Campaign Archives - OURs - The Observatory of the Universality of Rights

SRI is hiring an Advocacy Advisor

The Sexual Rights Initiative (SRI) is hiring an Advocacy Advisor who will report to the Senior Representative of the SRI to the UN in Geneva.

Candidate Profile (Excerpt)

A minimum of 3 years experience in legal and policy analysis and advocacy on human rights, including reproductive and sexual rights issues
A degree in a related field such as: Human Rights; Political Science; Law; International Development; Public Health and Health Policy (an advanced degree would be considered an asset)
Strong knowledge of global and regional human rights mechanisms and instruments.
Knowledge of international agreements relevant to sexual and reproductive health and rights
Knowledge of relevant international organizations especially the United Nations and its specialized agencies
Strong understanding of and demonstrated commitment to reproductive and sexual rights and health
Experience working with government officials, particulary diplomats and foreign ministry officials
Preference will be given to applications from the Global South

Responsibilities (Excerpt)

Monitor events, developments and initiatives within the Geneva UN Human Rights mechanisms
Develop working relations and promote collaboration with UN agencies and other NGOs
support SRI’s work at the Human Rights Council, the Universal Periodic Review mechanism, the Treaty Monitoring Bodies, and Special Procedures
Serve as a secondary contact point for the SRI in Geneva
Assist with the design, planning and running of events in Geneva

To apply, please send cover letter, CV and 3 references to jobs@srigeneva.com with subject line “SRI Advocacy Advisor Application” by close of business on Tuesday 18 April, 2017.

For the detailed job description visit Sexual Rights Initiative.

IDAHOT & IFED 2017

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia: A Worldwide Celebration of Sexual and Gender Diversities

IDAHOT 2017 will Focus on Families. This focus includes both

The role of families in the well-being of their LGBTIQ members
The respect of the rights of LGBTIQ families (rainbow families)

We also of course want to use this focus issue to counter the reclaiming of family values by conservatives.

We hope that this focus issue on families will
Strengthen the visibility and voice of LGBTIQ parents
Strengthen the visibility and voice of Rainbow families and lead to advances in recognition and rights
Strengthen the visibility and voice of children of LGBTIQ parents, and possibly strengthen the structuring of their nascent movement
Reclaim “family values” in a progressive understanding
Facilitate alliances with progressive family organisations

Given the proximity in dates and values of the International Family Equality Day (IFED), early May, we have taken the very natural and exciting decision to combine IFED and IDAHOT in 2017.
The IDAHOT will of course remain open to any other initiatives, either around other aspects related to Families, or on other issues. As always, the focus issue constitutes a possible entry point for mobilisation, advocacy and alliance building, but only if this is relevant for each stakeholder.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #IDAHOT #IFED2017

Protection of the Rights of the Child and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Call for Inputs

Your contributions are invited for the report of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the protection of the rights of the child in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In formulating your inputs, you are invited to consider, as appropriate, the following questions:

What key lessons learned from the experience of implementing the Millennium Development Goals should be taken into account to ensure that the rights of the child are protected in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?
What approaches to implementing the 2030 Agenda would ensure the protection of the rights of all children, and that no child is left behind? Please define your response in relation to the following areas:
Equality and non-discrimination
Investing in children
Partnerships for implementation
Accountability and monitoring
Other relevant considerations

Please send inputs (max. 5 pages) by 17 October 2016 to: childrights@ohchr.org and registry@ohchr.org

UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women in Law and in Practice: Call for Inputs

In accordance with its mandate, the UN Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice will prepare a compendium on “good practices” in eliminating discrimination and empowering women. Given the centrality of the law to the Working Group’s mandate, the report will focus on the processes by which laws that support women’s equality and enjoyment of human rights come into being and are implemented in ways that support women’s enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In this regard, the UN Working Group would like to invite stakeholders to contribute to its research by submitting information as per the following questionnaire available in English, French and Spanish.

The questionnaire intends to solicit information on how a specific law aimed at addressing discrimination against women and promoting women’s substantive equality has come into being, was effectively implemented (I), and what impacts the law has had for women on the ground (II).

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) clearly establishes State obligation to respect, protect and fulfill women’s human rights, ensuring the de facto enjoyment of those rights by women. CEDAW’s framework is founded on the principle of substantive equality, which requires States to take active measures to not only eliminate laws and practices that directly discriminate against women, but to create an environment in which women’s rights can be fulfilled. Good practices in the promotion of women’s human rights thus require a holistic approach that addresses both the causes and consequences of discrimination, and aim at social transformation.

Recognizing the aspiration of the Working Group to better understand the processes and elements which contribute to build “good practices” in legislation and its implementation the Working Group requests that you provide detailed information on at least one law adopted in a State that has been successfully implemented in that it has had a notably substantial impact on eliminating discrimination against women in the specific area related to that law and has enhanced women’s enjoyment of their human rights in your national context, such that you consider it a “good practice.” Processes of substantive change often take place over a period of many years, so the law need not be new: this survey should focus on a law whose impact has been substantiated and the impacts of which are still being seen.

