Geneva Academy>
22 September 2023
The two-day Expert Roundtable on Digital Human Rights Tracking Tools and Databases (DHRTTDs) – a collaborative effort between our Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) – attracted key stakeholders from the human rights and technological sectors to exchange around the evolution and sustainability of digital human rights tracking initiatives.
During two days – 14 and 15 September 2023 – more than 30 DHRTTD developers and users representing different permanent missions, national ministries, international and regional organizations, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations and academia delved into the transformation digital tools bring to the human rights landscape.
‘This Expert Roundtable fostered an environment for robust dialogue, collaboration, and strategic thinking. The shared objective was evident: a commitment to advancing human rights monitoring, implementation, and follow-up using innovative digital tools. The discussions and outcomes will shape the trajectory of DHRTTDs on both national and international scales, ensuring they remain effective and indispensable in the pursuit of human rights’ explains Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the Geneva Human Rights Platform.
Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy
Participants discussed the many challenges and opportunities surrounding DHRTTDs’ accessibility, sustainability, and interoperability.
Accessibility took centre stage as participants addressed open and limited access to DHRTTDs, web accessibility for persons with disabilities, and the need for tools available in various global languages. These sub-themes align with the universal principles of human rights, emphasizing the critical role of inclusive participation for accurate data collection and human rights implementation. The essence of inclusivity was further underscored by specific strategies ensuring DHRTTDs cater to the needs of persons with disabilities, as well as the importance of linguistic diversity in these tools.
Sustainability discussions highlighted the long-term viability of these digital tools. Attendees debated coordination in data collection, solutions to staff turnover, techniques to boost user adoption, and the establishment of strong partnerships for consistent support. Investment, funding opportunities, and the integration of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning were also at the forefront of the conversation, considering both the opportunities and ethical considerations they bring.
Interoperability, another key theme, showcased the importance of synergy among various DHRTTDs. Through cooperation initiatives, automated interactions, knowledge-sharing platforms, and a potential roadmap for 2024, participants explored ways to maximize the potential of digital tools for comprehensive data collection and a less fragmented human rights tracking approach.
Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy>
The discussion’s valuable insights and main conclusions will contribute to next year’s GHRP activities as well as to the final report of its one-year study on DHRTTDs:
‘Incorporating these takeaways into future strategic planning will ensure that the human rights community remains agile, informed, and equipped to address the evolving challenges and opportunities of the digital age. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the German Federal Foreign Office for its invaluable support of our initiative on DHRTTDs. The common interest among participants to meet again in 2024, together with the identified takeaways for the future, will serve as guiding beacons, steering our collective efforts towards a more inclusive, effective, and responsive human rights ecosystem’ says Dr Domenico Zipoli, GHRP Project Coordinator.
‘Considering the increasing demand for information flow between various stakeholders and UN and regional human rights mechanisms, we firmly believe that the digitalization of processes related to reporting, monitoring and implementing human rights obligations may become an inevitable step that all, including States, National Human Rights Institutions, and civil society organizations, should contemplate and embrace. In our contemporary world, the use of relevant digital tools has proved to be effective in implementing the human rights agenda as well as in contributing to applying human rights principles such as accountability and participation’ adds Mahamane Cisse Gouro, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division at OHCHR.
Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy
The 2024 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP), held on 5 November at Maison de la Paix, focused on the theme Human Rights System Under Pressure: A Reason to Expand Connectivity.
Geneva Academy
The GHRP’s annual training equipped 19 diplomats with key insights into the UN Human Rights Council’s mechanisms and multilateral processes.
Adobe
This training course will examine how the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have been utilized to advance the concept of business respect for human rights throughout the UN system, the impact of the Guiding Principles on other international organizations, as well as the impact of standards and guidance developed by these different bodies.
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.
The Geneva Human Rights Platform contributes to this review process by providing expert input via different avenues, by facilitating dialogue on the review among various stakeholders, as well as by accompanying the development of a follow-up resolution to 68/268 in New York and in Geneva.
Adobe
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.
Geneva Academy