International Institutions

United States Mission Geneva/Flickr (NC BY-ND 2.0)

From the United Nations to the World Health Organization these institutions provide an important foundation, legitimacy, and universality to the human rights movement. But many of these institutions are also political bodies, challenged by bureaucracy, power imbalances, and the movement of global geopolitics. These articles explore the opportunities international institutions provide and the challenges they face in protecting and upholding human rights and justice.

Explore collections on:

Treaty Body Reform

The International Criminal Court

Sustainable Development Goals

March 11, 2024

The UN Cybercrime Convention is on pause for now—but its threat to human rights remains

The pause in negotiations on the proposed convention provides an opportunity to narrow its scope and ensure a rights-respecting approach to combating cybercrime.

By Ellie McDonald

Español

March 6, 2024

The criminalization of human rights

A focus on “atrocity crimes” and criminal behavior obscures the need to develop more complex and comprehensive human rights approaches.

By Philip Alston

Español

February 23, 2024

The Climate Fund case: The fundamental right to a healthy environment and climate protection in Brazil

The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court has played an increasingly significant role in fighting climate change. In a recent ruling, the court decided that the Brazilian ...

By Ingo Wolfgang Sarlet & Tiago Fensterseifer

Español

February 15, 2024

Transforming climate advocacy: Lessons learned from COP28

Human rights language and frameworks underscore the intersectionality of the climate crisis as well as states’ accountability and should be central to climate change ...

By Natika Kantaria

Español

February 1, 2024

The end of the beginning: General Assembly recognition of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment

The UN Human Rights Council’s recognition of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a political declaration that paves the way to establishing ...

By Marc Limon

Español

January 22, 2024

The failures of the UN in the Israel-Palestine conflict

Structural power imbalances in the UN system have prevented it from halting Israel’s ongoing war crimes against Gazans. Individual states and civil society must ...

By Susan M. Akram

Español

January 15, 2024

The right to a healthy environment joins the pantheon of human rights

The UN General Assembly has recognized the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment with near unanimity.

By John Knox

Español

November 15, 2023

Transforming global aid architecture to leave no one behind

To drive urgent progress on Sustainable Development Goals, states must prioritize civil society recommendations for effective development finance.

By Daniela Sepulveda

Español

October 27, 2023

Changes in national human rights systems: The NHRI–NMIRF dynamic

With the proliferation of national government structures that report to human rights bodies, the complementary role of independent rights monitoring institutions ...

By Sébastien Lorion & Rachel Murray

Español

October 25, 2023

Gender matters: A plea to National Human Rights Institutions worldwide

To address social harm across institutions, National Human Rights Institutions must attend to the gendered dynamics that shape everyday violence and structural ...

By Andrew M. Jefferson & Micah Grzywnowicz

Español

October 17, 2023

Shaming campaigns as a human rights tool

Shaming human rights abusers is an effective advocacy method, but it must be used preventatively.

By José Kaire

Español

October 10, 2023

Now is the time to challenge harmful austerity in the Euro-Mediterranean region

The upcoming annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank mark a crucial opportunity to center regional civil society voices on the human rights impact of austerity ...

By Frederik Johannisson

Español

September 24, 2023

The Maastricht Principles: Safeguarding the human rights of future generations

The Maastricht Principles represent a crucial step in defending the environment and securing the human rights of future generations.

By Sandra Liebenberg

Español

September 5, 2023

Compliance with UN treaty body decisions: A glass one-third full or two-thirds empty?

Despite accounts of backlash against the international human rights system, research on state compliance shows cause for optimism.

By Andreas Johannes Ullmann

Español

June 7, 2023

'A promise of human freedom': Synergies between the right to freedom of religion or belief and LGBTQI+ rights

The oppression of religious minorities often goes hand in hand with discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

By Marie Juul Petersen & Dmytro Vovk

Español

April 27, 2023

What would a new Cold War between China and the US mean for human rights?

The Chinese government’s impact on the international human rights regime is not well documented and a recommitment from the US to human rights is not fully clear ...

By Daniel Braaten

Español

March 27, 2023

To renew the International Criminal Court, look to the regional rights institutions

The ICC can do better by learning from regional human rights institutions.

By Jamie O'Connell & James Cavallaro

Español

March 21, 2023

A seat at the table: Shifting narratives on human rights defenders at the United Nations

Stories told at the UN about human rights defenders have a major impact on how they are perceived and supported on the ground.

By Sophie Mulphin & Tom Clarke

Español

October 14, 2022

The gold standard of the Lima Programme

What’s next for the Lima Programme, a two-year work program created during COP20 to advance gender-responsive climate policies.

By Freya Doughty

Español

September 20, 2022

Lessons from the pandemic: Building a movement for global public investment

There is a window of opportunity to move toward a model of financing based on Global Public Investment (GPI) to advance health and other social rights.

By Alicia Ely Yamin & Joel Curtain

Español

September 16, 2022

Revitalizing the UN human rights treaty bodies through regionalization

Five reasons why the proposal to regionalize treaty body meetings would work.

