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18 October 2022, 14:00-19:00
Register start 16 August 2022
Register end 16 October 2022
GHRP Annual Conference
Conny Schneider, Unsplash
Digitalization impacts the realization and enjoyment of human rights. It offers new ways of protection and creates new openings for violations. The mere slogan that what applies offline also applies online is surely not sufficient anymore, if it ever has been.
Over the last three years, the Annual Conferences of the Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP) have been looking at connectivity between human rights actors. This year’s conference will focus on digital connectivity in the field of human rights. This includes a view of the digital connections by and among mechanisms within the human rights system, but also the substantive impacts of digitalization.
How has international human rights law evolved in this area? And what will be the role of the Geneva-based international human rights system to ensure the continuum of protection in a world where for some the dichotomy online-offline is blurring ever more, while others entirely lack access to the benefits of digitalization and any kind of online connectivity?
The conference will focus on those questions in two panels, looking at the implications of being ON and OFF the grid. Going beyond other thematic debates on those issues, we will explore in particular what contributions can be expected from the United Nations (UN) Human Rights mechanisms. How can UN treaty bodies (TBs) expand the interpretation of treaties and conventions, drafted decades ago, into the new reality of connectivity? How can the mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), its Special Procedures, the Advisory Committee or the Council member States via resolutions and the Universal Periodic Review work toward a more comprehensive substantive evaluation and definition of digitalization’s impact, beyond the specific approaches taken so far in some high-visibility areas such as the rights to privacy or to freedom of expression?
The public part of the conference in the afternoon will be preceded by an expert roundtable (upon invitation only) bringing together for the first time representatives of all recently established digital tracking tools for the implementation of international human rights obligations and the recommendations stemming from the international accountability bodies – TBs, HRC Special Procedures and the Universal Periodic Review.
9:00 – 12:30: Expert roundtable on digital human rights tracking tools (upon invitation only)
14:00 – 18:00: Public event
18:00 – 19:00: Reception
Discover the full programme.
Discover the keynote speech by Teki Akuetteh, Executive Director of the Africa Digital Rights’ Hub.
The 2002 Annual Conference is organized in partnership with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Access Now, the Centre for Civil and Political Rights, the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Digital Rights Foundation, HURIDOCS, Impact OSS, the International Service for Human Rights, Poverty Stoplight Privacy International, UPR Info and Voices of Influence Australia,
Welcome and Introduction
Yves Flückiger, Rector of the University of Geneva
Ambassador Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva
Gloria Gaggioli, Director of the Geneva Academy
Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the Geneva Human Rights Platform
Keynote Address
Teki Akuetteh, Executive Director of the Africa Digital Rights’ Hub
Input from the morning expert round-table on digital human rights tracking tools
Lisa Reinsberg, Executive Director of the International Justice Resource Center and Board Member, HURIDOCS
Watch the Plenary Panel 1 of the 2022 GHRP Conference on the development of increasingly advanced digital technologies which has enhanced the capacity of States - as well as the private sector - to conduct surveillance, interception and data collection activities.
Speakers:
Nighat Dad, Executive Director, Digital Rights Foundation and Member of the Facebook Oversight Board
Yuval Shany, Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in Public International Law at Hebrew University
Peggy Hicks, Director, Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures, and Right to Development Division, OHCHR
Moderator: Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the GHRP
This plenary 2 of the Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform discussed possible convergences, complementarities, and best practices concerning available human rights tracking databases and the value of digitalization for a more systemic approach to human rights monitoring and implementation that is also well positioned to contribute to sustainable development.
Beatrice Ferrari, Directrice, Direction des Affaires Internationales, République et Canton de Genève
Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the Geneva Human Rights Platform
Miloon Kothari, Member of the GHRP Advisory Board
News
Geneva Academy
The 2024 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP), held on 5 November at Maison de la Paix, focused on the theme Human Rights System Under Pressure: A Reason to Expand Connectivity.
News
Geneva Academy
The Geneva Human Rights Platform contributed to key discussions on AI, human rights, and sustainable digital governance at the World Economic Forum 2025.
Training
Adobe
This training course, specifically designed for staff of city and regional governments, will explore the means and mechanisms through which local and regional governments can interact with and integrate the recommendations of international human rights bodies in their concrete work at the local level.
Training
This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.
Project
Project
The Geneva Human Rights Platform contributes to this review process by providing expert input via different avenues, by facilitating dialogue on the review among various stakeholders, as well as by accompanying the development of a follow-up resolution to 68/268 in New York and in Geneva.
Publication
Geneva Academy
