Event information

15 October 2019, 18:30-20:00

Downloads

Flyer >

The Role of UN Human Rights Mechanisms in Monitoring the Implementation of the UNDROP

Event

A woman drying paddy in front of her house in Tri Budi Syukur village, West Lampung regency, Lampung province, Indonesia on November 05, 2017. A woman drying paddy in front of her house in Tri Budi Syukur village, West Lampung regency, Lampung province, Indonesia on November 05, 2017.
FES Geneva   Swiss

The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas (UNDROP) in 2018. The adoption of this new instrument is the result of almost 20 years of mobilization by La Via Campesina and its allies, and six years of official negotiation at the UN Human Rights Council.

As it is now time to take action to put the UNDROP into practice, this conference, co-organized with the Geneva Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of the Swiss Government, will focus on the role of UN human rights mechanisms in monitoring its implementation.

Panelists will notably discuss the recommendations made by the Geneva Academy in its Research Brief on the Implementation of the UNDROP (available in English, French and Spanish) and in its Academy Briefing No. 15, The Right to Seeds in Europe, as well as by the Europe – Third World Center (CETIM) in its book on the UN Declaration (also available in English, French and Spanish), all published in 2019.

The conference builds on previous events organized by the same partners, such as a closed expert seminar on the same topic with UN human rights experts in June 2019, and an expert seminar on the role of States, international organizations, civil society organizations and social movements in the implementation of the UN Declaration that took place in October 2018.

Invited participants include representatives of UN treaty bodies, UN special procedure mandate holders, the UN Human Rights Council, UN member states, OHCHR, international organizations, civil society organizations, social movements, and academics.

Welcome

  • Benjamin Müller, Deputy Head, Office of Human Rights Policy, FDFA, Swiss Government

Introduction

  • Michelle Zufferey, Uniterre, La Via Campesina

Moderation

  • Christophe Golay, Senior Research Fellow and Strategic Adviser on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Geneva Academy

Panelists

  • Olivier De Schutter, Member, UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food
  • Nahla Haidar, Member, UN CEDAW Committee
  • Miloon Kothari, President, UPR Info and former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing
  • Ana María Suárez Franco, Permanent Representative in Geneva, FIAN International

Conclusion

  • María Natalia Pacheco Rodríguez, Councellor, Permanent Mission of Bolivia to the UN in Geneva

 Reception

A cocktail will be served at the end of the conference.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

GHRP in Davos News

AI and Human Rights in the Intelligent Age: GHRP in Davos

3 February 2025

The Geneva Human Rights Platform contributed to key discussions on AI, human rights, and sustainable digital governance at the World Economic Forum 2025.

Read more

Human Rights Tiles News

From Signals to Action: Strengthening the UN's Conflict Prevention Efforts

31 March 2025

Our recent research brief series explores how the United Nations' human rights system can enhance its role in early warning and conflict prevention.

Read more

AI for Good Event Event

AI for human rights: Smarter, faster, fairer monitoring

8 July 2025, 14:00-16:00

The event, as part of the AI for Good Summit 2025 will explore how AI tools can support faster data analysis, help uncover patterns in large datasets, and expand the reach of human rights work.

Read more

Local Government Event

Enhancing National Reporting and Implementation of Human Rights through Coordinated Engagement at the Local and Regional Levels: The Role of NMIRFs

23 July 2025, 10:00-17:00

This seminar explores how national mechanisms for implementation, reporting and follow-up can better integrate the capacities, data, and experiences of local and regional governments in advancing human rights implementation and reporting.

Read more

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Booklet Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

7-11 July 2025

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

Read more

Open dump Training

Protecting Human Rights and the Environment

15-19 September 2025

Participants in this training course will gain practical insights into UN human rights mechanisms and their role in environmental protection and learn about how to address the interplay between international human rights and environmental law, and explore environmental litigation paths.

Read more

First annual conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform Project

The Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform

Started in June 2019

Read more

View of a session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

Human Rights Conversations

Started in January 2020

A series of events aimed at discussing contemporary issues and challenges related to the promotion and protection of human rights in Geneva and beyond.

Read more

Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

Read more

Cover Page of Research Brief Publication

United Nations Treaty Body Individual Communications Procedures: What Is at Stake in the Strengthening Process?

published on October 2024

Claire Callejon

Read more