By Marcia V. J. Kran & Shelley Inglis

Español

August 31, 2022

Can action coalitions advance the gender equality agenda?

The Kenyan government has illustrated the critical role of Action Coalitions as the co-lead of the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence.

By Mmabatho Motsamai & Carol Werunga & Jean Kemitare

Español Français

August 30, 2022

The 1968 United Nations debate on human rights and tech

The nexus between human rights and tech is more foundational to the evolution of the international human rights legal project than we normally think.

By Steven L. B. Jensen

Español العربية Français

August 23, 2022

How can international human rights law protect those who identify as non-binary?

The term “non-binary” has entered some UN reports and media, but there is still a lack of recognition of this identity in human rights law.

By Raymond A. Smith

Español

August 16, 2022

At the UN, states and anti-rights actors join forces to push back against gender justice

At the latest Human Rights Council session, anti-rights language started making its way into some resolutions under discussion.

By Umyra Ahmad

Español Français

July 2, 2022

A word of advice to the next High Commissioner for Human Rights: engage with UN human rights experts

Michelle Bachelet will not seek a second term as High Commissioner for Human Rights, kicking off a race to find a suitable replacement.

By Vincent Ploton

Español Français العربية

June 30, 2022

Addressing the climate crisis: how Pacific youth voices can change climate governance

The continual failure of governments to adequately address the climate crisis constitutes a violation of children’s rights and Pacific youth know this better than ...

By Johanna Gusman

Español

June 29, 2022

Egalité? Not in France’s refugee policy

For a country whose founding universalist principles are imbued with humanitarian rhetoric, it’s astounding how egregiously égalité has been violated.

By Jacqueline Parisi

Español

June 23, 2022

Putting people and the planet at the helm of transformative climate action

For many Global South activists and communities, the pledges and actions agreed upon at COP26 were too late, inadequate, and exclusive.

By Marisa Hutchinson & Jhannel Tomlinson

Español

May 12, 2022

Private equity and children’s care homes: a socially responsible investment?

The operation of care facilities for vulnerable children by private-equity backed companies poses threats to human rights.

By Claire Methven O’Brien & Rebekah Wilson

Español

May 3, 2022

The right to health in the Global South: between epidemiology and the pharmaceutical industry

Despite Big Pharma's decisive role in the transformation of the right to health, it continues to play a secondary role in the literature.

By Everaldo Lamprea Montealegre

Español

April 29, 2022

Addressing the threat that mines pose to civilians in Ukraine

While it is imperative that parties to the conflict must stop using landmines, we are also faced with the question of how to respond when they do not.

By Kathryn Hampton

Español Українська

April 21, 2022

Radical uncertainty and human rights

We would do better to deepen our understanding of human rights as a kind of reference narrative that can help to guide decision-making in the face of radical uncertainty.

By Garth Meintjes

Español

April 11, 2022

Vaccine inequity deepens structural racial discrimination

Institutional failures enabling global COVID inequity can also deepen structural discrimination.

By Ohene Ampofo-Anti & Camila Barretto Maia & Joshua Castellino & Pillkyu Hwang

Español Français العربية

March 21, 2022

Justice for Miskito divers: a turning point for business and human rights standards from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights

For the first time in its history, the Court explicitly stipulates clear business and human rights standards to be met by states and companies.

By Maysa Zorob & Hector Candray

Español Français

March 18, 2022

The case for shadow boards in human rights organizations

The human rights movement needs new ways of working which may even sound a little far-fetched.

By Dominique Calañas

Español

March 16, 2022

Why current events in Ukraine (should) raise questions about refugees in Greece

The current expressions of solidarity by various European countries towards refugees from Ukraine should reignite the discourse about Europe’s response to refugees ...

By Mimi Hapig

Español

March 14, 2022

IMF and human rights through art

The video documentary series on "IMF and Human Rights" and the podcast "Promise is Debt" are political and cultural tools to limit the control of finance over our ...

By Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky & Francisco Cantamutto & María Julia Eliosoff Ferrero & Ana Fraile

Español

March 11, 2022

Human rights and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine: an alternative proposal

Putin’s aggression requires a human rights strategy that accounts for existing power relationships, and attempts to steer the balance in the direction of peace.

By Koldo Casla

Español

February 11, 2022

A case against U.S. liberal internationalism nostalgia

A new book revisits ATS litigation, suggesting that the retreat of the U.S. judicial system from its commitment to international human rights has positive implications.

By Natalie R. Davidson

Español

January 26, 2022

Is the current rights framework sufficient to protect the stateless?

Here’s how the existing human rights framework confronts statelessness and the gaps that remain.

By Anne Lauder

Español

January 19, 2022

When did it become illegal to defend human rights?

In the age of the internet, online human rights activism needs to be supported—and protected—as a vital part of the cybercommunications ecosystem.

By Laurel E. Fletcher & Khalid Ibrahim

Español

December 10, 2021

This Human Rights Day, the need to affirm the indivisibility of rights has never been greater

As the COVID-19 pandemic approaches the end of its second year, the importance of reaffirming this principle is clear.

