Calls for Input from Organizations of Persons with Disabilities

 

When persons with disabilities participate in decision-making processes, it provides strong support towards ensuring that policies, strategies, programs and operations to be more effective in addressing barriers to inclusion and more relevant in supporting their full and equal participation.

Persons with disabilities have first-hand experience of the challenges they face and know better what can be done to enhance their rights and wellbeing. In addition, active participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations is a key part of shifting attitudes and dismantling stigma.

—Consultation Guidelines of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy

Our unique perspectives draw on our own expertise and experiences and can help shape and inform programmes, policies and practices – including beyond disability-specific matters- to strengthen inclusion for everyone.

Let’s put our participation to practice by seizing these opportunities*:

• OHCHR comprehensive report on mental health and human rights, 4 October 2024
• Report on Indigenous Peoples and International Solidarity, 1 November 2024
• OHCHR report on child rights mainstreaming across the United Nations, 4 November 2024
• OHCHR report on ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, 8 November 2024
• OHCHR report on combating discrimination, violence and harmful practices against intersex persons, 20 November 2024
• Secretary General’s report on just transition and human rights, 30 December 2024

*Information on this webpage will be updated regularly. Don’t miss out: place a bookmark for easy access to check on the latest calls for contributions.

OHCHR comprehensive report on mental health and human rights, 4 October 2024

At its fifty-second session, the Human Rights Council adopted resolution 52/12 on mental health and human rights. The resolution requests the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a comprehensive report on challenges and best ways to implement at the local, national and regional levels enabling normative and policy measures for the realization of the human rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities and current or potential users of mental health services. It also requests the High Commissioner, in his report, to include suggestions of policy tools for the implementation of a human rights perspective to mental health, and to present the report to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-eighth session.

(a) Existing enabling normative and policy measures at the local, national and regional level applied for the realization of the human rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities and current or potential users of mental health services;

(b) Challenges encountered and good practices in the implementation of enabling normative and policy measures;

(c) Whether and if so, how, the OHCHR’s Mental Health Guide (Mental health, human rights and legislation: guidance and practice) was used and any feedback on the Guide itself;

(d) Suggestions of other policy tools for the implementation of a human rights perspective to mental health mindful of the centrality of mental health for the full realization of the right to health;

(e) Disaggregated data on persons with psychosocial disabilities and current or potential users of mental health service, as well as mental health services, including community-based services.

In this regard, OHCHR is seeking inputs on the following, in particular:

Submissions should be limited to five pages and be submitted in an accessible format (Microsoft Word) and be submitted by 4 October 2024, addressed to the Registry of OHCHR, indicating in the email subject matter: ‘Input to HRC resolution 52/12 – mental health.

Submissions will be made publicly available, in full and as received, on the OHCHR website, unless otherwise requested.
For any follow-up queries, kindly contact [email protected] and visit OHCHR’s dedicated webpage.

Report of the Independent Expert on Indigenous Peoples and International Solidarity, 1 November 2024

Background

Over recent decades, the rights of Indigenous Peoples have become a significant element of international law and policy. The coming together in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, by civil society, international mechanisms and States at the domestic, regional and international levels, led to the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, by the UN General Assembly in 2007. Despite the adoption of the afore-mentioned Declaration, Indigenous Peoples around the World, continue to be subjected to human rights violations, ranging from displacement and dispossession of their lands, territories and resources, often as a result of activities related to the extraction industry. Women and children are disproportionately impacted in such cases. The report of the Independent Expert will aim to understand Indigenous concepts and practices of solidarity and to what extent they enjoy the right to express solidarity with other tribes and groups, as well as with the environment. It will also seek to highlight examples of good practice in this regard.

The Independent Expert welcomes as much information as possible including concrete examples relating to the issues highlighted in the questionnaire:

Please provide information on the following issues/topics:

