His Excellency, Mr António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Her Excellency, Ms Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UN Geneva)
His Excellency, Ambassador Omar Zniber, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations Office in Geneva and President of the Human Rights Council
cc: His Excellency, Mr Mahamane Cissé-Gouro, Director of the Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Re: Ensuring live online modalities of participation for UN human rights bodies and mechanisms
Excellencies,
The undersigned civil society organisations are writing to express our great concern regarding issues of access and participation at the UN Human Rights Council, Treaty Bodies and related mechanisms. We recall the letter signed by 40 civil society organisations on 23 June 2023 welcoming the agreement between the Secretary-General and the President of the Human Rights Council for the 17th cycle to maintain hybrid modalities of participation throughout 2023 and urging the competent bodies to create a mandate that would allow for the consolidation of said modalities.
We deeply regret, however, that the 5th Committee of the General Assembly and its relevant subsidiary bodies in New York failed to provide the required mandate and legislative framework upon which such modalities could have been permanently adopted for 2024. We regret further that, in the recent UPR 45th session, the United Nations Offices at Geneva (UNOG) did not provide modalities for live online participation, as it maintained that it has no mandate for providing hybrid services. Similarly, we are extremely concerned by the negative impact that these measures are having on the functioning of those Treaty Bodies that are currently in session or that will soon begin their sessions, as the online participation of numerous civil society representatives that were scheduled to interact with Treaty Bodies have been cancelled, while hybrid and online meetings are still allowed for States upon request.
We join States in Geneva in expressing our deep concern about the significant negative impact of the lack of provision for live online participation tools on the inclusivity and universality of all UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, including the Human Rights Council, UPR and Treaty Bodies. Civil society organisations have long demanded effective means for remote participation, due to the glaring obstacles faced by rights holders and victims and survivors of violations, as well as people from marginalised and vulnerable communities, in accessing multilateral spaces, including, but not limited to, denial of visas, resource challenges, travel costs, environmental considerations, security concerns and accessibility for people with disabilities.
For the past four years, the Human Rights Council and other human rights mechanisms in Geneva have set an excellent example for the UN-wide system and strengthened their work through live online interventions and pre-recorded videos, coupled with in-person interventions. These interventions have improved diversity and accessibility and brought defenders and victims of violations closer to the UN human rights system, in turn making the UN more relevant to rights holders. It is disheartening that we now face discontinuation of best practices rather than adoption across the UN mechanisms.
As illustrated by the High Commissioner’s landmark report A/HRC/51/13, “the recipe for effective crisis response and for trust and resilience is a more systematic investment in meaningful, safe and inclusive participation at all levels, coupled with effective measures to protect access to information and an enabling environment for debate as well as the security and holistic protection of those who speak up”.
Additionally, as we have emphasised on different occasions, Geneva is the central hub for human rights conferences at the UN level, and urgent action should be taken to mitigate its contributions to the climate crisis. While in-person meetings are necessary, the possibility of intervention through online participation allows the UN to align its practices with the urgency of reducing carbon emissions. With the HRC sessions getting longer, and the unmitigated planetary crisis, sustainability must be a priority. Ensuring modalities for remote participation also contributes to building greater engagement and ownership of norms and standards.
The undersigned organisations respectfully urge you to:
- Similarly to 2023, ensure that the necessary provisional arrangements are put in place to allow the UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, including the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms as well as the Treaty Bodies and other mechanisms, to continue to make live online participation available through Zoom, WebEx or other tools in all in-person meetings, both formal and informal, in all its sessions throughout 2024, until mandated otherwise, following the good practices consolidated during the business continuity scheme and the previous arrangements between the Council’s Presidency and the Secretary-General.
- Ensure that UNOG and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have the budget and mandate to provide all stakeholders engaging with the UN human rights bodies, including the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms, as well as the Treaty Bodies and other mechanisms, with the necessary channels to participate in meetings via Zoom, WebEx or other relevant platforms.
- Insofar as is necessary and appropriate, address these challenges with the 5th Committee and relevant subsidiary bodies to ensure that the framework and technical requirements for hybrid and virtual services are put in place permanently for the effective participation of all stakeholders, in particular the beneficiaries of the UN system, including human rights defenders, and civil society organisations.