By Jonathan Cohen & Sofia Gruskin

Español

November 19, 2021

How emotion recognition software strengthens dictatorships and threatens democracies

Given that the idea of using emotion recognition technology as a tool of governance is an entirely flawed premise, a ban makes the most sense.

By James Jennion

Español

November 18, 2021

The will and the way: keys for human rights improvement

Neither state capacity nor elite willingness are sufficient on their own to improve compliance with human rights norms.

By Alejandro Anaya Muñoz & Amanda Murdie

Español

November 14, 2021

What Chile can learn from South Africa about social rights

The Chilean Constitutional Convention should give careful thought to how to strengthen the relationship between social rights and the right to equality and non-discrimination.

By Sandra Liebenberg

Español

November 5, 2021

What’s missing in climate lawsuits of the future?

A human rights-based approach should always ask who is affected and how by certain climate mitigation measures.

By Miriam Saage-Maaß

Español Deutsch

November 4, 2021

Solving the climate crisis together: a message to the delegates at COP26

Restrictions on civil society undermine climate mitigation efforts and impede the collaboration that is so crucial to slowing the climate crisis over the next decade.

By Eszter Hartay & Ivana Rosenzweigova

Español

October 25, 2021

Haitian migration through the Western hemisphere: a racial (in)justice analysis

A transnational racial justice lens is essential to understand recent Haitian migration through the Americas, but also to develop any future policy responses.

By S. Priya Morley

Español

October 20, 2021

The urgent need for policy coherence to achieve rights-respecting climate action

Legal action should not substitute a holistic approach to green transition.

By Els Heile

Español

October 18, 2021

History shows that UN country-specific Special Procedures are tools for positive change

History has shown that despite strong opposition to Special Procedures, they have been valuable mechanisms for catalyzing positive changes at the local level.

By Mariana Montoya & Marc Limon

Français Español

October 15, 2021

Moving fast on climate: the urgent need to tackle short-lived climate pollutants in Latin America and the Caribbean

The human rights framework can buttress the responses needed to address the emergency, providing tools to guarantee human dignity and the right to a healthy environment.

By Viviana Krsticevic

Español

October 6, 2021

The UN Human Rights Council dithers while Earth Burns

It is essential to translate human rights principles and standards into practicable pragmatic measures that can provide that coherence, legitimacy, and sustainability.

By Peter Splinter

Español

October 1, 2021

The challenges of sharing the unknown history of the South African constitution

A new online archive and exhibition tells the little-known stories and behind-the-scenes challenges of the country's constitution.

By Lauren Segal & Lwando Xaso

Español Français

September 24, 2021

From the domestic to the international: Jamaica’s 1961 human rights policy

How the domestic trends of human rights policy in the Global South can provide a deeper understanding of modern international rights practice

By Steven L. B. Jensen

Español Français

September 20, 2021

Replacing monopolies with impact rewards

Impact funds would make the business of innovation more cost-effective and enable a triple win for the potential beneficiaries of innovations.

By Thomas Pogge

Español Deutsch Français Italiano

September 17, 2021

More than a united kingdom: how Botswana became a powerful example for human rights in Africa

While some economists and political scientists praise Botswana as a ‘success story’, the country provides more than just a tale of growth and stability.

By James Kirby

Français Español

September 13, 2021

The moral test of vaccine justice

The forces arrayed against vaccine justice—monopolies, charity, and individualism—stand in the way of a just response to other shared global problems.

By Jonathan Cohen

Español Français

September 10, 2021

Women and the UN: a new history of women’s international human rights

Critical human rights theory has problematized the dominant narrative of European, western male rights.

By Rebecca Adami & Dan Plesch

Español العربية Français

September 9, 2021

The vitality of human rights in turbulent times

If attention is directed towards the dynamism of social movements and human rights activism around the world, a different set of views of the cathedral emerges.

By Gráinne de Burca

Español

September 1, 2021

The forgotten Islamic human rights document

It is important to look at the CDHR as a symbolic document rather than a human rights instrument.

By Nora Noralla

Español العربية

August 30, 2021

Three ways to change our “digital future”

The digital world needs to be shared with and understood by the public in order to define together what our “collective digital rights” are.

By Bibbi Abruzzini & Sanaâ Nadir & Yohan Cambet

Español Français Italiano

July 30, 2021

New regime, new patriarchy: the İstanbul Convention at stake

The withdrawal decision is the most recent step on the part of the ruling circles in their policy practices against gender equality, mostly based on Islamic moralistic ...

By Simten Coşar

Türkçe Español

July 28, 2021

The inflated cost of defending human rights

The impact of lockdowns has been costly in more ways than one.

By Meredith Veit

Español Français Português हिन्दी Русский

July 26, 2021

A call to the human rights movement for going broader and refining the interdisciplinary tools to push for dignity

Increasing the breadth of actors involved in the common platform of fundamental rights ideals would strengthen the human rights movement’s ability to hold its ground ...

