Invitation: Conference

“Human Rights Council Investigative Mechanisms and Preventing Mass Atrocities”

Monday, 5 November 2018
10:00 – 15:00
Location: Conference Room C1, Maison de la Paix (MdP), Geneva

The international community has increasingly relied on Human Rights Council (HRC) investigative mechanisms as a key tool for responding to serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Since 2006, the HRC has established 28 Commissions of Inquiry, Fact-Finding Missions and other bodies of a broadening geographic and mandated scope – six are currently operational.

In 2005 the principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) was developed as a means of mobilizing “timely and decisive action” by the international community to prevent or halt mass atrocities – genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. This conference seeks to explore the ways in which investigative mechanisms created by the HRC have succeeded and/or failed in facilitating concrete and actionable efforts to prevent or respond to atrocities, and support international efforts to uphold R2P. During two separate sessions, panelists will analyze the successes and failures of past international and independent mechanisms and discuss how the HRC and wider UN system can engage with and develop these mechanisms further in order to better address atrocity situations.


For further information, please contact: Ms. Elisabeth Pramendorfer, Global Centre for R2P (epramendorfer@globalr2p.org / 0041 76 753 58 83).

Thank you.