Focus On
1st World Congress on Enforced Disappearances
The first World Congress on Enforced Disappearances was held in Geneva on 15-16 January 2025. It provided a platform to share experiences, challenges, and best practices. This crucial step in shaping a collective path toward justice, truth, reparation, and the prevention of future disappearances, showed once again the urgency that all States ratify the Convention for the Protection of all Persons against Enforced Disappearances
OHCHR - Press Conference: Fact-finding report on Bangladesh protests - 12.02.25
Speakers: ℹ️ Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights ℹ️ Rory Mungoven, Chief of the Asia-Pacific Region of OHCHR
Geneva Press Briefing: OSE, UNRISD, OCHA, WHO, UNHCR, WMO - 11.02.25
🎦 Situation in Goma; 🎦 Situation in Gaza; 🎦 Suspension of operations in Yemen; 🎦 Groundbreaking international delivery of childhood cancer medicines; 🎦 Discovery of mass graves in Libya

Supporting a Syrian Path to Truth: Landmark Visit of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria to Damascus - 10.02.25
The visit of the Independent Institution, created by the relentless efforts of Syrian families of the missing, would have been previously unthinkable. Two months into a new and hopeful reality for Syria, opportunities are emerging to search for the tens of thousands of missing persons and to embark on a path toward truth.
Happening at UN Geneva

Stand Up for Social Justice! Special Concert at the United Nations
Co-hosted by UNRISD and UNOG, and in partnership with City of Geneva, the concert will feature performances by BRISA FLOW, OCEVNE, IDJAHURE TERENA, and more. The event will focus on youth voices and their perspectives on social justice, aligning with the Pact of the Future. It will include a documentary, a keynote speech by a young activist, and a music concert aimed at fostering understanding of social justice and the Sustainable Development Goals. Part of the "GLOBAL SOUTH, WHAT'S UP?" program curated by SHAP SHAP for the Antigel Festival, the event will strengthen the UN's relationship with the Geneva community while promoting justice and social change.
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) is the body of 18 independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by its State parties. The Covenant enshrines economic, social and cultural rights such as the rights to adequate food, adequate housing, education, health, social security, water and sanitation, and work.
The Committee seeks to develop a constructive dialogue with State parties, determine whether the Covenant's norms are being applied, and assess how the implementation and enforcement of the Covenant could be improved so all people can enjoy these rights in full.
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The CEDAW Committee consists of 23 experts on women's rights from around the world.
The CEDAW treaty is a tool that helps women around the world to bring about change in their daily life. In countries that have ratified the treaty, CEDAW has proved invaluable in opposing the effects of discrimination, which include violence, poverty, and lack of legal protections, along with the denial of inheritance, property rights, and access to credit.