Formal Launch of the 2020 Review of UN Treaty Bodies: Our Input

A session of a UN treary body in Geneva A session of a UN treary body in Geneva

4 June 2020

The 2020 Review of United Nations (UN) treaty bodies (TBs), facilitated by the Permanent Representatives of Switzerland and Morocco to the UN in New York, was formally launched on 2 June.

‘This review represents an opportunity to further reflect on the TB system’s future and develop innovative proposals and solutions without weakening the human rights protection that the system currently affords’ explains Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP).

Providing Expert Inputs

The GHRP has been contributing to this review by providing expert input via different avenues, by facilitating dialogue on the review among various stakeholders, as well as by accompanying the discussions towards the follow-up resolution to 68/268 in New York and in Geneva.
This contribution builds upon the three-year global project of the Academic Platform, which developed models to optimize the reporting and dialogue processes of TBs.

The GHRP has since refined the proposals, adding a calendar system to schedule TB reviews optimally, and identified measures to update the TB communication procedure.

‘We were very pleased to see that in her address to states, Michelle Bachelet recalled that there is no need to reopen the treaties, a premise we followed with our Academic Platform and the recommendations we formulated’ underlines Felix Kirchmeier.

‘The High Commissioner also stressed that many steps to improve the system can be taken by TB themselves: many of our recommendations, including the coordinated scheduling of state reviews before TBs, go in this direction’ he adds.

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

Enforced Disappearances Event

'Short-term' Enforced Disappearances

23 September 2025, 13:00-14:00

This side event will bring together stakeholders to discuss the growing concerning recurrence to short-term enforced disappearances worldwide, and the challenges they pose for victims and accountability.

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

Project

Follow-up Review Pilot Series

Started in November 2021

Read more

Session of a UN Treaty Body Project

Treaty Bodies Individual Communications Procedures

Started in January 2019

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