International Commission of Jurists
UN: Overview of the 46th Human Rights Council session

UN: Overview of the 46th Human Rights Council session

Mar 24, 2021 | Advocacy, Non-legal submissions

Today, at the close of the 46th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the ICJ and other NGOs highlighted key achievements and failures.

The joint civil society statement, delivered by International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) on behalf of the group, outlines the main achievements and shortfalls of this last 46th regular session.

In the statement, the undersigned organisation comment on the engagement of civil society in online sessions, welcome the adoption of the resolution on vaccines and of resolutions to sustain scrutiny and accountability including in Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, South Sudan and Syria. The NGOs have underlined the fact thatover 30 States have united in a long-overdue condemnation of Egypt’s misuse of counter-terrorism measures to imprison peaceful critics, and over 40 States raised concern over the shrinking civic space in Russia.

The civil society organisations have urged the Council to take prompt action on Algeria, Cameroon, China, India, and in Kashmir, and for the upcoming session, to set up an international accountability mechanism on the Philippines, and independent monitoring on pushbacks and other violations faced by migrants and refugees.

The statement is endorsed by:

  • International Service for Human Rights;
  • Franciscans International;
  • Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR);
  • International Commission of Jurists (ICJ);
  • International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR);
  • Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA);
  • African Centre For Democracy And Human Rights Studies;
  • International Federation for Human Rights Leagues (FIDH);
  • MENA Rights Group;
  • International Lesbian and Gay Association;
  • Impact Iran;
  • Ensemble contre la Peine de Mort (ECPM);
  • Siamak Pourzand Foundation;
  • Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS);
  • ARTICLE 19;
  • CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation.

Read the full statement: UN-JointStatement-UNHRC46-Advocacy-EndOfSession-ENG-2021

Contact:

Massimo Frigo, ICJ UN Representative, e: massimo.frigo(a)icj.org, t: +41797499949

Libya: Q&A on the UN International Fact-Finding Mission

Libya: Q&A on the UN International Fact-Finding Mission

Mar 2, 2021 | News

Justice and accountability in Libya can only be achieved if activists and lawyers fully engage with and support the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya (FFM) in documenting and collecting evidence of serious violations in the country, the ICJ said today.

To facilitate such engagement, the ICJ’s Question and Answer (Q&A) published today provides guidance for Libyan and international civil society actors on:

  • the role and mandate of the FFM;
  • the FFM’s relationship with other accountability mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC);
  • what the FFM may be expected to achieve; and
  • how to engage with the FFM.

“The success of the FFM’s mandate rests largely on its ability to establish the facts about and collect evidence of violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law perpetrated in Libya.”

“We urge lawyers, activists and civil society actors to fully support the FFM in achieving these objectives and bringing about the accountability that has so far eluded Libya.”

– Said Benarbia, the ICJ’s MENA Programme Director.

The FFM was established by the UN Human Rights Council on 22 June 2020 through resolution 43/39. Its mandate includes:

  • Establishing facts and circumstances of the human rights situation throughout Libya;
  • Collecting and reviewing relevant information;
  • Documenting alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including any gendered dimensions of such violations and abuses; and
  • Preserving evidence with a view to ensuring that perpetrators be held accountable.

While the FFM cannot conduct criminal investigations or prosecute individuals, the evidence preserved may be used by Libyan judicial authorities, the ICC, and third countries exercising universal jurisdiction.

The FFM has issued a call for submissions of relevant information and materials, the deadline for which is 30 June 2021.

Contact

Said Benarbia, Director, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme; t: +41 22 979 3817, e: said.benarbia(a)icj.org

Vito Todeschini, Legal Adviser, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme; t: +216 53 334 679, e: vito.todeschini(a)icj.org

Asser Khattab, Research and Communications Officer, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme; e: Asser.Khattab(a)icj.org

Download

Q&A on the UN International Fact-Finding Mission in English and Arabic.

Press Release in English and Arabic.

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