Wednesday, June 5, 2019
The Largest Ever UPR Consultation, and More!
The United Nations Association - US will hold its annual Global Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., on June 9-11. Registration information is available here. The Summit agenda, which includes the largest ever Universal Periodic Review consultation (!), is here.
The timing could not be more important. The UN is facing unprecedented cutbacks to its human rights work, including the possible cancellation of country-specific human rights treaty monitoring as early as fall 2019. In a joint letter to all UN member States, 399 civil society organisations have called on UN member States to urgently tackle the current funding crisis affecting the functioning of the UN human rights expert bodies. The U.S. withdrawal from the Human Rights Council, its refusal to respond to UN Special Rapporteurs, and its recent announcement that it is developing its own "natural law" perspective on human rights, all contribute to giving cover to nations that would like to avoid human rights scrutiny. The U.S. has the capacity to stop this downward spiral by stepping up to support the UN's human rights work.
The organizers write: "It matters now more than ever that we make our voices heard to protect the vital work of the United Nations. With proposed bills in Congress aimed at slashing funding to the United Nations and its agencies, the UNA-USA community must come together and fight for what we know is right: Standing with refugees; demanding equality for women; protecting LGBTI rights; combating climate change; working for peace; and more. Every year in June, we convene on Capitol Hill to make sure Congress gets the message. Join us June 9–11 for the 2019 Global Leadership Summit."
https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/human_rights/2019/06/the-largest-ever-upr-consultation-and-more.html