Please accept, Excellencies, the assurances of our highest consideration.
- ABC Nepal (Agro-Forestry Basic Health and cooperative Nepal)
- ABC TAMIL OLI
- Acceso a la Justicia
- Acción Solidaria
- Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights
- ACTION SRI LANKA
- ADALAH- The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel
- AJIS Association Jeunesse Insertion Solidarite
- Akahata – Equipo de trabajo en sexualidades y géneros
- Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
- Alana Institute
- Albinism Society of Eswatini ASESWA
- Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man
- All Survivors Project
- Amazon Watch
- Amnesty International
- Anti-Slavery International
- APLE Cambodia
- Aquarius Supervivientes
- ARARTEKO. OMBUDS OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY
- Arisa
- ASSOCIATION BHARATHI CENTRE CULTUREL FRANCO-TAMOUL
- Association caritative étudiante pour la jeunesse
- ASSOCIATION CULTURELLE DES TAMOULS EN France
- Association de Défense et de Promotion des Droits de l’Homme (ADEAGE)
- Association de Developpement et de la promotion de Droit de l’Homme
- Association des étudiants tamouls de France
- Association des jeunes femmes pour la culture et le développement D’Haiti
- ASSOCIATION DES JURISTES SPECIALISES EN DROITS ETRANGERS (A.J.S.D.E.).
- ASSOCIATION DROIT ET TALENTS DE FEMMES
- Association for emancipation solidarity and equality of women – ESE
- Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
- Association Humaniste de France
- ASSOCIATION LUTTE CONTRE LA VIOLENCE FAITE AUX FEMMES
- Association Pour La Diffusion Des Droits De L’homme Dans L’universite De Lyon
- Association Pour la Solidarité Internationale
- Association pour le Droit de l’Homme et Le Développement Durable
- ASSOCIATION POUR LE DROIT DE L’HOMME ET LE DEVELOPPEMENT DURABLE
- ASSOCIATION THENDRAL
- AsyLex
- ATD Fourth World
- Austrian League for Human Rights
- AYTAÇ VISUAL IMPAIRED VILLAGE
- Boutokaan Inaomataia ao Mauriia Binabinaine Association (BIMBA)
- Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
- Caleidoscopio Humano
- Caribbean Association for Youth Development (CAYD)
- Center for Human Rights Defenders and Justice (CDJ)
- Center for Migration, Gender, and Justice
- Center for the human rights of children, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
- Central Union for Child Welfare, Finland
- Centre for Child Law
- Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR-Centre)
- Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD)
- Centre for Human Rights and Development
- Centre International de Conseil, de Recherche et d’Expertise en Droits de l’Homme (CICREDHO)
- Child Rights Coalition Asia (CRC Asia)
- Child Rights Connect
- Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
- Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town
- Children’s Rights Alliance for England, part of Just for Kids Law
- CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality
- CIVICUS
- Civil Liberties Union for Europe
- Civilis Derechos Humanos
- Clean Air Action Group (Hungary)
- Clima21
- CNAPE
- Colectivo Artesana
- Collectif des Ligues et Associations de Defense des Droits de l’Homme au Rwanda ”CLADHO”
- Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP)
- Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)
- Conectas Direitos Humanos
- Conscience and Peace Tax International (CPTI)
- Convention Against Enforced Disappearances Initiative (CEDI)
- Corporación Programa La Caleta
- CRCA/ECPAT Albania
- Defence for Children International
- Defence For Children International Canada
- Défenseurs plus
- Derechos Digitales · América Latina
- Državljan D / Citizen D
- Due Process of Law Foundation
- Edmund Rice International
- Egyptian Coalition for Child Rights
- Egyptian Foundation for the Advancement of Childhood Conditions (DCI EGYPT)
- Enfants Solidaires d’Afrique et du Monde (ESAM)
- Equipo Decenio Afrodescendiente- España
- ETUDIANTS POUR UNE SOCIETE DURABLE PARIS
- European Network on Statelessness
- EuSouEu A Ferrugem
- FEED
- FIAN International
- FIAN Norway
- FIDH
- Fondation « Zanmi Timoun
