Human Rights

With hundreds of references to the jurisprudence of United Nations human rights mechanisms, this handbook provides human rights and electoral practitioners with a clear picture of the close interplay between elections and international human rights law. The handbook discusses international human rights standards regarding electoral processes and political participation, and how these standards apply to specific aspects of elections. Current issues such as gender-based violence in politics, disinformation and data manipulation, and the impact of Internet shutdowns are considered in the light of international human rights law and the recommendations of United Nations experts.

Over the course of six years, and in response to successive mandates from the Human Rights Council, OHCHR’s Accountability and Remedy Project developed guidance on how to enhance the effectiveness of the three categories of remedial mechanisms covered in the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. For each category of mechanism, OHCHR spent two years consulting with those who use, design, and administer the mechanism, among others, to identify good-practice lessons, resulting in a set of reports presented to the Human Rights Council. This publication compiles the guidance and explanatory notes from those reports focusing on non-State-based grievance mechanisms.

This Facilitator’s Guide is intended to support trainers wishing to introduce the protection of the human rights of migrants to State officials on the African continent. The content is organized into four main modules, allowing each module to be used in isolation, or in combination with others depending on the need. The first module focuses on international law as the foundation of relations between States, and between States and individuals. It provides an overview of key human rights instruments, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and their accountability mechanisms. Part of the emphasis of this module is on the historical evolution of the international legal system, and the thinking that led to the human rights instruments that followed the wars of the early 20th century. Subsequent modules address State authority in migration management, covering the admission of non-nationals and nationals returning home, as well as the detention and expulsion of those who are non-compliant with the requirements of entry or stay. Each of these is juxtaposed against a succession of individual human rights to facilitate understanding of the parametres of the State’s authority. Sections and subsections generally begin with a case study challenge to help participants focus on a specific tension between State authority and a human rights obligation in the migration context, followed by lecture notes for facilitators and a review of relevant case law and judicial reasoning. By using this Guide, trainers will be equipped to support officials in Africa in bridging the gap between the aspirations and principles of the United Nations Charter, international and regional human rights obligations, and the complexities of managing migration.

The Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization (A/80/1) is issued in response to Article 98 of the UN Charter and highlights how the UN Secretariat translates resources into impact. The Report covers nine sections: (i) forging pathways for sustainable development; (ii) fostering peace and security; (iii) propelling African growth; (iv) upholding human rights; (v) securing humanitarian assistance; (vi) advancing justice and international law; (vii) championing disarmament; (viii) combating drugs, crime and terrorism; and (ix) enhancing our operations. The e-book for this publication has been converted into an accessible format for the visually impaired and people with print reading disabilities. It is fully compatible with leading screen-reader technologies such as JAWS and NVDA.