22 February 2013 | General, ISCH
The Role of the EU in UN Human Rights Reform: A Policy Debate
COST Action IS0702, a COST-funded research network on 'The Role of the EU in UN Human Rights Reform', carried out joint research activities on the achievements, gaps and weaknesses of the UN human rights protection mechanisms as well as the contribution of the EU and its Member States in strengthening these mechanisms. On 28 January 2013 the COST Action presented its results and recommendations to EU policy-makers.
The pan-European COST Action put forward 86 innovative ideas of human rights reform, mainly addressed to the European Union and the United Nations, with the goal of strengthening the protection of human rights worldwide. In the context of the UN treaty body reform, highly-innovative ideas emanate directly from the COST network, and have already taken some roots within the international community. These include the creation of a World Court of Human Rights, with a proposed draft statute for a World Court published in 2010.
In the dedicated Brussels-based policy event, the COST Action represented by the Chair, Prof. Manfred Nowak, and the Working Group leaders, presented its 86 recommendations to EU policy-makers.
European policy-makers who participated in the debate include:
- Stavros Lambrinidis, EU Special Representative (EUSR) for Human Rights;
- Barbara Lochbihler MEP, Chair of the Human Rights Sub-Committee of the European Parliament;
- Bert Theuermann, Chair of the Working Party on Human Rights (COHOM) in the Council of the European Union.
The debate also involved MEPs from the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, representatives from the Council of the European Union, the Members States, the European Commission, the UN and Human Rights Watch.
The policy recommendations presented by COST Action IS0702 are available for download.