To Indigenous Peoples, CSOs and academics

1. Please indicate whether Indigenous persons belonging to your people express international solidarity and engage in networks with other Indigenous Peoples? If so, which other Indigenous Peoples do they interact with and, in which context: for example, international/regional forums and alliances (please name them and explain the mechanism for your participation); on social media/through media outlets (which ones), or other. Is there solidarity between Indigenous Peoples in the Global North and the Global South or is there fragmentation? Please explain the strengths and weaknesses of pursuing a strategy of global Indigenous solidarity.
2. Please provide information as to whether Indigenous persons express international solidarity with non-Indigenous, marginalized groups or vulnerable groups in situations of vulnerability, for example minority ethnic, religious, or political groups, and if so please name them and explain where this solidarity is expressed (e.g. through digital media, political forums, etc.)
3. Please provide information on whether Indigenous Peoples in your country express international solidarity with the environment? If so, please indicate how this is expressed and in which forums?
4. Please indicate whether Indigenous Peoples are able to present solidarity claims to international corporations that have operations in their territories? If so, please provide information on whether there are there transparent, accessible mechanisms within business mechanisms or the State?
5. Please indicate whether the State has provided recognition of Indigenous People’s collective rights to the territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied, or otherwise used or acquired. Are there mechanisms to ensure the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ collective land rights, including for registration, demarcation, titling and restitution? Do Indigenous Peoples have their free, prior, and informed consent guaranteed in relation to activities in their territories or any other decisions or legislation that may affect them? Have there been any decisions by the judiciary upholding or denying Indigenous People’s collective land, other forms of collective property (such as intellectual property) related to self-determination?
6. Please indicate whether Indigenous Peoples enjoy rights to health care, education, adequate housing, and an adequate standard of living in comparison with the non-Indigenous persons within your country?
7. Would Indigenous persons from your community support the creation of an International Indigenous University to support historical, legal, political, health, or environmental studies to Indigenous Peoples from around the world?
8. Is there a solidarity relationship between local communities, peasants, and Indigenous Peoples in your country or are there divisions? What is the perceived role of the state in relation to inter-group communications. Would you have suggested solutions to improve policies? Do Indigenous persons from your community participate in a solidarity economy?
9. Do Indigenous Peoples enjoy access to Artificial Intelligence to support the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ individual and collective property (including, intellectual property to traditional knowledge and cultural expressions, including genetic resources, Indigenous medicines and others.). If so, is access to legal aid available to enforce these rights? Are Indigenous Peoples defenders in your country able to express international solidarity in the form of public protests, or are such public protests penalized?
10. Are Indigenous People subject to hate speech, stereotyping, and discrimination within the society?

Submissions with 2000 word limit may be sent in English, Spanish or French in Word and PDF formats to [email protected] with the email subject line: Input for HRC report 2025 Indigenous Peoples and international solidarity.

For more information, visit OHCHR’s dedicated webpage.

OHCHR report on child rights mainstreaming across the United Nations, 4 November 2024

Human Rights Council resolution 55/29 on the rights of the child requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on child rights mainstreaming across the United Nations, including on the implementation of the Guidance Note of the Secretary-General on Child Rights Mainstreaming, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, and to present the report to the Human Rights Council at its fifty-ninth session.

The Guidance Note of the Secretary-General on Child Rights Mainstreaming released under the framework of the Secretary-General’s Call to Action for Human Rights, reflects the vision of a shared United Nations children’s rights agenda, and that “all UN entities, within their respective mandates, have a role to play in supporting the implementation of the CRC as specified in its article 45.” In the Guidance Note the Secretary-General proposes a comprehensive framework for action to integrate children’s rights in both external advocacy, policies, and programmes, and across internal operational policies and practices.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights invites all relevant stakeholders to provide inputs for the preparation of the thematic report.

Objectives

The report will build on the previous report A/HRC/55/36 Strengthening a child rights-based approach in the work of the United Nations.

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

The OHCHR would be grateful to receive any relevant information for the preparation of the report in relation to the following questions:

1. How are children’s rights being integrated into United Nations strategic policies and planning, and how could a child rights-based approach be strengthened?
2. How are UN entities supporting and partnering with civil society organizations working on child rights, including, for example, child-led organizations and child human rights defenders?
3. Are UN entities ensuring the safe and meaningful participation of diverse groups of children in their work, and how could this be strengthened?
4. In your view or experience, do UN entities have adequate child safeguarding policies and procedures in place?

With respect to UN country level programs, where relevant:

5. Are UN entities incorporating children’s rights sufficiently into their policies and programming interventions relevant to children at country level?

(e.g. UNSDCF/Cooperation Frameworks, aid modalities such as Poverty Reduction Strategies and other national development plans/strategies; budget support; public finance management reforms; Sector-Wide Approaches to Development)

6. If relevant, are children’s rights and protection being effectively integrated into humanitarian actions at country level?
7. Are UN entities providing adequate support to governments to exercise the responsibility to protect children against violations of their rights resulting from business conduct, as per the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights?
8. Are children’s rights adequately reflected in UN entities’ funding frameworks and resource mobilization strategies?
9. How could UN entities help to strengthen the safe and ethical collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of data disaggregated by age, as well as by gender, ethnicity, citizenship, disability and other dimensions?

Inputs/Submissions limited to 5 pages may be sent in English, French or Spanish in Word or PDF formats to [email protected]; Cc: [email protected], with the email subject line: Input for HRC report 2025 child rights 55/29 by 4 November 2024.

For more information, visit OHCHR’s dedicated webpage.

