Category: News and Updates

GENEVA (1 February 2023) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, will undertake a technical visit to the United States commencing 6 February 2023.

Between 6 and 14 February, the independent expert will visit Washington D.C. and subsequently the detention facility at the U.S. Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Over the course of the subsequent three-month period, Ní Aoláin will also carry out a series of interviews with individuals in the United States and abroad, on a voluntary basis, including victims and families of victims of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks and former detainees in countries of resettlement/repatriation.

The visit takes place in accordance with the Terms of Reference for Country Visits by Special Procedures Mandate Holders.

An end-of-mission statement of the Special Rapporteur’s findings and recommendations will be issued following the end of the technical visit. 

Ms. Fionnuala Ní Aoláin was appointed as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism by the United Nations Human Rights Council. She took up her functions on 1 August 2017. Ms. Ní Aoláin is concurrently Regents Professor and Robina Professor of Law, Public Policy and Society at the University of Minnesota Law School and Professor of Law at the Queens University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her mandate covers all countries and has most recently been renewed by Human Rights Council resolution 49/10.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

For more information and media requests please contact: Ms. Michelle ERAZO (+41 22 917 9449; michelle.erazo@un.org).

For media enquiries regarding other UN independent experts, please contact Maya Derouaz (maya.derouaz@un.org) or Dharisha Indraguptha (dharisha.indraguptha@un.org)

Follow news related to the UN’s independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts.

The HRE USA Edmonds Fellowship Committee is seeking proposals for 2023 fellowship projects. This year, the Committee has selected a theme, Protecting Democracy, Promoting Human Rights, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognize the necessity of protecting a democratic and civil society. The theme this year seeks timely and topical fellowship proposals that demonstrate human rights education (HRE) as essential for participation in an inclusive, democratic society. The committee welcomes diverse ideas for fellowship projects and offers suggestions for proposals to address areas such as: 

• increasing youth participation in human rights education, 
• training and other opportunities to engage in HRE and/or civic action,
• improving, creating, or compiling HRE resources,
• implementing a collaborative project(s) among HRE USA members and other organizational partners, 
• increasing capacity to further the mission, guiding principles and values, and priorities of HRE USA. 

Fellows will commit 100 hours over roughly 10 weeks to address the topic identified in your proposal. The Committee is exploring summer and fall fellowship opportunities, with dates to be determined. With this year’s theme in mind, as well as the goals and priorities of HRE USA, we invite you to submit your Edmonds Fellowship Project Proposal using the application form by February 10, 2023 to kristi@hreusa.org.

The approved Edmonds Fellowship projects and application process will be online March 1st. The fellowship submission deadline will be March 24, 2023.

The HRE USA Edmonds Fellowship Committee
Edmonds Fellowship Project Proposals

The HRE USA Edmonds Fellowship Committee is seeking proposals for 2023 fellowship projects. This year, the Committee has selected a theme, Protecting Democracy, Promoting Human Rights, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognize the necessity of protecting a democratic and civil society. The theme this year seeks timely and topical fellowship proposals that demonstrate human rights education (HRE) as essential for participation in an inclusive, democratic society. The committee welcomes diverse ideas for fellowship projects and offers suggestions for proposals to address areas such as: 

• increasing youth participation in human rights education, 
• training and other opportunities to engage in HRE and/or civic action,
• improving, creating, or compiling HRE resources,
• implementing a collaborative project(s) among HRE USA members and other organizational partners, 
• increasing capacity to further the mission, guiding principles and values, and priorities of HRE USA. 

Fellows will commit 100 hours over roughly 10 weeks to address the topic identified in your proposal. The Committee is exploring summer and fall fellowship opportunities, with dates to be determined. With this year’s theme in mind, as well as the goals and priorities of HRE USA, we invite you to submit your Edmonds Fellowship Project Proposal using the application form by February 10, 2023 to kristi@hreusa.org.

The approved Edmonds Fellowship projects and application process will be online March 1st. The fellowship submission deadline will be March 24, 2023.

“In relationship with organizers for justice, educators can co-create radically different experiences for students to feel and be whole in their classrooms.” — Riley Drake, Ph.D. 

In this new LFJ article, school counseling professor Riley Drake, Ph.D., outlines a model of social and emotional learning. Drake explains that “‘feeling safe’ is contextual,” especially for Black and Brown children whose needs are often overlooked in our nation’s classrooms. Relying on community partnerships, promoting mutual aid to foster solidarity and advancing restorative justice are strategies educators and other adults can employ to increase children’s feelings of safety and well-being. 

In this excerpt from the article, Drake describes how a teacher enlists the help of local organizers: 

Solidarity as safety was an approach Staci used in collaboration with Imani, Jada and Nova to honor the experiences of students familiar with and vulnerable to structural harm. By listening to children’s lived experiences, Staci recognized a fear of policing and punishment. Rather than dismissing students’ fears or silencing and “regulating” emotions through a decontextualized calming technique, Staci sought community wisdom in efforts to transform the source of the harm.

Learn how to conduct research for humanitarian practice from University of Geneva, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Aga Khan University.

Researchers make sure that the work of humanitarian organizations is based on well-established facts. They are essential for humanitarian operations. Operational research plays a vital role in humanitarian organizations, as it helps to identify and solve problems that can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian practice. The application of operational research techniques can help to optimize resources, plan for and respond to emergencies, and enable better ways to conduct humanitarian operations.

In this course by University of Geneva you will develop fundamental knowledge and skills to engage in humanitarian research. The course will cover humanitarian research methods, study design and outline how operational research can advance humanitarian practice. 

Learn more and Register

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights has been selected as a charity partner of the 2023 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon on March 19, 2023! Apply now to become one of our five team members by February 1, 2023. We will select our runners from the pool of applicants.

When you join our team, you’ll be running for human rights. The funds we raise will support our work to realize social justice for all!

The deadline to apply to be one of our runners in the 2023 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon has been extended to February 1. Running with us guarantees entry to the race on March 19, and the funds you raise support our work to realize social justice for all! A spot on the team also includes connections to participants and experienced marathoners who can offer race-day strategies.

LEARN MORE AND APPLY

There are 13 guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter movement. We seek to expand student understanding of these principles through the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action (February 6-10, 2023) and beyond.

Teaching for Change has compiled lists of recommended titles that center each of the Black Lives Matter 13 guiding principles, as well as additional recommended booklists. 

Visit this page to get up to date on the latest HRE USA news.

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