Aug 12, 2010 | Agendas, Events
The ICJ has invited to a 4-day Camp around 35 experts from the SADC regions to exchange experience, identify risks, difficulties and opportunities for a better protection and enjoyment of ESC rights.
Although economic, social and cultural rights continue suffering from prejudices against their legal nature and their ability to be enforced by courts, developments in international and national law in the last two decades have reinforced their status as “real” human rights as well as their equal value and importance.
At the regional level, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights particularly emphasizes the interdependence of human rights. Moreover, the Charter does not differentiate between provisions for the realization of economic, social and cultural rights and those for the realization of civil and political rights.
Such equal treatment provides the possibility to challenge states’ reluctance or failure to protect, promote and fulfill socio- economic rights in the South Africa Development Community (SADC).
However, most challenges to human rights violations in the SADC region have tended to focus on violations of civil and political rights even though economic and social rights are daily concerns of the people. This gap is particularly due to a lack of capacity of the lawyers and human rights activists as well as social justice practitioners who are interested in socio-economic rights advocacy and litigation.
In order to contribute to reduce this gap, the Africa regional office of the International Commission of Jurists has invited to a 4-day ESCR Camp around 35 experts from the SADC regions. Together with international experts on economic, social and cultural rights, the participants will, exchange experience, identify risks, difficulties and opportunities for a better protection and enjoyment of these human rights.
South Africa-ESCR advocacy litigation-agenda-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
South Africa-ESCR advocacy litigation-event-2010 (ful text in English, PDF)
Jul 26, 2010 | Events
The ICJ is organizing two-day trial observation training seminars on 4-5 October in Moscow and 7-8 October in Saint Petersburg.
The seminar aims to provide practical skills on how to conduct trial observations, how to assess and analyse information and data obtained, and how to draft a final trial observation report.
The seminar will address the legislative frameworks within which courts operate, including:
- the structure and functioning of the judiciary;
- the compliance of these frameworks with international rule of law and human rights standards;
- the components and guarantees of the right to fair trial;
- observing proceedings within the courtroom; and
- the conduct of meetings with the relevant authorities and other advocacy work outside the courtroom.
Participants will be introduced to international standards of trial observations with a special focus on judicial independence.
Criteria for eligibility:
- The call for applications is open to judges, lawyers (whether in private practice or affiliated to an NGO), NGO representatives, and other interested professionals. A total of 15 participants will be selected.
- Applicants must have a demonstrated interest in the rule of law and human rights law
- Applicants must have an interest in international standards of trial observation
- The working language of the seminars is Russian
Closing date for applications: 15 September 2010.
Application forms can be downloaded below.
For any further information please contact Róisín Pillay at roisin.pillay@icj.org or Temur Shakirov at temur.shakirov@icj.org
Russian Federation-application form Moscow-event-2010 (full text in Russian, PDF)
Russian Federation-application form Saint Petersburg-event-2010 (full text in Russian, PDF)
Russian Federation-trial observation training-event-2010 (full text in Russian, PDF)
Russian Federation-trial observation training-event-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
Jul 19, 2010 | Events
The ICJ and the Judiciary of Lesotho will on 28th – 30th July 2010 hold a Judges’ Symposium in Maseru, Lesotho on the theme ‘Judicial Independence, Impartiality, Accountability and Reform in Lesotho’.
Jun 22, 2010 | Agendas
On 21-22 June 2010, the ICJ in collaboration with the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights organized an Expert Consultation on a proposed Optional Protocol to establish a communication procedure to allow for children who are victims of human rights violations to seek a remedy before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Participants in the meeting included the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Open-Ended Working Group on an Optional Protocol. The UN Open-Ended Working Group on an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child will next meet in December 2010 to discuss a draft text presently being prepared by the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Open-Ended Working Group, Mr. Drahoslav Stefane.
Switzerland-expert consultation CRC-agenda-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
Jun 18, 2010 | Agendas
Treaty-bodies have a special role in monitoring State compliance with human rights treaty obligations and providing guidance to States Parties on how to fulfil those obligations. The workshop afforded an occasion for in-depth examination and interaction between the committees on the impact that activities of transnational corporations have in the implementation of treaty obligations, providing a comparative and informed perspective on approaching these issues and encouraging coordinated action.
Switzerland-workshop transnational corporations-agenda-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
May 30, 2010 | Agendas, Events
This symposium brought together African judges, lawyers, media actors, academics and human rights groups to enhance their participation in the Review Conference of the States Parties to the Rome Statute.
Co-hosted by the ICJ, the Human Rights Network of Uganda (HURINET-U) and the Uganda Coalition on the International Criminal Court (UCICC) in the last days leading up to the ICC Review Conference, the symposium focused on discussions around the four stocktaking issues – complementarity, cooperation, the impact of the Rome Statute system on victims and affected communities, and peace and justice – for which the participants identified urgent problems, articulated key priorities and recommended to the Assembly of State Parties actionable policies in a communiqué, which was handed over to Ambassador Christian Wenaweser, President of the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute.
Uganda-symposium stocktaking processes-event-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
Uganda-symposium stocktaking processes-agenda-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
Uganda-communique state delegates-event-2010 (full text in English, PDF)
