The Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform

Started in June 2019

This one-day public event, open to all human rights actors in and outside Geneva – diplomats, experts, NGOs, members of UN treaty bodies, Special Rapporteurs, international organizations, National Human Rights Institutions and academics – addresses current issues and challenges on the work of Geneva-based human rights mechanisms.

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

New York City Manhattan with view of Un Headquarters GHRP Annual Conference

2023 Annual Conference: Connecting Geneva and New York for Enhanced Human Rights Protection

21-24 October 2023

The Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform will take place in New York to explore the links between Geneva and New York, the relevance of Geneva's outputs in New York debates, and the implications for human rights.

Read more >

Panel at the 2022 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platrform News

GHRP Annual Conference Tackles Digitalization and Human Rights

15 November 2022

The 2022 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform addressed the issue of digital connectivity in the field of human rights via an expert meeting in the morning and a public discussion in the afternoon.

Read more >

Flags of the Geneva Human Rights Platform on the Mont-Blanc bridge News

The Geneva Human Rights Platform Celebrates its Fifth Anniversary

19 August 2022

The flags of our Geneva Human Rights Platform are flying on the Mont-Blanc Bridge to mark the platform's fifth anniversary.

Read more >

TEAM

Picture of Felix Kirchmeier

Felix Kirchmeier

Executive Director of the Geneva Human Rights Platform

Felix Kirchmeier is the Executive Director of the Geneva Human Rights Platform.

Picture of Domenico Zipoli

Domenico Zipoli

Project Coordinator

His research focuses on the question of connectivity among international human rights mechanisms and on national strategies for monitoring, implementation and follow-up of international human rights obligations and recommendations.

Picture of Stefania Di Stefano

Stefania Di Stefano

Project Officer at the Geneva Human Rights Platform

Her research includes international human rights law, business and human rights, human rights in the digital age, corporate responsibility, and the rights to freedom of expression and access to information.

OUTPUT

2022 Conference: Implications of Digital Connectivity on Human Rights

The 2022 Annual Conference – in Geneva and online – addressed the issue of digital connectivity in the field of human rights via an expert meeting in the morning and a public discussion in the afternoon. Participants notably looked at digital connections by and among mechanisms within the human rights system, but also at the substantive impacts of digitalization.

The morning expert roundtable brought together representatives of 15 different governments, international organizations and civil society organizations that manage innovative digital human rights tracking tools and databases. The afternoon’s public segment addressed – via two panels – the impact of digitalization on human rights, the implications of being ON and OFF the grid, and the role of UN human rights mechanisms.

2021 Conference: Connectivity between Global and National Human Rights Mechanisms and Actors

The 2021 Annual Conference addressed the connectivity between UN and national human rights mechanisms and actors and discussed the crucial links between national human rights actors and Geneva-based international mechanisms.

With over 500 registered participants in Geneva and online and 24 partners – including the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN-Habitat, the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, renowned academic institutions, major international NGOs and fellow Geneva-based platforms – the conference’s sessions focused on the capacity of domestic actors to mutually engage with each other and liaise with Geneva-based international human rights bodies in the context of implementation, monitoring and follow-up to UN human rights recommendations.

2020 Conference: Connectivity between Global and Regional Human Rights Mechanisms

The 2020 Annual Conference addressed the connectivity between regional and global human rights mechanisms.

In plenary panels and dedicated working-groups participants – experts, practitioners, diplomats, civil society representatives, members of global and regional human rights mechanisms, as well as the staff of international organizations – notably discussed the overall effectiveness of these interactions, including in a number of specific policy areas like climate change, the fight against corruption or the COVID-19 pandemic.

2019 Conference: The Connectivity of Human Rights Mechanisms

During one day, more than 100 experts, practitioners, academics, diplomats and representatives of NGOs, international organizations and National Human Rights Institutions discussed and debated the connectivity of human rights mechanisms during the first Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform.

The conference’s four panels have been organized with a wide range of partners, including civil society organizations, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and academic institutions.

 

 

Past Annual Conferences

2022 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform

18 October 2022, 14:00-19:00

Read more >

2021 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform

12 October 2021, 09:00-18:00

Read more >

2020 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform

15 October 2020, 09:00-18:00

Read more >

2019 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform

3 June 2019, 09:00-18:00

Read more >

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

No war sign on a wall News

Our 2022 Annual Report

12 June 2023

Our 2022 Annual Report provides an overview of our activities, highlights, outputs and impact for the past year.

Read more

News

Introducing the DHRTTD Directory: Revolutionizing Human Rights Implementation with Digital Tools

27 June 2023

To provide the international community with the most up-to-date overview of these online tools and databases, our Geneva Human Rights Platform is proud to unveil its new DHRTTD Directory.

Read more

Closeup of the Meta sign at the entrance to the Meta Platforms headquarters in Menlo Park, California. Event

A New Human Rights Tribunal in Town? The Oversight Board and the Future of Online Freedom of Expression

18 October 2023, 18:00-19:30

This Human Rights Conversation will explore the extent to which an independent mechanism such as the Meta Oversight Board is akin to a human rights tribunal and the risks that could be linked to delegating such powers to a private authority.

Read more

View of a session of the UN Human Rights Committee Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

8-12 July 2024

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.

Read more

Syria,  Aleppo, great Umayyad mosque. Destructions. Short Course

The Interplay between International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

29 February - 15 March 2024

This online short course focuses on the specific issues that arise in times of armed conflict regarding the respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights. It addresses key issues like the applicability of human rights in times of armed conflict; the possibilities of restricting human rights under systems of limitations and derogations; and the extraterritorial application of human rights law.

Read more

Futuristic Robot Arm Interacting with Screen Project

Disruptive Technologies and Rights-Based Resilience

Completed in July 2021

This project facilitated a multistakeholder consultative process to identify knowledge gaps, generate new evidence and co-design evidence-based tools to support regulatory and policy responses to human rights challenges linked to digital technologies.

Read more

George Floyd protest in Washington D.C. Project

Promoting and Protecting the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association and Civic Space Worldwide

Started in June 2020

This project aims at providing support to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Clément Voulé by addressing emerging issues affecting civic space and eveloping tools and materials allowing various stakeholders to promote and defend civic space.

Read more

Cover page of the Working Paper Publication

Exploring Counterterrorism Effectiveness and Human Rights Law

published on September 2023

Gloria Gaggioli, Michael Moncrieff , Ilya Sobol

Read more