Event information

4 September 2025, 18:00-19:30
Register start 25 August 2025
Register end 4 September 2025

Mandates in Dialogue: Strengthening Collaboration Across UN Mechanisms and Academic Institutions

Human Rights Conversations

Special Rapporteur Sign Special Rapporteur Sign

Rationale

In a complex and rapidly evolving global landscape, the work of UN Special Procedures mandates increasingly overlaps thematically and operationally. Strengthening collaboration between mandate holders is essential to address cross-cutting human rights challenges more effectively. Additionally, the support the mandates receive via OHCHR is limited and in times of budgetary and political crisis at the UN in general and the human rights pillar in particular, it is even threatened to shrink.

At the same time, academic institutions and researchers offer critical tools—such as legal analysis, policy briefs, and thematic research—that can directly inform and support the mandates' work. This Human Rights Conversation, co-hosted by the Geneva Human Rights Platform and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, seeks to explore how cross-mandate cooperation can be enhanced, and how academia can play a more strategic and aligned role in supporting mandate holders through evidence-based, policy-relevant contributions, albeit respecting the specific roles of Special Procedures and the rules set by the UN on their functioning.

Objectives

  • Increase understanding of the thematic and operational interlinkages between Special Procedure mandates.
  • Identify concrete opportunities and models for cross-mechanism collaboration.
  • Showcase how academic research and outputs—such as policy briefs and legal analysis—can inform and support the work of mandate holders.
  • Highlight practical examples of academic collaboration, including contributions by fellows supported by RWI or the Geneva Academy
  • Explore avenues for strengthening institutional partnerships between academia and UN Special Procedures.

Speakers

  • Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan
  • Latifa Jafari Alavi, Research Fellow, Raoul Wallenberg Institute
  • Nazila Ghanea, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
  • Erica Harper, Head of Research and Policy Studies, Geneva Academy

Moderation

  • Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director, Geneva Human Rights Platform

Cocktail

The event will be followed by a light cocktail.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

GHRP at LATSIS News

Bridging Human Rights and Data Science at the 2025 Latsis Symposium

22 September 2025

The 2025 Latsis Symposium on Science for Global Development and Humanitarian Action, organized by ETH for Development, gave prominent space to human rights issues.

Read more

MENA Training GHRP News

Strengthening MENA Engagement with UN Human Rights Mechanisms: Second Edition of our Tailored Training

24 July 2025

Participants from six countries across the Middle East and North Africa region joined our customized training on the Geneva-based United Nations human rights mechanisms

Read more

A general view of participants during of the 33nd ordinary session of the Human Rights Council. Training

The Universal Periodic Review and the UN Human Rights System: Raising the Bar on Accountability

10-14 November 2025

This training course will explore the origin and evolution of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its functioning in Geneva and will focus on the nature of implementation of the UPR recommendations at the national level.

Read more

surveillance image of people Project

Human Rights in a Digitalized World: Mapping Risk, Strengthening Regulation and Promoting the Development of International Human Rights Law

Started in August 2023

To unpack the challenges raised by artificial intelligence, this project will target two emerging and under-researched areas: digital military technologies and neurotechnology.

Read more

Madagascar, Miarinarivo district. Women transplanting rice. Project

The Rights of Peasants

Started in May 2008

After having provided academic support to the negotiation of the UN Declaration for ten years, this research project focuses on the implementation of the UN Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas.

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