By Viviana Krsticevic

Español

July 21, 2021

The urgency of combating stigmatization and criminalization of human rights defenders

We should continue to advocate for imprisoned HRDs whose rights have been most restricted, as well as focus on preventative protection to ensure that their conditions ...

By Meredith Veit

Español Português हिन्दी Français Русский

July 14, 2021

Risking your life for human rights during a pandemic

Limitations on fundamental freedoms have been purposely and disproportionately used against activists who have refused to put their work on pause.

By Meredith Veit

Español Français हिन्दी Português Русский

July 9, 2021

What the French Revolution can tell us about the history of social rights

Achieving a consensus on the terms of social obligation in a society based on equality is both complex and extremely important.

By Charles Walton

Español العربية Français

July 7, 2021

Future’s past: in search of human rights histories

A new series explores different approaches to the temporalities of human rights history and how this relates to their past, present, and future

By Steven L. B. Jensen

Español Français العربية

June 23, 2021

What do we really talk about when we talk about human rights?

The greatest value of international human rights law has been as a language for people, communities, and social movements to use to demand respect for their human ...

By James Silk

Español

June 12, 2021

Secrecy, brand vaccines, and non-cooperation in the access to COVID in Latin America

If we add the usual policy of transnational pharmaceutical companies to the usual policy of how developed countries operate, we begin to see why regions like Latin ...

By Tatiana Andia Rey

Español

June 12, 2021

Mobilizing international human rights to challenge coronavirus vaccine apartheid

Beyond the looming humanitarian and moral catastrophe of COVID-19, lie opportunities for mobilizing international human rights law to compel states to take action, ...

By Jackie Dugard & Jeff Handmaker & Bruce Porter

Español

June 12, 2021

Vaccine apartheid: global inequities in Covid-19 vaccine production and distribution

An ‘every-country-for-itself’ approach is irrational and even counterproductive, yet that is exactly what has happened.

By Jayati Ghosh

Español

June 12, 2021

Human rights responses against vaccine apartheid

In this OGR Up Close, a series of distinguished authors go beyond denouncing the vaccine apartheid. They advocate solutions that address the current health emergency ...

By César Rodríguez-Garavito

Español

June 2, 2021

British U-turn on torture shows how human rights advocacy can work

The UK looked set to undermine the international prohibition against torture, but relentless campaigning and shaming forced a change.

By Frank Foley

Español

May 28, 2021

What the IMF and neoliberals can learn from human rights

Human rights have the power and mandate to challenge the orthodox economic policies that the IMF promotes.

By Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky & Francisco Cantamutto

Español

May 17, 2021

The urgent need for a new agenda of change in international human rights law

Human rights law needs to evolve in order to meet the challenges and reconceptualized international law and institutions of this moment.

By David Kaye

Español

March 15, 2021

Building sustainable revenue in community-based organizations: case studies from legal empowerment organizations

Here are several social enterprise models that legal empowerment organizations have experimented with and that align with the values and work of many frontline ...

By Matthew Burnett & Connor Smith

Español

March 10, 2021

Building sustainable revenue in community-based organizations: lessons from the legal empowerment field

The Open Society Foundation shares key lessons from its work supporting organizations that are experimenting with earned income models.

By Matthew Burnett & Connor Smith

Español

February 26, 2021

America’s re-engagement with the Human Rights Council: remember Resolution 43/1

How the USA deals with the process launched with resolution 43/1 will speak volumes about how it intends to engage with the Human Rights Council.

By Peter Splinter

February 22, 2021

How NGOs in the Global South are developing strategies for protecting asylum-seekers at a time of human rights retrenchment

At a time when many refugee-receiving nations have ignored their international obligation to protect those fleeing persecution, constitutionalized human rights ...

By Stephen Meili

Español

January 28, 2021

To maximize donations, emphasize needs, not rights

While many NGOs emphasize human rights in their appeals to raise money, new research shows that it is much more effective to emphasize basic needs.

By Katerina Linos & Laura Jakli & Melissa Carlson

Español

December 16, 2020

UN Human Rights recommendations key to US post-election era

A genuine step for the Biden-Harris administration would be to formally establish a standing coordination mechanism across all relevant parts of the US government ...

By Joshua Cooper & Shelley Inglis & Joel R. Pruce

Español

November 17, 2020

Recent developments in the UN Human Rights Council offer new opportunities to combat racism and police brutality

Time will tell whether Resolution 43/1 will dispose Human Rights Council membership to address situations of gross and systematic violations in other countries ...

By Peter Splinter

Español

November 11, 2020

The Minnesota Model for human rights: improving both scholarship and practice

Long-term partnerships between academics and practitioners can build knowledge that both protects and advances human rights.

By Barbara Frey & Fionnuala Ní Aoláin & Joachim Savelsberg & Jessica Stanton

Español

November 10, 2020

What are the implications of International Human Rights NGOs moving to the South?

The closure of Amnesty International’s India office raises questions about AI's global strategy and the democratization of the global human rights movement.