The UN Working Group notes that various individuals and organizations may wish to develop documents and reports of consultations for submission for consideration. In accordance with the established practice of mandate-holders, the UN Working Group welcomes all relevant submissions that NGOs and other stakeholders may wish to present for its consideration. These submissions should be sent towgdiscriminationwomen@ohchr.org.

The deadline for submissions is 12 September 2016.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women: Call for Submissions

The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Dubravka Šimonović took up function as Special Rapporteur on 1 August 2015 and intends to, inter alia, focus on the legal and policy frameworks of her mandate and the international human rights mechanisms to discuss the gap in incorporating and implementing the international and regional standards related to violence against women.

The Special Rapporteur considers that the discussion on the adequacy of the international legal framework on violence against women initiated by the former mandate holder¹should continue and she wishes to secure views from different stakeholders, including States, National Human Rights Institutions, Non-governmental organizations, as well as members of academia.

Taking into consideration the important role that different stakeholders play in reinforcing universal human rights standards, she would be very interested to receive input and views on the following questions:

Do you consider that there is a need for a separate legally binding treaty on violence against women with its separate monitoring body?
Do you consider that there is an incorporation gap of the international or regional human rights norms and standards?
Do you believe that there is a lack of implementation of the international and regional legislation into the domestic law?
Do you think that there is a fragmentation of policies and legislation to address gender-based violence?
Could you also provide your views on measures needed to address this normative and implementation gap and to accelerate prevention and elimination of violence against women?

All submissions should be sent by 1 October 2016 to vaw@ohchr.org.

CEDAW: Call for Comments on General Recommendation 19

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women is currently updating its General Recommendation No. 19: “25 years of CEDAW General Recommendation No. 19 (1992): Accelerating efforts on gender based violence against women”.

At its sixty-fourth session, the Committee decided to invite all interested parties to submit comments in writing on the “Draft update of General Recommendation No. 19” (to be indicated in the subject title) to the following email address: cedaw@ohchr.org

After a thorough and due consideration of comments provided, only the Committee will decide on the contents of the final version of the update of General Recommendation No. 19.

All submissions :

Must be submitted in one of the working languages of the Committee – English, French or Spanish;
Must be submitted in WORD format;
Must be submitted in one single document indicating precisely the paragraphs on which comments are being made;
Must not exceed a maximum of 5 pages for all comments made;
Should be written in a concise and focused style;
Will not be translated;
Will be posted on the CEDAW web page devoted to the draft update of General Recommendation No. 19.

Deadline:

Comments must be submitted by 30 September 2016.

Global Day of Action Against Racism and for the Rights of Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People

Opening borders and welcoming those who flee war and misery, searching for a better future is an answer to the terror and fear sown by terrorists’ bombs.

Instead, many Nations in the North of the planet, along with the mass media, feed into this terror and fear, transforming migrants and refugees into the enemy from whom we must protect ourselves, and then sealing and militarizing their borders even more.

Opening borders is an answer that could foster the creation of true solidarity between those who were born in a particular land and those who arrived there from elsewhere; solidarity based on the affirmation of a society in which there are rights for all persons.

The final assembly of the 2010 World Social Forum on Migration called for a Global Day of Action. Our aim is to continue to give visibility to all initiatives taking place throughout the world that demonstrate against racism and promote human and civil rights for migrants, refugees, and displaced people.

Because asserting their rights means asserting the rights of all men and women!

International Women Human Rights Defenders Day

Defending Women Defending Rights is an international campaign launched in 2004 for the recognition and protection of women human rights defenders who are activists advocating for the realization of all human rights for all people.

The campaign asserts that women fighting for human rights and all activists defending women’s rights face specific violations as a result of their advocacy or their gender. November 29^th is a day of recognition for women human rights defenders, and it is a day to commemorate activism, advocacy and courageous acts of resistance. The campaign focuses on defense of rights and the impact of abuses by state and non-state actors (including family and community members), the rise in militarism and fundamentalisms, and the many ways defenders are targeted because of sexuality, including the perception of being lesbian or gay.

For more information, check the women human rights defender campaign website athttp://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org/ for videos, action alerts, reports, and other materials you can use to celebrate International Women Human Rights Defenders Day in your community.

Global Day of Action for Safe and Legal Abortion

The Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion forms part of the campaign activities undertaken by the International Campaign for Women’s Right to Safe Abortion, that aims to build an international movement to promote universal access to safe, legal abortion as a women’s health and human rights issue.

As part of the International Campaign, WGNRR engages in September 28 annual campaigning activities, conducted by Campaign and WGNRR members, as well as allies around the world.

September 28 has been a regional campaign for decriminalisation of abortion in Latin America and Caribbean for nearly twenty years before being taken on by SRHR activists all over the world as a Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion in 2011.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991.

Participants chose the dates November 25- International Day Against Violence Against Women- and December 10- International Human Rights Day- in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights.

This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. The 16 Days Campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by:

raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels
strengthening local work around violence against women
establishing a clear link between local and international work to end violence against women
providing a forum in which organizers can develop and share new and effective strategies
demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women
creating tools to pressure governments to implement promises made to eliminate violence against women