International Development Law Organization

Human Rights

Human rights and the rule of law are not synonymous, but they do overlap and function symbiotically. In the words of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, they "represent universally applicable standards adopted under the auspices of the United Nations and must therefore serve as the normative basis for all United Nations activities in support of justice and the rule of law."

To summarize, the stronger human rights, the stronger the rule of law. Together, they form a framework for decision- and policy-making that is anchored by legality, accountability and participation. In this, they create a fertile ground for development and social transformation.

35th Session of the Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on the Issue of Discrimination Against Women in Law and in Practice

STATEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LAW ORGANIZATION

35th Session of the Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on the Issue of Discrimination Against Women in Law and in Practice

June 8, 2017

Geneva

35th Session of the Human Rights Council: Clustered Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers

STATEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LAW ORGANIZATION

35th Session of the Human Rights Council: Clustered Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers

June 12, 2017

Geneva

IDLO: use law to protect threatened 'Freedom of Religion' human right

ROME, November 8, 2016 – Religious minorities are under threat as unscrupulous political leaders exploit people’s fears for short term electoral gains in some western countries, said Irene Khan, Director-General of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), ahead of a conference on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy.

“In some parts of the world, innocent civilians are being persecuted, attacked and slaughtered in the name of religion,” she added.

34th Session of the Human Rights Council: Report of Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law

STATEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LAW ORGANIZATION

34th Session of the Human Rights Council: Report of Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law

March 15, 2017

Geneva

Delivered by Hector Guerra, Office of the Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other International Organizations, IDLO

34th Session of the Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment

STATEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LAW ORGANIZATION

34th Session of the Human Rights Council: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment

March 8, 2017

Geneva

Delivered by Hector Guerra, Office of the Permanent Observer to the UN and other International Organizations in Geneva, IDLO

Pages

Key Initiatives

  • In Somalia, alternative justice mechanisms remain the main providers of justice services for lack of formal justice institutions. However, these justice mechanisms can be discriminatory particularly against women, youth and minority clans.
  • Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, has been devastated by armed conflict since September 2014. The conflict has received limited international coverage and human rights violations and violations under international humanitarian law suffered by the civilian population have been grossly underreported. All parties to the conflict have been linked to serious violations of international law, with inadequate accountability mechanisms in place to ensure justice for victims.
  • Strengthening prevention and accountability for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) through the rule of law and access to justice has been a priority for the Government of Myanmar since 2011, when it embarked on an unprecedented transition towards democracy. SGBV cases are rarely reported and, when they are, the justice sector fails to provide adequate remedies. Therefore, there is a widely recognized need to increase prevention of and accountability for SGBV.
  • Somalia is striving to strengthen its institutions and to improve the rule of law, however high levels of crime still persist. These include forms of complex crimes, namely extremist violence, organized crime, sexual and gender-based violence and corruption. In recent years, the Somali Federal Government has improved the fight against armed groups and made efforts to improve the capacity of the justice system to handle complex crimes.
  • One of the challenges in scaling up HIV-related legal services is the limited number of knowledgeable, skilled and committed lawyers to provide such services. Part of the solution therefore lies in building the capacity of law schools to ensure law graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to support human rights-based approaches to HIV. Many universities, including in East Africa, offer clinical legal education programs to give students direct experience of providing legal information to clients.
Subscribe to RSS - Human Rights