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Geneva Academy Hosts the AHRI Annual Conference 2026

On 4-6 November 2026, the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, through its Geneva Human Rights Platform, hosted the Annual Conference of the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI) in Geneva. The conference, titled Enduring Contributions and Challenges: The 60-Year and 20-Year Legacies of the International Covenants and the Human Rights Council, marked the 60th anniversary of the ICCPR and the ICESCR and the 20th anniversary of the UN Human Rights Council.

Co-organised with the Geneva Graduate Institute, the University of Geneva and the Global Campus of Human Rights, the hybrid conference brought together over 200 scholars, practitioners, diplomats, UN representatives and civil society actors, in person and online.

Opening Conference

The conference was formally opened on the evening of 4 November 2026 at the Maison de la Paix. Paola Gaeta and Frédéric Bernard, Co-Presidents of the Geneva Academy, welcomed the participants, before the floor was given to Geneva State Councillor Nathalie Fontanet, whose presence lent the occasion particular distinction. Davide Rodogno of the Geneva Graduate Institute, Sébastien Castelltort of the University of Geneva and Frans Viljoen, Chair of AHRI, completed the opening remarks.

The commemorative keynote addresses were then delivered by Professor Maya Hertig (University of Geneva) and by a distinguished line-up of voices from the United Nations human rights system. Changrok Soh, Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee, and Preeti Saran, Chairperson of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, each paid tribute to the 60th anniversary of their Committee and its Covenant, while Mahamane Cissé-Gouro, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division at OHCHR, addressed the gathering on behalf of the Office. A networking cocktail closed the evening.

Rich Discussion

On 5 and 6 November, Villa Barton hosted 29 parallel panels across four thematic tracks:

  • Track 1: 60 Years of Covenant Rights, covering economic, social and cultural rights in conflict zones, the Covenants in the digital age, the right to education under Article 13 of the ICESCR, indivisibility, armed conflict, intersectionality, gender, and Indigenous and minority rights
  • Track 2: International, Regional and Local Dimensions of Covenant Rights, including Covenant implementation in Asia and Afghanistan, cross-system dialogue between international and regional courts, regional human rights systems, civil society monitoring, and national-level implementation
  • Track 3: Norms to Accountability: The UN Human Rights Council and its Supervisory Mechanisms, exploring Special Procedures, the Universal Periodic Review, the Council as an accountability actor, treaty body case law, fact-finding and investigations, and the confidential complaint procedure
  • Track 4: The Covenants and the Council: Beyond 60 and 20, addressing democratic backsliding, arts and humanities perspectives, non-state actors, and the future of the Covenants

Discussions drew on contributions from universities and institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America, and on the perspectives of UN experts, diplomats and civil society organisations.

Cross-Regional and Interdisciplinary Dialogue

The programme highlighted how Covenant rights are interpreted, localised and enforced across regional and national systems, from the African, Inter-American and European systems to ASEAN and South Asia. Panels also considered emerging challenges, including artificial intelligence and neurotechnology, climate change, cyberwarfare, satellite evidence and delegated decision-making in automated systems. Presentations by a mix of early-career and established researchers contributed to a truly global exchange.

A dedicated panel on interdisciplinary master’s programmes in human rights, with contributions from the Global Campus of Human Rights and member institutions, reflected AHRI’s role as a network for human rights education and research.

Closing Conference

The conference concluded on 6 November at Uni Mail, with Dr Nathalie Herlemont, Executive Director of the Geneva Academy, as master of ceremonies. After an intervention by the Swiss Human Rights Institution, a plenary panel, Enduring and Evolving: The Covenants and the Human Rights Council, moderated by Frédéric Bernard, brought together Professor Andrew Clapham (Geneva Graduate Institute), Professor Gloria Gaggioli (University of Geneva), Mona Rishmawi (UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan), George Ulrich (Global Campus of Human Rights) and Frans Viljoen (University of Pretoria and AHRI).

Professor Vincent Chetail (Geneva Graduate Institute) delivered the closing keynote address. Closing remarks were given by Manfred Nowak (University of Vienna and Global Campus of Human Rights), Magnus Killander, Executive Secretary of AHRI, and the Geneva Academy Co-Presidents. The AHRI General Assembly for member representatives was held earlier that afternoon.

Looking Ahead

The conference provided a forum to take stock of six decades of the International Covenants and two decades of the Human Rights Council, and to reflect on how both can respond to present and future challenges. Selected papers will be published on the Geneva Academy website as a collection of working papers, making the conference’s contributions available to a wider audience.

The conference was financially supported by the Canton of Geneva, the Fonds général de l’Université de Genève, COMAD, the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva, the Société académique de Genève (SACAD) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (FNS).