UN Human Rights Council at 15 – Role and Perspectives

Event

UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré

This year, the UN Human Rights Council celebrates its 15th anniversary. Although the body remains one of the principal institutions tasked with universal protection and promotion of human rights, its role and activities are much less known to the wider public. The media's reports on its work often focus on the clashes between different visions of human rights protection standards of the Western and developing states, and the criticism of the Council sometimes prevails over rational assessment. That is why a debate on its current state and the future of the UN human rights protection system remains vital.

The event – co-organized with the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Poland – aims at making the audience more familiar with the Council’s membership and internal dynamics, as well as selected mechanisms, such as UN Special Procedures. It will demonstrate the continuous pertinence of the body and dissipate the possible wrong impressions about its work. Since Poland is currently one of the members of the Council, the event will also shed a light on the involvement of Polish diplomacy and experts in the work of the body.

Opening Remarks

• Matthias Dettling, Deputy Head of Mission of Switzerland to Poland
• Patrycja Sasnal, Head of Research, PISM, Member of the Advisory Committee of the UN Human Rights Council

Panelists

• Zbigniew Czech, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Poland to the United Nations Office at Geneva
• Kamelia Kemileva, Senior Consultant, Geneva Academy and former Special Assistant to the President of the UN Human Rights Council
• Anaïs Marin, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus
• Clément Voule, UN Special Rapporteur on Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, member of the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council

Co-chairs

• Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director, Geneva Human Rights Platform, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
• Szymon Zaręba, Head of the Global Issues Programme, PISM

Livestream

This online event will be livestreamed on PISM YouTube Channel.