By Ravindran Daniel

Español

October 29, 2020

Pompeo’s Commission on Unalienable Rights

In Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s report on inalienable human rights, it is unclear why freedom of religion and property rights should be elevated over other ...

By David Forsythe

Español

October 26, 2020

Can the virtual sessions of the African Commission generate more civil society participation?

The first ever virtual session, triggered by a pandemic, may have just heralded a potential future of more accessible and inclusive ACHPR sessions.

By Japhet Biegon

Français

June 17, 2020

Putting people at the heart of the human rights treaty body system

Samoa held a ground-breaking treaty body session on child rights, evidencing the benefits of extending these sessions beyond Geneva.

By Ashley Bowe & Joshua Cooper

Français

March 20, 2020

Human rights victims’ complaints to UN not treated effectively

UN human rights treaties allow individuals to launch complaints when their rights are violated—but the system for dealing with them needs urgent reform.

By Alexandre Skander Galand & Başak Çalı

Español Français

February 26, 2020

Improving domestic compliance with UN treaty body decisions

Many victims are denied access to international justice because states do not act in a timely manner, but reforming the treaty body follow-up process could help.

By Irina Criveț

Español Türkçe

February 18, 2020

The UN Human Development Report must go farther on inequality

In order for human rights and development to be mutually reinforcing, the connection between the two must be made as explicit as possible.

By Steven L. B. Jensen

Español

February 11, 2020

What difference does the UN human rights treaty system make, and why?

A new, global academic study to answer this question is launched in collaboration with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

By Christof Heyns & Frans Viljoen

Español Français

January 14, 2020

Can international human rights law be creatively deployed to expand its protections?

How can international human rights law be creatively deployed to expand protections to other characteristics related to severe and systematic rights violations?

By Raymond A. Smith

Español

December 4, 2019

Small states face big challenges in engaging UN treaty bodies

Small states often lack the capacity to engage effectively with the treaty body system as currently structured—it must become more streamlined and present locally ...

By Malene Alleyne & Felix Kirchmeier

Español Français

November 27, 2019

How do treaty bodies respond to situations of crisis such as Burundi?

Treaty bodies showed their ability to take the right measures in situations of crisis like in Burundi. A coordination with the high-level bodies of the United Nations, ...

By Armel Niyongere

Español Français

November 21, 2019

The Committee System: 2020 and Beyond

The treaty body system has been in crisis for at least thirty years. Will the year 2020 bring change?

By Olivier de Frouville

Español Français

November 13, 2019

Following up—the key to seeing states act on treaty body recommendations

UN treaty bodies need to monitor and follow-up on the recommendations they make to states. Some have begun doing so in innovative ways, and more could be done.

By Marcia V. J. Kran

Español

November 7, 2019

How a UN Committee Contributed to End a Controversial Mining Project in French Guiana

The indigenous peoples of French Guiana used an urgent procedure of the UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to help stop a mining development—more ...

By Alexandre Sommer-Schaechtele

Français

October 29, 2019

UN inefficiencies undermine effective handling of individual petitions

The UN treaty bodies receive thousands of individual complaints, but the secretariat that deals with them is ill-equipped to do so effectively.

By Kamelia Kemileva

Français

October 25, 2019

Venezuela: UN human rights system needs more coherence and coordination

Venezuela’s election to the Human Rights Council despite UN scrutiny—including by Treaty Bodies—of human rights abuses shows need for greater coherence in the international ...

By Marianna A. Romero

Español

October 22, 2019

UN treaty bodies advance LGBTI rights

The UN treaty bodies are increasingly scrutinizing states’ treatment of LGBTI persons, and this is having positive local impact.

By Kseniya Kirichenko

Español Русский

October 15, 2019

No more tinkering—real reform needed to UN human rights treaty monitoring

The human rights treaty bodies are central to human rights reform efforts, but are burdened by inefficiencies. The upcoming UN review offers a chance to make them ...

By Navi Pillay

Español Français

July 24, 2019

Ukraine may need to look beyond the ICC for justice

While many Ukranians place their hopes in the ICC to end impunity, improving the local judiciary could be a more effective development.

By Quincy Cloet

Español

July 4, 2019

UN human rights mechanisms proving effective SDGs monitor

The SDGs are mostly aligned with human rights objectives—to emphasize this, the UN human rights mechanisms are showing a willingness to hold states accountable ...

By Steven L. B. Jensen

Español Français العربية

April 23, 2019

In Afghanistan, the ICC abandons the field

In giving undue weight to politics and practicalities in their decision to abandon war crimes investigations in Afghanistan, the ICC judges have set a dangerous ...

By Param-Preet Singh

Español

March 27, 2019

Silencing the drama - Do the SDG indicators expose the injustices that limit women’s sexual and reproductive lives?

The SDGs are a step forward for women’s equality and sexual and reproductive rights, but the indicators used to measure progress may prove problematic for rights ...

By Alicia Ely Yamin

Español

March 14, 2019

The Gbagbo acquittal and the battle for the ICC’s legitimacy

The acquittal of Laurent Gbagbo by the ICC is seen by many as a blow to the Court’s legitimacy – but legitimacy is a measure of expectations and these vary widely ...

