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18 October 2022, 14:00-19:00
Register start 16 August 2022
Register end 16 October 2022
GHRP Annual Conference
Conny Schneider, Unsplash
Digitalization impacts the realization and enjoyment of human rights. It offers new ways of protection and creates new openings for violations. The mere slogan that what applies offline also applies online is surely not sufficient anymore, if it ever has been.
Over the last three years, the Annual Conferences of the Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP) have been looking at connectivity between human rights actors. This year’s conference will focus on digital connectivity in the field of human rights. This includes a view of the digital connections by and among mechanisms within the human rights system, but also the substantive impacts of digitalization.
How has international human rights law evolved in this area? And what will be the role of the Geneva-based international human rights system to ensure the continuum of protection in a world where for some the dichotomy online-offline is blurring ever more, while others entirely lack access to the benefits of digitalization and any kind of online connectivity?
The conference will focus on those questions in two panels, looking at the implications of being ON and OFF the grid. Going beyond other thematic debates on those issues, we will explore in particular what contributions can be expected from the United Nations (UN) Human Rights mechanisms. How can UN treaty bodies (TBs) expand the interpretation of treaties and conventions, drafted decades ago, into the new reality of connectivity? How can the mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), its Special Procedures, the Advisory Committee or the Council member States via resolutions and the Universal Periodic Review work toward a more comprehensive substantive evaluation and definition of digitalization’s impact, beyond the specific approaches taken so far in some high-visibility areas such as the rights to privacy or to freedom of expression?
The public part of the conference in the afternoon will be preceded by an expert roundtable (upon invitation only) bringing together for the first time representatives of all recently established digital tracking tools for the implementation of international human rights obligations and the recommendations stemming from the international accountability bodies – TBs, HRC Special Procedures and the Universal Periodic Review.
9:00 – 12:30: Expert roundtable on digital human rights tracking tools (upon invitation only)
14:00 – 18:00: Public event
18:00 – 19:00: Reception
Discover the full programme.
Discover the keynote speech by Teki Akuetteh, Executive Director of the Africa Digital Rights’ Hub.
The 2002 Annual Conference is organized in partnership with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Access Now, the Centre for Civil and Political Rights, the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Digital Rights Foundation, HURIDOCS, Impact OSS, the International Service for Human Rights, Poverty Stoplight Privacy International, UPR Info and Voices of Influence Australia,
Welcome and Introduction
Yves Flückiger, Rector of the University of Geneva
Ambassador Jürg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva
Gloria Gaggioli, Director of the Geneva Academy
Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the Geneva Human Rights Platform
Keynote Address
Teki Akuetteh, Executive Director of the Africa Digital Rights’ Hub
Input from the morning expert round-table on digital human rights tracking tools
Lisa Reinsberg, Executive Director of the International Justice Resource Center and Board Member, HURIDOCS
Watch the Plenary Panel 1 of the 2022 GHRP Conference on the development of increasingly advanced digital technologies which has enhanced the capacity of States - as well as the private sector - to conduct surveillance, interception and data collection activities.
Speakers:
Nighat Dad, Executive Director, Digital Rights Foundation and Member of the Facebook Oversight Board
Yuval Shany, Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in Public International Law at Hebrew University
Peggy Hicks, Director, Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures, and Right to Development Division, OHCHR
Moderator: Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the GHRP
This plenary 2 of the Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform discussed possible convergences, complementarities, and best practices concerning available human rights tracking databases and the value of digitalization for a more systemic approach to human rights monitoring and implementation that is also well positioned to contribute to sustainable development.
Beatrice Ferrari, Directrice, Direction des Affaires Internationales, République et Canton de Genève
Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the Geneva Human Rights Platform
Miloon Kothari, Member of the GHRP Advisory Board
News
Adobe
A new working paper, 'AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring', has been published by the Geneva Human Rights Platform.
News
Adobe
Our recent research brief series explores how the United Nations' human rights system can enhance its role in early warning and conflict prevention.
Event
Adobe Stock
This side event represents a critical opportunity to reflect on the innovative approaches taken through the treaty body strengthening process and to consider the future direction of the treaty body system.
Event
Adobe Stock
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.
Training
Participants in this training course will be introduced to the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as international environmental law and its implementation and enforcement mechanisms.
Training
ICRC
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.
Project
UN Photo/Violaine Martin
The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.
Project
Victoria Pickering
This project aims at providing support to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Clément Voulé by addressing emerging issues affecting civic space and eveloping tools and materials allowing various stakeholders to promote and defend civic space.
Publication
Geneva Academy
