GHRP Briefings

Started in January 2019

The GHRP Briefings (previously GHRP Fridays) provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to discuss the results of the United Nations (UN) Treaty Body (TB) 2020 Review and practical ways to implement change.

Initially started as regular briefings for Geneva-based diplomats to share academic findings, topical updates and political developments of the 2020 TB Review, the GHRP Briefings are open to all interested delegations, TB members, staff from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and civil society.

Co-Sponsors

This event series – co-organized with the Permanent Missions of Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Morocco, Switzerland, Uruguay and Germany to the UN in Geneva – aims at discussing the outcomes of the 2020 UN Treaty Body Review.

Modalities for Participation

This event series will be held in the form of hybrid meetings, with participation in presence at Villa Moynier in Geneva and online on the platform Zoom. Meetings will be open to the diplomatic community, TB members, and staff from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and civil society.

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

GHRP Friday on COVID-19 working methods at Villa Moynier News

A New Space to Discuss Novel Ways of Work for UN Treaty Bodies

14 December 2021

The new GHRP Fridays series, launched in November 2021, allows stakeholders to discuss the outcomes of the 2020 TB Review by the UN General Assembly and practical ways to implement change.

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GHRP Friday on COVID-19 working methods at Villa Moynier News

New Event Series on the Implementation of the UN Treaty Body Review

16 November 2021

The GHRP Fridays – a new event series of the Geneva Human Rights Platform – will discuss the results of the UN Treaty Body Review 2020 and practical ways to implement change.

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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

Research Fellow and 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

From November 2021 to February 2022, on Fridays from (14:30–16:30), the following discussions allowed members of UN treaty bodies (TBs), experts, diplomats and civil society to address crucial issues related to the work of TBS. These were based on specific recommendations contained in the Swiss-Moroccan co-facilitator report of the 2020 review process, presented to the General Assembly, as well as the report of the 33rd TB Chairperson meeting of 2021.

Harmonized COVID Working Methods, Friday 12 November 2021

This GHRP Friday allowed TB members to report back on their experiences and to discuss lessons for a post-COVID setting. They notably addressed the following questions what elements of online work could be taken over into regular TB work; what was the experience of states engaging with TBs during the online sessions?; what were the most prominent constraints?.

Predictable Review Schedule, Friday 26 November 2021

The current irregular and incoherent schedule of reviews across the system constitutes a major issue for the visibility of the TB system, the coherence of its outputs, and the encouragement for timely and full cooperation. Suggestions for a master calendar have been made and turned down for various reasons while the problem only aggravated. A new push for a comprehensive fixed calendar by TBs brings new dynamics into the discussion. This GHRP Friday discussed calendars in place and possibilities to synchronize reporting schedules of all TBs, moving thus towards a 100 percent reporting compliance rate and meaningful possibilities for follow-up and mutual reinforcement.

Nominations, Elections and Membership, Friday 3 December 2021

Transparency is considered a key element in the nomination and election process of TB members. Many states have started inclusive processes of national nominations, NGOs lead a transparency initiative involving all candidates and there are also parallels to be drawn from nomination processes in place for other international judicial or quasi-judicial bodies. This GHRP Friday focused on good practices and potential modalities to be introduced globally in the nomination and election process for new TB members. It notably discussed our Working Paper Promoting Quality, Independent and Diverse Treaty Body Membership.

Digital Shift / Digital Uplift, Friday 21 January 2022

Working methods inside the TB system/secretariat are not up to speed with contemporary standards and potential IT or AI-based solutions can offer. Efforts are underway in specific areas of work, and an office-wide discussion on a digital uplift is taking place. This GHRP Friday provided an opportunity for the OHCHR task force on digitalization to share progress and plans.

Past GHRP Fridays

GHRP Friday: Digital Uplift

21 January 2022, 14:30-16:00

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GHRP Friday: Nominations, Elections and Membership

3 December 2021, 14:30-16:00

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GHRP Friday: Predictable Review Schedule

26 November 2021, 14:30-16:00

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GHRP Fridays: Harmonized COVID Working Methods

12 November 2021, 14:30-16:00

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This research aimed at taking stock of and contributing to a better understanding of the above-mentioned challenges to the principle of universality of human rights while also questioning their validity.

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The Emergence of Digital Human Rights Tracking Tools and Databases

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