Research Provides Critical Insights to Understand the Impact of Interventions by UN Special Procedures

16 January 2023

United Nations (UN) Special Procedures are a unique mechanism of independent expert advice and monitoring in the UN human rights system. Less bound by governmental considerations or institutional constraints, they are today the most outspoken players in the system be it on thematic issues or country situations.

Our new working paper Assessment Tool for Special Procedures' Impact Evaluation – Developing an Initial Framework authored by Dr Jonathan Andrews examines how to further develop methodologies to appraise their impact, and which resources might most effectively be deployed to further their work in promoting and protecting human rights.

‘This working paper – which builds on an initial paper published back in 2021 – is part of our initiative that supports the work of UN Special Procedures. It forms part of our work that supports the functioning of the UN human rights system and contributes to a better appreciation of the effectiveness of UN Special Procedures mandates’ explains Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the Geneva Human Rights Platform.

‘We will discuss, throughout 2023, with a number of mandate holders and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights secretariat to see how our findings could be integrated into their monitoring of UN Special Procedures’ impact he adds.

From Impact Assessments to New Metrics and Tools to Measure Impact

Monitoring and impact assessment involves the regular and systematic assessment of performance, which provides an understanding of the progress of a mandate's programme in relation to planned results from activities.

‘This new publication provides many insights into how impact assessment can assist in identifying issues that may require decisions, actions and interventions to either accelerate progress on existing objectives or respond to new challenges for a particular mandate. Furthermore, the research also highlights scope for longer term strategic planning and capacity building to provide metrics and tools for measuring gains made in human rights advocacy through different interventions’ says the author Dr Jonathan Andrew.

The publication also provides further guidance, by way of recommendations, which can assist mandates as they consider future objectives. In the medium to long term, the research determined that UN Special Procedures should consider how their operations will best be able to exploit advances in information and communication technologies capabilities to facilitate reporting and dissemination of their activities.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

Aerial view of the European Court of Human Rights News

The Geneva Academy Will Intervene as a Third Party in the Case Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia

27 March 2023

The Geneva Academy has been granted leave by the European Court of Human Rights to intervene as a third-party – along with 26 governments – in the Inter-State case Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia

Read more

video camera on a tripod News

The Geneva Academy in 2023: 10 Things to Watch

13 February 2023

2023 will be a busy year for us. Discover what we are up to and some topical issues we will address and work on via our research, Geneva Human Rights Platform and master’s programmes.

Read more

Portrait of Magistrate Roberto Vidal Event

Taking Stock of Five Years of Work at the Special Jurisdiction for Peace: Challenges and Achievements

31 March 2023, 18:30-20:00

In this discussion co-organized with the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the UN in Geneva, the President of Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace Magistrate Roberto Vidal will discuss the challenges and achievements of this body.

Read more

Garment workersto receive food from their factory during lunch time. This food is freely provided by their factory in order to ensure that workers eat healthy and hygienic food. Training

Business and Human Rights

4-8 September 2023

This training course will focus on the most efficient human rights mechanisms – at national and international levels – to promote and protect human rights in the private sector and address corporations’ human rights abuses.

Read more

Open dump Training

Protecting Human Rights and the Environment

11-15 September 2023

This training course will explore the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as with their implementation and enforcement mechanisms; and provide practical insights into the different UN human rights mechanisms pertinent to advancing environmental issues and protecting environmental human rights defenders.

Read more

Project

Follow-up Review Pilot Series

Started in November 2021

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

Cover of the publication Publication

The Emergence of Digital Human Rights Tracking Tools and Databases

published on March 2023

Domenico Zipoli

Read more