Geneva Academy
5 March 2019
On 18 February 2019, researchers from 20 countries briefed state representatives about their research on the national impact of the United Nations (UN) treaty bodies (TBs).
This study, led by Professors Christof Heyns and Frans Viljoen at the Human Rights Center of the University of Pretoria and in collaboration with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, examines the impact of the UN human rights treaty system at the national level. Researchers based in 20 countries investigate the extent to which the work of UN TBs has had an impact on their country’s constitution, legal system and policies. Results will be presented by the end of 2019.
‘If the 2020 review of the TB system shall deliver positive results, including strengthening implementation at the national level, the outcomes of this study will be crucial to identify which mechanisms have yielded the best results and what has to be done on the ‘Geneva-side’ of the human rights protection system in order to move towards meaningful positive change’ stresses Felix Kirchmeier, Coordinator of the Geneva Human Rights Platform.

The meeting, co-organized with the University of Pretoria, forms part of the Geneva Academy Fridays series. Hosted once a month, the Geneva Academy Fridays are an events series of the Geneva Human Rights Platform, addressing the diplomatic community and informing about research developments related to the process of strengthening the UN Treaty Body System.
News
Geneva Academy
At a roundtable organised by Chatham House and hosted by our Geneva Human Rights Platform, experts addressed the role of human rights in AI governance.
News
CCPR centre
At their 34th Annual Meeting, Chairpersons of UN treaty bodies agreed on a predictable review schedule of eight years.
Training
Dustan Woodhouse, Unplash
This training course will explore the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as with their implementation and enforcement mechanisms; and provide practical insights into the different UN human rights mechanisms pertinent to advancing environmental issues and protecting environmental human rights defenders.
Short Course
UN Photo
This short course, which can be followed in Geneva or online, analyses the main international and regional norms governing the international protection of refugees. It notably examines the sources of international refugee law, including the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and their interaction with human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Project
The Geneva Human Rights Platform contributes to this review process by providing expert input via different avenues, by facilitating dialogue on the review among various stakeholders, as well as by accompanying the development of a follow-up resolution to 68/268 in New York and in Geneva.
Project
Gorodenkoff/Adobe
This project will facilitate a multistakeholder consultative process to identify knowledge gaps, generate new evidence and co-design evidence-based tools to support regulatory and policy responses to human rights challenges linked to digital technologies.
Publication