Event information

13 May 2020, 15:00-16:30

From Crisis to Opportunity: How to Build Back Better?

Right On

As the international community begins planning for a post-pandemic recovery, more and more emphasis is placed on the urgent need to ‘build back better’ and draw lessons from the Covid-19 crisis to help build a more just, equitable, greener and more peaceful world. This message of hope and opportunity has been echoed by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who urged the member states to ‘turn the recovery into a real opportunity to do things right for the future.’

But what does this mean in practice? Can we take advantage of this window of opportunity to change the old ways? What is the interplay between social, economic, environmental and other reforms that need to be considered by state recovery strategies from the outset?

To find some of the answers to these questions, join us for the sixth Right On web chat!

Moderator

  • Marc Limon, Executive Director, URG

Panelists

  • David R. Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment and Associate Professor of Law, Policy, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia
  • Elizabeth O’Casey, Director of Advocacy, Humanists International’s Delegation to the UN in Geneva

Registration

To join the discussion, you need to register here.

‘Right On’: The Wednesday Web Chat

‘Right On’ is a new digital initiative – co-organized by the Geneva Academy, the Geneva Human Rights Platform, the Geneva Internet Platform, the DiploFoundation, the Universal Right Group, the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex, as well as the Permanent Missions of Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands to the United Nations in Geneva  –  that will keep the human rights dialogue going during these COVID-19 times.

Every Wednesday at 15:00, experts and practitioners will discuss key human rights issues related to the current health crisis.

Video

Right On: From Crisis to Opportunity: How to Build Back Better?

In this online event of the ‘Right On’ digital initiative, panelists discussed the post-pandemic recovery and how to draw lessons from the Covid-19 crisis to help build a more just, equitable, greener and more peaceful world.

Right On Partners Updated

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

neurotech image News

Research Brief Evaluates the Human Rights Implications of Neurotechnology in Therapeutic and Commercial Applications

27 March 2025

Our research brief, Neurotechnology and Human Rights: An Audit of Risks, Regulatory Challenges, and Opportunities, examines the human rights implications of neurotechnology in both therapeutic and commercial applications.

Read more

GTI Logo News

In Highlight: Global Torture Index

26 June 2025

Via its DHRTTDs Directory, the Geneva Human Rights Platform provides a comprehensive list and description of such key tools and databases. But how to navigate them? Which tool should be used for what, and by whom? This interview helps us understand better the specificities of the current highlight of the directory: Global Torture Index

Read more

A general view of participants during of the 33nd ordinary session of the Human Rights Council. Training

The Universal Periodic Review and the UN Human Rights System: Raising the Bar on Accountability

10-14 November 2025

This training course will explore the origin and evolution of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its functioning in Geneva and will focus on the nature of implementation of the UPR recommendations at the national level.

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

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

Project

Follow-up Review Pilot Series

Started in November 2021

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2024

published on July 2025

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