- Freer Press Unlimited
- Fundacion Aguaclara
- Fundación Cónclave Investigativo de las Ciencias Jurídicas Y Sociales (CIJYS)
- Fundación Grupo de Apoyo Mutuo
- Fundacion Nuevas Bandas
- FundaRedes
- Geledés – Instituto da Mulher Negra
- Global Alliance against Traffic in Women
- Global Detention Project
- Globe International Center
- Greek Helsinki Monitor
- Haïti débout pour les droits des enfants
- Háttér Society
- Hivos
- “Hope For Children” CRC Policy Center
- Hochstrittig.org
- Hong Kong Committee in Norway
- Human Rights Center for Citizens of Mongolia, NGO
- Human Rights House Foundation
- Human Rights Watch
- Humanists International
- Hungarian Helsinki Committee
- IFEX
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
- ILGA World
- IMPETUS
- Independent academic & migration-health justice advocate
- International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)
- International Catholic Child Bureau
- International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents
- International Commission of Jurists
- International Disability Alliance
- International Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights
- International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
- International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA)
- International Play Association – Canada Branch
- International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
- International Social Service – General Secretariat
- International Tibet Network
- International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW AP)
- Irídia – Center for Human Rights
- Irish Council for Civil Liberties
- JEUNESSE ETUDIANTE TAMOULE
- Justiça Global
- Justice & Peace
- Justicia Encuentro y Perdón
- Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children
- Laboratorio de Paz
- LE CONSEIL INTERNATIONAL POUR LES DROITS DE L’HOMME
- LE PONT
- Les Caribous Libérés
- LGBT CENTRE MONGOLIA
- Make Mothers Matter (MMM)
- Methoria
- Molo Songololo
- Mongolian Women’s Employment Supporting Federation NGO
- Monitor de Derechos Humanos
- MOSCTHA
- MOVIMIENTO MOVILIZANDONOS por una cultura de DERECHOS DE NIÑOS, NIÑAS Y ADOLESCENTES EN CHILE
- National Secular Society
- Netherlands Helsinki Committee
- NGO for Children Confederation
- Norwegian Helsinki Committee
- Norwegian Peoples Aid
- Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund – SAIH
- ONG Synergies & Développement (SYDEV)
- Oyu Tolgoi Watch
- Paradigm Initiative
- Peace Brigades International
- People Forum for Human Rights(people Forum)
- Plan International
- Plataforma de Infancia
- Polish Foster Care Coalition (in Polish: Koalicja na rzecz Rodzinnej Opieki Zastępczej)
- POURAKHI Nepal
- Presentation Sisters in Ireland & England
- Privacy International
- PROMEDEHUM
- QADER for Community Development
- Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice
- Red para la Infancia y la Familia – Peru
- REDE DE MULHERES NEGRAS DE PRNAMBUCO
- Réseau des Organisations de la Société Civile pour l’Observation et le Suivi des Elections en Guinée – ROSE
- Rivers without Boundaries Coalition
- Rural Reconstruction Nepal
- Rutgers
- SAMAAP
- Save the Children
- Save the Children South Africa NPC
- Sexual Rights Initiative
- Shakti Samuha
- Sisters Trust
- South African Child Rights Coalition
- Steps Without Borders NGO
- StopIGM.org / Zwischengeschlecht.org
- TAMIL UZHAGAM
- Tamil-Style
- Tanzania Child Rights Forum
- TB-Net
- Terre des Hommes International Federation
- The Advocates for Human Rights
- The Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- The Norwegian Forum for Development and Environment (ForUM Norway)
- The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara
- The Norwegian Tibet Committee
- Tibet Justice Center
- TOURNER LA PAGE
- Transbantu Association Zambia
- Transitional Justice Institute, Ulster University
- UN Program, Occidental College
- UNICEF Ireland
- Vicaría de Derechos Humanos de la Arquidiócesis de Caracas
- WO=MEN Dutch Gender Platform
- Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
- World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
- World Uyghur Congress