By Mark Kersten

Español Français

March 7, 2019

Inaction on gender equality puts SDGs at risk

If there is no fundamental and transformational change in how gender equality is addressed as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, the entire SDG agenda is ...

By Marte Hellema & Hannie Meesters

Español

February 5, 2019

New and inclusive measuring needed for SDG promise of access to justice for all

SDG 16 promises access to justice for all, but current plans for measuring progress are far too limited. There are opportunities in 2019 to change this.

By Sukti Dhital & Meg Satterthwaite

Español Français

January 31, 2019

Crucial year ahead to pursue access to justice for all

Several key events in 2019 provide a real opportunity to progress on SDG 16—ensuring access to justice for all—and to do so in ways that tackle inequality too.

By Elizabeth Andersen

Español

September 11, 2018

Could “hope and aspirations” end the vicious cycle of poverty?

Non-invasive and non-punitive interventions that draw on positive emotions have promising potential to break the poverty cycle, but this approach risks ignoring ...

By Keetie Roelen

Español

May 1, 2018

Leaders, exile, and the dilemmas of international justice

The advance of international justice means that the “golden parachute” of exile is no longer an easy option for abusive rulers. The bad news is that this may be ...

By Daniel Krcmaric

Español Français

April 25, 2018

The SDGs and gender equality: empty promises or beacon of hope?

In a challenging global context for equality and women’s rights, a new UN Women report illustrates how human rights can move SDGs beyond rhetoric of “leaving no ...

By Kate Donald & Silke Staab

Français Español

April 17, 2018

Breaking the human rights gridlock by embracing the Sustainable Development Goals

The dangers of a growing global divergence on human rights, with the rise of authoritarian powers, might be avoided by embracing the global consensus of rights-based ...

By Ted Piccone

Español 简体中文 العربية Français

August 22, 2017

Why an anti-ICC narrative may help Kenyan leaders win votes

Anti-ICC narratives resonate with a crucial minority of Kenyan citizens, but not with victims of political violence.

By Geoff Dancy

May 1, 2017

Using the Sustainable Development Goals as a weapon against populism

The Sustainable Development Goals could give activists the rhetoric they need to hold the Trump administration accountable.

By Martin S. Edwards & Lis Kabashi

April 3, 2017

Looking deeper to understand African governments’ opposition to the ICC

African governments are withdrawing from the ICC with valid criticisms—but what can be done to make the Court less imbalanced?

By Ayodele Akenroye

March 2, 2017

Tackling inequality: the potential of the Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goal 10 on reducing inequality will require profound changes to “business-as-usual” and close attention to human rights.

By Kate Donald

Español

February 7, 2017

“Quit before they get hit”: withdrawals from the ICC are an indicator of the Court’s success

Are presidents who seek to withdraw from the ICC in denial about a rare instance of achieved gender equality?

By Chris Dolan

December 21, 2016

The complex reality beyond the trial of Dominic Ongwen

Dominic Ongwen faces trial at the ICC for crimes of which he was also a victim—forcing us to reevaluate dichotomies of guilt and innocence.

By Sarah Kihika Kasande & Virginie Ladisch

November 21, 2016

The ICC needs to ally with victims

To survive the current crisis, the ICC must recruit its most persuasive allies—the victims of atrocity crimes themselves.

By Reed Brody

Français

October 30, 2016

A string of departures from the ICC is ringing alarm bells

Three African states have pulled out of the ICC with other departures in the works, putting ICC legitimacy in crisis.

By James A. Goldston

October 19, 2016

ICC will investigate environmental destruction as well as war crimes

The ICC is now prioritizing crimes involving environmental destruction and land grabbing. How will this change economic development?

By Richard J. Rogers

Español

September 16, 2016

New Katanga trial shows DRC’s potential to try complex international crimes

A DRC warlord convicted by the ICC will now also face prosecution by national courts in the DRC—an enormously welcome step.

By Paul Seils & Myriam Raymond-Jetté

September 14, 2016

Rethinking what ICC success means at the Bemba Trial

When measuring ICC success, we need to examine the local impact and not just the international effects.

By Valerie Arnould

Français

September 13, 2016

Two forums, two approaches to advancing the SDGs and human rights

Recent global assemblies make it clear—to achieve the SDGs we need to find ways to hold governments, UN agencies and the private sector accountable for the pledges ...

By Savio Carvalho

August 3, 2016

To implement Agenda 2030 in Africa, people must be at the centre

Increasing threats to citizens’ freedoms will derail the sustainable development goals.

By Charles Kojo Vandyck & Maame Darkwaa Twum Barima

July 26, 2016

Colombia’s constrained peace process: how courts alter peace-making

The Colombia case shows international courts do impact local peace-making, but in ways more subtle and nuanced than commonly claimed.

