Human Rights Bodies’ Hearings & Sessions:
July 2025

July 01, 2025
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In July 2025, various regional and universal human rights bodies will hold sessions or hearings to continue their oversight and adjudication of human rights issues. For more information on each of the bodies mentioned, visit the Human Rights Oversight section of the CGLJ Online Resource Hub.

At the United Nations, various bodies will be in session or hold meetings, including the Human Rights Council; the special procedures Working Group on the use of mercenaries; the Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous Peoples; and treaty bodies on civil and political rights, the elimination of discrimination against women, and torture. In addition, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will host a panel discussion on local government and human rights.

The UN special procedure mandate holders scheduled to carry out country visits in July include the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, to Guatemala; the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, to Colombia; the Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly, to Chile; the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, to the Democratic Republic of Congo; and the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, to Zimbabwe.

The OHCHR and special procedures have issued calls for input with July deadlines, including for submissions related to corporations and international solidarity; the occupied Palestinian territories; the Islamic Republic of Iran; conflict and racial discrimination; the Committee on Enforced Disappearances’ General Comment on women, girls, and enforced disappearances; human rights and local government; and human rights and cultural diversity. Mandate holders are also seeking inputs for upcoming visits to Austria (racism), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (trafficking), and Kuwait (violence against women and girls).

At the regional level, the following bodies will be in session: the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the European Committee of Social Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

United Nations

Human Rights Council

Human Rights Council Sessions and Intersessional Activities

The Human Rights Council is holding its 59th regular session from June 16 to July 9, in Geneva. According to its agenda, the Council will hear the annual report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as other reports by the OHCHR, Secretary-General, and special procedure mandate holders on specific countries and topics. The documentation for the session is available online. The Council will appoint mandate holders to various special procedures, including one member of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development (from Latin American and Caribbean States) and one member of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (from Asia-Pacific States). The Council will host panels on subjects including women’s rights, the adverse impacts of climate change, safe drinking water, and technical cooperation and capacity building.

The Council will consider and adopt the final outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review of Angola, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, the Gambia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, San Marino, and Slovenia.

Special Procedures

Various UN special procedures have country visits scheduled for July. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights provides lists of country visits that are underway and country visits that are forthcoming.

UN special procedures Working Groups holding sessions in July include the following.

The OHCHR and special procedures calls for input with July deadlines include the following.

Other Working Groups, Subsidiary Expert Mechanisms, Forums

The Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous Peoples will hold its 18th session in person from July 14 to 18, in Geneva, Switzerland. Registration is available on Indico and closes July 4. According to the provisional agenda, the session will include discussions of the right of Indigenous Peoples to data, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, country engagement, the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, the role of national and regional human rights institutions on achieving the ends of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and enhancing the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the United Nations.

Other Convenings of Note

In response to a request from the Human Rights Council in its resolution 57/12, the OHCHR will host a remote one-day panel discussion on local government and human rights on July 21. Issues to be addressed include “enhancing coordination and cooperation between national and local governments, human rights education and capacity-building for local government officials and supporting better engagement of local governments in the work of United Nations human rights mechanisms.” Registration for the event is available via Indico. More information is available in the concept note.

Treaty Bodies

General

Various UN treaty bodies will convene in July. The full schedule can be viewed on the OHCHR Human Rights Mechanisms Calendar. Treaty bodies’ public activities, including constructive dialogues held as part of State party reviews, are webcast on UN Web TV.  For information about the participation of civil society in the public activities of the treaty bodies, visit the indico system.

Human Rights Committee

The Human Rights Committee will hold its 144th session June 23 to July 17, in Geneva, Switzerland.  The Committee will consider reports from Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Latvia, North Macedonia, Spain, and Vietnam; and lists of issues prior to reporting for Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Denmark, Ghana, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Sweden, and Switzerland. More information is available in the proposed programme of work.

Committee on Enforced Disappearances

The Committee on Enforced Disappearances has issued a call for inputs for its General Comment on women, girls, and enforced disappearances. Deadline July 15.

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) will hold its 91st session from June 16 to July 4, in Geneva, Switzerland. The Committee will consider reports from Afghanistan, Botswana, Chad, Ireland, Mexico, San Marino, and Thailand; adopt concluding observations on the earlier reports of Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu; adopt lists of issues in relation to the periodic reports of Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, Paraguay, Republic of Moldova and Syria; and adopt lists of issues prior to reporting on Comoros and Poland. More information is available in the provisional agenda and tentative program of work.

Due to the liquidity crisis, the Pre-sessional Working Group for the 93rd session of CEDAW will not meet from July 7 to 11 as planned, but will meet informally and privately prior to the 91st CEDAW session.

Committee against Torture

The 83rd session of the Committee on the Convention against Torture (CAT), previously scheduled for July 14 to 31, has been cancelled due to the UN liquidity situation.

Regional Bodies

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’s Rights (ACHPR) is holding its 84th Private Ordinary Session, virtually, from July 21 to 30. The session is not open to the public. The session will focus on the consideration of communications; reports of “promotion missions”; and resolutions, concluding observations, studies, and other reports. [ACHPR Press Release]

European Committee of Social Rights

The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) will hold its 349th Session from June 30 to July 4. The agenda and synopsis will be posted on the Committee’s webpage after the conclusion of the session.

European Court of Human Rights

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) is not scheduled to hold any hearings in July.

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is holding its 193rd Period of Sessions from July 14 to 25, in Washington, D.C. From July 21 to 25, online public hearings will be held. As part of the public hearings, the IACHR will hold an ex officio regional thematic hearing on July 24 on the issue of “methane reduction and waste pickers: ESCERs and the climate emergency.” [IACHR Press Release] More information is available about IACHR hearings in general. Public hearings are transmitted live on the IACHR site and available on the IACHR Hearings site.

Inter-American Court of Human Rights

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) is holding its 178th Regular Session from June 23 to July 9, with in-person and virtual activities. The Court will conduct deliberations and hearings, monitor compliance with judgments and the implementation of provisional measures, and address administrative matters. The session includes public hearings for the following three cases. [IACtHR Press Release]

On June 25, the Court will hear the Case of Zambrano, Rodríguez, et al. v. Argentina, which concerns “the alleged responsibility of the State of Argentina for the forced disappearance and subsequent killing of José Segundo Zambrano and Pablo Marcelo Rodríguez.” The IACHR took the case to the IACtHR on June 30, 2024. [IACHR Press Release: Argentina]

On June 26 to 27, the Court will hear the Case of Puracal et al. v. Nicaragua, which concerns “the international responsibility of the State of Nicaragua for the illegal and arbitrary detention of Jason Puracal.” The IACHR took the case to the IACtHR on March 1, 2024. [IACHR Press Release: Nicaragua]

On June 27, the Court will hear the Case of Chavarría Morales et al. v. Nicaragua, which concerns “the alleged international responsibility of the Republic of Nicaragua for the violation of the personal integrity and the inability to obtain access to justice to the detriment of Jaime Antonio Chavarría Morales and his next of kin, as part of the data verification process performed on July 26 and 27, 2008, in Nicaragua, as part of the municipal elections of November 2008.” The IACHR took the case to the IACtHR on November 17, 2023. [IACHR Press Release: Nicaragua]

The Court livestreams public hearings on its Court TV site. Videos of public hearings are available on the Court’s Vimeo site. Information about the Court’s activities and judgments is available on the Court’s social media feeds.