the regional human rights
issues/challenges faced by CSOs and HRDs
 Key global issues/cross cutting areas related
to cooperation between UN , RHRMs, and
CSOs.
 Top issues include: women,minorities,
children, SOGI
 Issues discussed in all regions: reprisals,
threats to life, regressive laws affecting CSOs,
Thank You!
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/NHRI/Pages/Cooperation.aspxD:
Questions?