By Sandra Borda & Courtney Hillebrecht & Alexandra Huneeus

Español

July 5, 2016

Lessons from Kenya: unpacking the ICC’s deterrent effect

Although recent empirical work suggests that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has a deterrent effect, Kenya’s experience requires a deeper look.

By Yvonne M. Dutton & Tessa Alleblas

March 30, 2016

Tackling inequality as injustice: four challenges for the human rights agenda

Human rights can help confront economic inequality, but four conceptual, normative, strategic and methodological challenges must be overcome.

By Gaby Oré Aguilar & Ignacio Saiz

Español Français

March 22, 2016

Running the numbers on ICC deterrence: when does it actually work?

Systematic assessments reveal that the ICC can deter intentional civilian killing, but only under the right conditions.

By Hyeran Jo & Beth A. Simmons

Español

December 2, 2015

Côte d’Ivoire: The International Criminal Court with its back against the wall

Four years after the ICC's intervention in Ivory Coast, opinions are still divided regarding its impact

By Eric-Aimé Semien

Français

November 3, 2015

Still falling short—the ICC’s capacity crisis

The ICC’s proposed expansion still falls well short of meeting the significant demands on the court.

By Elizabeth Evenson & Jonathan O’Donohue

September 25, 2015

Will SDGs lofty ambition undermine advocacy to achieve them?

The SDGs are certainly more comprehensive, and inclusive of human rights concerns and all relevant actors, than the previous development goals, but this may make ...

By Charles F. Maccormack & Sarah Stroup

Español

September 24, 2015

Winning a place for human rights in the new sustainable development agenda

Though far from perfect, the new Sustainable Development Goals include important human rights commitments and do a better job than the MDGs of linking human rights ...

By Kate Donald

Español العربية

September 22, 2015

The key to ICC success: widening the reach of international justice

Technical legal arguments are insufficient to address growing disenchantment with the ICC. More must be done to extend the reach of international justice to the ...

By James A. Goldston

Español Français

August 26, 2015

ICC success depends on its impact locally

Delivering justice for victims is the raison d’etre of the ICC. But making justice count for victims requires much more than fair trials in a Hague courtroom.

By Elizabeth Evenson

Français

August 24, 2015

Law and politics at the International Criminal Court

The ICC should be above politics, but some of the rules found in the Rome Statute make that difficult.

By Benson Chinedu Olugbuo

July 8, 2015

Elevate the law in fight against atrocities

No one would argue the law should be subservient to politics when confronting domestic criminality, so why should this be the case for international crimes?

By Kip Hale

Español

June 22, 2015

Is the relationship of the ICC and R2P truly “win-win”?

Evidence from Syria and Libya suggests that linkages between the ICC and R2P are not always win-win.

By Ruben Reike

Français العربية

June 16, 2015

ICC action and the domestic effects of transnational criminality

Noisy discussions in the Israeli/Palestinian context have obscured how the ICC’s role may impact Israel’s relations with other states, especially in Europe.

By Valentina Azarov

العربية

June 10, 2015

At the ICC, there is no deterrence without resources

To deter atrocities, the ICC requires more diplomatic support, financial resources and logistical assistance from the Security Council.

By Mariana Rodríguez-Pareja & Salvador Herencia-Carrasco

Español

June 4, 2015

Reframing the justice debate in Colombia

The debate about whether or not—or how—to punish the crimes committed in Colombia’s long civil war should focus instead on the objectives punishment might achieve.

By Paul Seils

Español

May 12, 2015

To prevent atrocities, count on politics first, law later

Recent studies pointing to the global deterrent effect of the ICC and international law in reducing atrocities are highly speculative.

By Jack Snyder & Leslie Vinjamuri

Español Français

May 6, 2015

The International Criminal Court at risk

With all-too-limited resources, the ICC is falling behind in the fight against impunity. Unless drastic measures are taken, it may never catch up.

By Elizabeth Evenson & Jonathan O’Donohue

Español Français

April 28, 2015

Palestine’s accession to the ICC may strengthen peace-first approach

While civil society pushes a rights-first agenda in Palestine, resistance towards Palestine’s ICC membership suggests that governments may not embrace this approach.

By Leslie Vinjamuri

April 24, 2015

Small steps forward? International pressure and accountability for atrocities in Sri Lanka

In countries like Sri Lanka – not party to the ICC – international pressure plays an important role in keeping a focus on the issue of accountability for mass atrocities.

By Kate Cronin-Furman

Español Français

April 16, 2015

Eliminating female genital mutilation by 2030

The UN’s proposed new development goals include a target to end harmful traditional practices like FGM by 2030. We now know the key steps needed to get there.

By Nafissatou J. Diop

Français العربية

April 14, 2015

The Ongwen trial at the ICC: tough questions on child soldiers

LRA commander and former child soldier Dominic Ongwen’s forthcoming trial at the ICC risks obscuring the complex question of how to achieve justice when a victim ...

By Mark Drumbl

Español العربية

February 25, 2015

The ICC in Libya – justice delayed and denied

The ICC has issued only 3 indictments in Libya, and no new ones since 2011 – even amidst growing violence. New approaches are needed to make the Court’s mandate ...

