02/02/2010

The 9th International Human Rights Colloquium, staged by Conectas Human Rights from November 8-14 in São Paulo, claimed as one of its major feats a document, finalized in January, on the UN human rights system. This document, signed by 37 organizations and activists that attended the event, is a compilation of proposals drawn up by the participants during the workshops and lectures at the colloquium, which was entitled “An Appraisal of the Human Rights System from a Southern Perspective: Common Strategies and Proposals for Reform”.

“This document presents contributions from activists from the Global South for the UN human rights system. By and large, the proposals are intended to increase the participation of civil society in the international mechanisms and improve the effectiveness of these mechanisms in their promotion and protection of human rights,” explained Thiago Amparo, one of the organizers of the event. “The document deals with the main challenges facing the bodies and mechanisms of the international human rights system, and also mentions traditional bodies associated with international peace and security, such as the Security Council and the International Criminal Court”.

The document will now be sent to the United Nations and governments, as well as NGOs and civil society institutions, to which most of these proposals are forwarded. “One of the merits of this document is its purposeful approach, by presenting concrete measures for improving the UN human rights system that were drawn up democratically by the activists themselves,” pointed out Thiago.

To read the document, click here (http://www.conectas.org/arquivospublicados/IXHRColloquium_DocFinal_English.pdf).