Human rights are at the core of the work of the United Nations. For more than seventy years, the international community has sought to build on the landmark adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, committing to a range of treaties, conventions, and multilateral resolutions to advance human rights protections. Yet despite these agreed commitments, countries are falling short in their willingness to uphold human rights, either through abject opposition or a lack of capacity to implement their commitments.
This project seeks to identify the policy levers for strengthening alignment between normative multilateral commitments on human rights issues and in-country implementation of them. It will identify and analyze domestic implementation of state commitments on human rights made in the UN General Assembly, Human Rights Council, and Security Council. It will also examine opportunities and challenges for further advancing multilateral support to strengthening human rights implementation. In doing so, it aims to inform and inspire meaningful UN member state action so that every individual will be less at risk of violence or of abuse for defending human rights.
Providing a strategy for governments and a framework for civil society to hold governments to account for the commitments they have made to end violence against women and girls in digital contexts through UN multilateral processes
March 31, 2023
Violence against women and girls is a global crisis that requires the attention and action of every country
March 8, 2023
One year under Taliban rule, and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has played a critical role in support of civil society
October 6, 2022
To address religion-related violence effectively, UN member states should support scholarship and strengthen accountability.
August 22, 2022
Despite global normative commitments by UN member states, violence against women and girls in myriad forms is prevalent in every country and culture
March 31, 2022
While human rights commitments advance more equal societies and provide hope to marginalized populations, failure to implement them can erode trust in democratic institutions and open societies.
March 29, 2022
While UN member states have made important commitments to protect human rights defenders, key opportunities to strengthen them remain.
March 25, 2022
Violence based on religion or belief continues to increase globally, requiring UN action to prevent and counter it.
July 12, 2021
Copyright The Henry L. Stimson Center