OHCHR report on ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, 8 November 2024

Human Rights Council resolution 54/5 on ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report with specific recommendations on how to develop accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance for every child, especially children in the most vulnerable situations, and how to incorporate it into educational programmes, and to present the report to the Council at its fifty-ninth session.

Objectives

With a focus on groups identified as “children in the most vulnerable situations”, the report will strive to identify best practices, challenges encountered, and lessons learned in:

(1) The development of a curriculum and pedagogy to achieve accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance for every child; and,

(2) The framework required for effective curriculum implementation considering legal and policy development, multisectoral cooperation and accountability mechanisms.

The report will address:

(1) A variety of scenarios where education for peace and tolerance can play a pivotal role in advancing the rights of the child such as in conflict prevention, emergency contexts, post-conflict settings, and contexts of sustained peace; and,

(2) Its contribution to the peacebuilding, human rights and sustainable development nexus.

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

To inform the preparations of the report, the UN Human Rights Office has prepared a call for inputs for stakeholders to respond to concerning the focus areas of the report.

The UN Human Rights Office invites all interested States, civil society organizations, international and regional organizations, national human rights institutions, academics and others, to provide written inputs to the following questions for this thematic study.

Respondents are requested to limit their comments to a maximum of 5 pages. Additional supporting materials, such as reports, academic studies, and other types of background materials may be annexed to the submission.

With a focus on identifying gaps, risks, challenges, lessons learned, promising practices, and recommendations to advance the rights of the child through the provision of accessible, inclusive, equitable and quality education for peace and tolerance, please provide inputs on the following:

1. How are governments ensuring that education systems as a whole, their content, structures, teaching methods, curriculum, and ways of delivery, and management:
   1. are culturally relevant and adapted to local contexts;
   2. promote equitable relations, and inclusion, addressing issues like gender inequality, hate speech, and social discrimination;
   3. address the needs of all groups of the population; and
   4. challenge structural violence and divisions in communities?
2. How are governments ensuring that peace education is integrated in a holistic manner in school education at all levels such that content is delivered to all learners, teachers are equipped with the knowledge and skills to deliver peace education effectively for children, and that curriculums, pedagogy and educational materials are systematically reviewed and strengthened?
3. How are governments engaging a whole-of-community approach to foster collaborative engagement between diverse stakeholders to ensure comprehensive implementation and avoid duplication of efforts?
4. What indicators and systems have governments developed to monitor and evaluate the progress of peace education initiatives and ensure accountability?
5. How have governments demonstrated their institutional commitments and leadership, including through dedicated and adequate resource allocation, as well as through collaborations with the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding sectors to ensure that education responds to societal challenges?
6. In the contexts of armed conflict and protracted crises, how are governments going beyond ensuring access to education to also prioritize:
   1. the provision of safe, supportive and conducive learning environments including also mental health and psychosocial support to promote social and emotional well-being for recovery and reintegration; and,
   2. ensuring that all children have access to build the skills and nurture ethical values that can strengthen their resilience, capacity for forgiveness and reconciliation, promote mutual understanding, and help prevent violence and conflict?

Please consider the specific situation of marginalized children and those in vulnerable situations in your response.

Please provide examples of specific laws and regulations, measures, policies, and programmes directed at advancing education for peace for every child.

Please provide any relevant statistical or disaggregated data based on age, gender, disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity, migration status, or other categories.

Input/comments of maximum 5 pages in English, French or Spanish, and in word or PDF formats  may be sent by e-mail to [email protected]; Cc: [email protected] with the email subject line: Inputs for report on ensuring quality education for peace and tolerance for every child. They must be received by 8 November 2024 18:00 CET.

For more information, visit OHCHR’s dedicated webpage.

OHCHR report on combating discrimination, violence and harmful practices against intersex persons, 20 November 2024

Human Rights Council Resolution 55/14 requests OHCHR to prepare a report, examining in detail discriminatory laws and policies, acts of violence and harmful practices against persons with innate variations in sex characteristics (also known as intersex persons), in all regions of the world, and their root causes, and also examining best practices, including legal protection and remedies, especially when addressing the realization of the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

OHCHR invites States, the Advisory Committee, treaty bodies, the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, regional mechanisms, academia, health professionals, national human rights institutions, civil society, including organizations representing intersex persons, and other relevant stakeholders to submit information, including with regard to:

1. Acts of violence and harmful practices against persons with innate variations in sex characteristics or intersex persons. Such violence may include medically unnecessary or deferrable interventions, which may be irreversible, with respect to sex characteristics, performed without the full, free and informed consent of the person. In the case of children, they may include interventions that do not comply with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
2. Other human rights violations, including discrimination. They may include discriminatory laws and policies that affect persons with innate variations in sex characteristics or intersex persons in all areas of life, including access to education, health, employment, sports, and social security, as well as restrictions on the exercise of legal capacity and in access to remedies and justice.
3. The root causes of violations of the human rights of persons with innate variations in sex characteristics or intersex persons and their impact. They may include stereotypes, misconceptions and inaccurate information, stigma and taboo.
4. Gaps, obstacles, and challenges faced by States and other stakeholders in addressing these human rights violations, and their root causes.
5. Information on good practices, including legal protections and other specific measures taken to:
   1. Prevent discrimination, violence, and harmful practices against persons with innate variations in sex characteristics or intersex persons;
   2. Ensure access to remedies, justice and accountability for human rights violations faced by persons with innate variations in sex characteristics or intersex persons;
   3. Advance the realization of the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health (including in relation to human rights-based healthcare protocols and safeguards, access to information and medical records, access to counselling and support) as well as other human rights, for persons with innate variations in sex characteristics or intersex persons;
   4. Collect data, in line with human rights norms and standards, on persons with innate variations in sex characteristics or intersex people, including in relation to acts of discrimination, violence and harmful practices, and on the realization of their human rights, including the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health as well as other human rights;
   5. Collaborate with and develop partnerships between States and organizations representing intersex persons in addressing these human rights violations and upholding the human rights of persons with innate variations in sex characteristics or intersex persons.

Input/comments may be sent by e-mail in Word format in English, French or Spanish to [email protected]; [email protected]. They must be received by 20 November 2024 with a word limit of 3000 words. The email subject line should read: Input for HC report pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 55/14.

For more information, visit OHCHR’s dedicated webpage.

Secretary General’s report on just transition and human rights, 30 December 2024

Underscoring the interlinkage between just transition and human rights, the Human Rights Council has, among other things, affirmed that prioritizing equity, climate justice, social justice, inclusion and just transition processes can enable adaptation and ambitious mitigation actions and climate-resilient development. It has reaffirmed that social security systems can help to support just transitions as well as reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation as an enabler of just transition pathways towards achieving the goals in the Paris Agreement, including through the scaling-up of investment flows and relevant financial support.

Human Rights Council resolution 56/8 of 10 July 2023 (A/HRC/RES/56/8) entitled “Human rights and climate change” requested the Secretary-General to consult Member States and other relevant stakeholders in order to prepare and submit to the sixtieth session of the Human Rights Council a synthesis report on opportunities, best practices, actionable solutions, challenges and barriers relevant to a just transition and the full realization of human rights for all people.

To inform the analytical study, OHCHR transmitted a Note Verbale and Questionnaire [English] [Français] to Member States, NGOs, UN Agencies, IGOs, Academic Institutions and NHRIs, inviting them to respond to the questionnaire and provide input. The inputs received will be made available on this webpage.

Questionnaire in relation to Human Rights Council resolution 56/8 on human rights and climate change (just transition)

1. Please share concrete examples and stories describing opportunities, best practices, actionable solutions, challenges, and barriers relevant to just transition and the full realization of human rights for all people, including but not limited to the rights to health, a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, equality and non-discrimination, decent work, and access to justice and remedies.
2. Please share information on any relevant legislation, policies, strategies, action plans, and practices by your government to promote the enjoyment of human rights in the context of just transition, including with reference to nationally determined contributions and national adaptation plans. Please describe how human rights, in particular the right to work and the right to social security, have been integrated in just transition processes in your country (e.g. with regard to different economic sectors, business human rights responsibility to respect human rights, and social protection systems).
3. Please describe how just transition measures affect and can ensure the rights and/or inclusion of relevant groups, actors, communities and Peoples, including Indigenous Peoples, women and girls, children, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities, workers including informal workers, migrants, future generations, environmental human rights defenders, and persons living in situations of vulnerability and poverty, considering also intersectionality.
4. Please describe any relevant mechanisms for ensuring justice, equity, and accountability in the context of just transition, as well as means of implementation and financing.
5. Please describe how the role of social dialogue can ensure a just transition for all, particularly through the participation of employers’ organizations and trade unions in consultations regarding legal and policy frameworks drawing on International Labour Standards and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.
6. Please provide recommendations on relevant actions to be taken at local, country, regional, and global levels, including relating to international cooperation. Please identify any specific legal, policy and economic
   transformations that may enable a just transition.
7. Please provide information on any relevant data, analysis, and assessments regarding human rights and just transition.
8. Please provide any additional information you believe would be useful to support a just transition that advances the full enjoyment of human rights.

Inputs/comments in English or French in Word or PDF formats, with a limit of 2000 words, may be sent by e-mail to [email protected], with copy to [email protected] by 30 December 2024 18:00 CEST, with the email subject line as: Input for synthesis report on just transition and human rights.

For further information, please visit OHCHR’s dedicated webpage.