Event information

24 October 2023, 10:30-12:00

UN Accountability Mechanisms

GHRP Annual Conference

Press briefing by UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine Press briefing by UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine
Switzerland   Germany   ICJ     Oxford

Around the world, fighting impunity and ensuring accountability for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law remains a significant challenge. While the international legal framework has been well established and refined over decades, and robust national laws now exist to address impunity in many jurisdictions, important enforcement gaps remain, particularly at the international level.

The establishment of ad hoc criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda in the 1990s, followed by the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and other ad-hoc criminal tribunals have all contributed to narrowing enforcement gaps around individual criminal responsibility. At the level of state responsibility, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) has taken action to address gross human rights violations in many country situations by establishing both long-term and ad hoc investigative mandates.

However, the existing architecture remains insufficient. Many situations involving widespread or systematic international human rights and humanitarian law violations occur in the territory or under the jurisdiction of states that are not parties to the Rome Statute, and where the International Criminal Court cannot exercise jurisdiction while contemporary political dynamics within the UN Security Council (UNSC) have rendered unlikely the possibility of referring such situations to the Court. One response to such accountability gaps has been the rapid increase in calls by victims’ groups and other stakeholders for UN bodies, including the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the HRC, to create new and innovative mandates whose functions go beyond human rights documentation and reporting, traditionally focused on state responsibility, to include accountability functions. Over the years, these accountability mandates have evolved to include not only the identification of perpetrators, but also the collection, consolidation, and preservation of evidence for use in future legal proceedings, including criminal and administration proceedings, and the preparation of case files to support proceedings in competent jurisdictions–including, where appropriate, cooperating with the International Criminal Court and other international tribunals.

This event – co-organized with the Co-Chairs of the Human Rights Caucus Germany and Switzerland, as well as the International Commission of Jurists and the University of Oxford – will discuss UN accountability mechanisms, including independent investigative mechanisms and commissions of inquiry established by the UNGA and HRC. Panelists will notably address how to maximize their outcomes, the UNGA and UNSC roles in following up on their findings, how to maintain coherence between Geneva and New York, these mechanisms' effectiveness and efficiency, as well as the creation of a standing independent investigative mechanism.

Opening

  • Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director, Geneva Human Rights Platform

Moderation

  • Ian Seiderman, Legal and Policy Director, International Commission of Jurists

Panelists

  • Thomas Zahneisen, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the UN
  • Marta Valiñas, Chairperson of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
  • Catherine Marchi-Uhel, Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism – Syria (IIIM)
  • Federica D’Alessandra, Deputy Director of the Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC), Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Closing Remarks

  • Stephen Rapp, Ambassador, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice and Senior Visiting Fellow of Practice, Blavatnik School of Government

About the Geneva Human Rights Platform Annual Conference

You can find here information about the other panels/events that form part of the 2023 Annual Conference in New York.

This annual flagship public event open to all human rights actors  – diplomats, experts, NGOs, members of UN treaty bodies, Special Rapporteurs, international organizations, National Human Rights Institutions and academics – addresses current issues and challenges in the work of Geneva-based human rights mechanisms.

 

Disclaimer

This event may be filmed, recorded and/or photographed on behalf of the Geneva Academy. The Geneva Academy may use these recordings and photographs for internal and external communications for information, teaching and research purposes, and/or promotion and illustration through its various media channels (website, social media, newsletters, annual report, etc.).

By participating in this event, you are agreeing to the possibility of appearing in the aforementioned films, recordings and photographs, and their subsequent use by the Geneva Academy.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

disops News

Impact of digital disinformation unpacked in new research brief series

9 April 2025

Our new series of Research Briefs examine the impact of digital disinformation and potential solutions for its regulation

Read more

IHL Lab Geneva Academy News

The Geneva IHL Lab: Bridging Theory and Practice

21 May 2025

The Geneva Academy has launched a practice-oriented course designed to equip our Master of Advanced Studies students with skills in open-source research and legal analysis under international humanitarian law.

Read more

Training

Human Rights and the Environment: Introducing Legal Regimes and Key Issues

1-8 September 2025

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.

Read more

Town Hall Meeting Training

Localizing International Human Rights

8-10 October 2025

This training course, specifically designed for staff of city and regional governments, will explore the means and mechanisms through which local and regional governments can interact with and integrate the recommendations of international human rights bodies in their concrete work at the local level.

Read more

Panel Discussion: Project

Treaty Body Members’ Platform

Started in January 2014

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 and develop synergies.

Read more

Online folders Project

Digital Human Rights Tracking Tools and Databases

Started in March 2023

This initiative wishes to contribute to better and more coordinated implementation, reporting and follow-up of international human rights recommendations through a global study on digital human rights tracking tools and databases.

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2024

published on July 2025

Read more