About the Geneva Human Rights Platform

Daniel Jolivet

The Geneva Human Rights Platform (HRP) provides a neutral and dynamic forum of interaction in Geneva for all stakeholders in the field of human rights – experts, practitioners, diplomats and civil society – to discuss and debate topical issues and challenges. Relying on academic research and findings, it works to enable various actors to be better connected, break silos, and, hence, advance human rights.

Our Approach

The HRP works to increase sharing, exchange and collaboration across different human rights actors, using its independent, neutral and academic status. It also actively explores possible links and synergies with activities in areas outside human rights, including humanitarian affairs, public health, development assistance, and science and technology.

Activities and Workstreams

The HRP fosters interactions and discussions on topical issues and challenges though regular events, conferences, expert roundtables and private meetings. It informs ongoing processes via solid academic research and publications.

Specifically, the Platform displays its activities via three distinct workstreams:

• The Current Human Rights Challenges Platform brings together, leading academics, experts, diplomats and practitioners who work on human rights at national, regional and international levels to discuss and identify current human rights challenges.
• The Academic Platform on Treaty Body Review 2020 coordinates the academic input to the 2020 review of UN treaty bodies by the UN General Assembly via the creation of an academic network of independent researchers, a call for papers, a series of regional consultations, annual conferences in Geneva, as well as ongoing interactions with key stakeholders.
• The Treaty Body Members Platform connects experts in UN treaty bodies with each other as well as with Geneva-based practitioners, academics and diplomats to share expertise, exchange views on topical questions, break silos and develop synergies.