By Thomas Ebbs & Elham Saudi

العربية

February 11, 2015

The ICC and negotiated peace: reflections from Colombia

The Colombian case shows the need for flexibility in balancing the duty to prosecute international crimes with the duty to negotiate an end to the civil war.

By Rodrigo Uprimny & Nelson Camilo Sanchez

Español Français

February 3, 2015

The ICC’s deterrent impact – what the evidence shows

Despite increased criticism against the International Criminal Court, new evidence suggests that the Court may be having a real deterrent impact.

By Geoff Dancy & Bridget Marchesi & Florencia Montal & Kathryn Sikkink

Español Français

January 8, 2015

The ICC and beyond: tipping the scales of international justice

International Criminal Court developments in 2014 have certainly been important, but we must also look to key events in regional and national institutions that ...

By Ottilia Anna Maunganidze

December 11, 2014

Throwing justice under the bus is not the way to go

Past experience suggests warnings that international criminal trials impede peace efforts are overblown. The ICC prosecutor mustn’t politicize her mandate by paying ...

By Richard Dicker

Français

December 4, 2014

ICC – threat or opportunity for Israel-Palestine?

Palestinian accession to the ICC could provide an impetus for Israel to resolve the issue of settlements in the political arena before it reaches a legal adjudication.

By Jessica Montell

العربية עברית

December 3, 2014

Justice denied? The ICC’s record in the DRC

The ICC has pursued the "small fish" in the DRC, letting those most responsible for the worst crimes off the hook.

By Pascal Kambale

Français

November 28, 2014

The ‘interests of justice’ require challenging impunity

The ICC may consider the local context, but no policy or legal decision that permits impunity for gross human rights abuse can satisfy the interests of justice.

By Dan Saxon

November 27, 2014

The politics of impunity little impacted by the ICC

The intervention of the ICC in some countries has many effects, but little impact on promoting real accountability – and at times working against that goal.

By Sarah Nouwen

Español

November 20, 2014

‘Sovereignty’ no defence against ICC action in Sudan

Respect for ‘sovereignty’ is no defence against ICC action in Sudan, as the government claims. International standards, many that Sudan signed, make clear a state’s ...

By Kamal Elgizouli

Español العربية

November 18, 2014

Intolerance of impunity does not make ICC an enemy of peace

Demanding accountability for war crimes does make the job of peace mediators more difficult, but so be it – an ICC investigation cannot be bargained away.

By Paul Seils

العربية

November 11, 2014

The International Criminal Court in Africa: a failed experiment?

Africa can benefit greatly from an International Criminal Court that is credible, fair, competent and independent - the current Court fails on all counts.

By Mwangi S. Kimenyi

November 7, 2014

The surprising impact of the Rome Statute in India

Though India refuses to join the ICC, the Rome Statute has proved very useful in pushing for law reform that would put an end to decades of impunity for state complicity ...

By Usha Ramanathan

हिन्दी

November 6, 2014

The ICC mustn’t give up in Kenya

While the ICC has encountered serious challenges in Kenya, the Court has an important role to play in strengthening Kenyan rule of law and holding elites to account.

By Njonjo Mue

Kiswahili

November 5, 2014

The ICC and its impact: more known unknowns

When it comes to the ICC’s impact on peace processes, we actually know very little, which may be because we are asking the wrong questions. It’s time to create ...

By Mark Kersten

Français Español

November 4, 2014

Does the ICC advance the interests of justice?

What exactly are the “interests of justice” in the context of the ICC? And should the ICC prosecutor take conflict resolution into account, or do the interests ...

By Priscilla Hayner

Français Español

November 3, 2014

Introducing this week's theme: The International Criminal Court - from a troubled past, what future for International Justice?

The Rome Statute established the ICC with an independent Prosecutor and a robust and comprehensive mandate to end impunity for the worst crimes. But now, after ...

By David Petrasek & Archana Pandya

November 3, 2014

The ICC – breach in the dyke, or high water mark?

The International Criminal Court has failed to live up to expectations that it would mark the end of impunity. Beset by controversy, and its continued relevance ...

By David Petrasek

Français

October 23, 2014

Ebola, human rights, and poverty – making the links

The Ebola crisis shows the necessity of a human rights approach to public health that focuses on discrimination and accountability, and the crisis itself has been ...

By Alicia Ely Yamin

October 17, 2014

Development and human rights – a plea for a more critical embrace

The human rights framework provides an inadequate tool for understanding the deeper processes of development, and its uncritical embrace risks imposing a legal ...

By V. Nagaraj

Español

September 15, 2014

Transforming the development agenda requires more, not less, attention to human rights

The UN General Assembly later this month will begin negotiations over the content of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to succeed the Millennium Development ...

By Radhika Balakrishnan & Ignacio Saiz

February 19, 2014

Beyond deterrence: the ICC effect in the DRC

When does the ICC have a preventive effect? Evidence from DRC shows that it may not be the logic of deterrence that works best to prevent atrocities.

By Michael Broache

Français