Panel Discusses Human Rights and the Fight against Corruption during the Human Rights Council

Panelists during the side event on human rights and the fight against corruption Panelists during the side event on human rights and the fight against corruption

21 September 2017

On Monday 18 September we organized, together with the Permanent Mission of Bolivia, a side event at the Human Rights Council on the fight against corruption with a human rights-based approach.

The discussion notably showcased experiences and best practices, highlighted that a detailed analysis of how corruption violates human rights is lacking, and analysed a human rights-based approach to fight corruption. Panelists also stressed the need for more precise definitions and methodological approaches to counter human rights violations linked to acts of corruption.

Our Manager of Policy Studies, Felix Kirchmeier, moderated the panel featuring presentation by Ambassador Nardi Suxo Iturry (Permanent Representative of Bolivia to the UN), Renate Winter (Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child), Richard Lapper (Human Rights Officer at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Visiting Fellow at the Geneva Academy) and Martin Zapata (International Anti-Corruption Academy).

Best Practices

The first part of the discussion showcased experiences and best practices from the national and international levels. Bolivia’s efforts towards countering corruption through institutionalization and the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s strong commitment to underline the links between specific acts of corruption and human rights violations showed that opportunities do exist in the promotion of transparency and the fight against corruption for the protection of human rights.

Lack of a Detailed Analysis of How Corruption Violates Human Rights

Panelists also highlighted that despite the stated impact of corruption on the enjoyment of human rights, the issue receives comparatively little attention. Some mechanisms explicitly state that corruption is a human rights violation, but a detailed analysis of how corruption violates human rights is lacking.

A Human Rights-Based Approach

The latter part of the discussion consisted in an analysis of the human rights-based approach, defined as a victim-oriented approach, with emphasis on effective measures to prevent corruption-induced human rights violations and on access to remedies for victims. The panel also introduced concrete proposals to fight corruption, such as collective action, a methodology which promotes collaboration amongst the state, civil society and corporations. The event ended with a call for more precise definitions and methodological approaches to counter human rights violations linked to acts of corruption.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

News

New Working Paper Explores AI for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

30 January 2025

A new working paper, 'AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring', has been published by the Geneva Human Rights Platform.

Read more

Local Government Event

Enhancing National Reporting and Implementation of Human Rights through Coordinated Engagement at the Local and Regional Levels: The Role of NMIRFs

23 July 2025, 10:00-17:00

This seminar explores how national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up can better integrate the capacities, data, and experiences of local and regional governments in advancing human rights implementation and reporting.

Read more

Open dump Training

Protecting Human Rights and the Environment

15-19 September 2025

Participants in this training course will gain practical insights into UN human rights mechanisms and their role in environmental protection and learn about how to address the interplay between international human rights and environmental law, and explore environmental litigation paths.

Read more

Town Hall Meeting Training

Localizing International Human Rights

8-10 October 2025

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.

Read more

A session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

IHL Expert Pool

Started in January 2022

The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.

Read more

View of a session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

Human Rights Conversations

Started in January 2020

A series of events aimed at discussing contemporary issues and challenges related to the promotion and protection of human rights in Geneva and beyond.

Read more

Cover of the publication Publication

Briefing N° 25: Localizing Multilateralism

published on March 2025

Domenico Zipoli, Ludovica Chiussi Curzi, Kamelia Kemileva

Read more

Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

Read more