The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) is scheduled to hold its 78th session September 8 to 26, in Geneva, Switzerland.  The Committee will consider reports from Chile, Colombia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Netherlands, Russian Federation, and Zimbabwe; lists of issues prior to reporting for Eswatini, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritius, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, and Tunisia; and follow-up to concluding observations (CoBs) made to El Salvador and Luxembourg. More information is available on the session page.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is scheduled to hold its 101st Pre-sessional Working Group from September 16 to October 17. The Working Group will begin its review of State reports from Kazakhstan, Lesotho, Serbia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, and the United Republic of Tanzania to assess their compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Additionally, the Working Group will begin considering reports it has received from the United States of America regarding its compliance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention relating to the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and the Optional Protocol to the Convention relating to involvement of children in armed conflict.

The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) will hold its 21st Pre-sessional Working Group from September 1 to 5. Due to the UN liquidity crisis, this session will be held online only. The Working Group will begin its review of State reports from Colombia, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago to assess their compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Additionally, the Working Group will consider lists of issues prior to reporting for Luxembourg. Finally, the Working Group will consider the situation of persons with disabilities in Cyprus, in absence of a report from that country. Civil society members who would like to participate in the Committee’s pre-sessional working group must contact the Secretary of the Committee via email at jorge.araya@un.org. Further information is available under “Information from secretariat” on the session page.

The Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) is scheduled to hold its 29th session from September 22 to October 2 in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the Information Note for victims and civil society organizations, registration for in-person attendance will open on September 1. During this session, the Committee will consider initial reports from Benin and Sri Lanka; a report on additional information from Montenegro; lists of issues for Finland, Oman, and Slovenia; and lists of priority themes for Ecuador and Iraq. The Committee will also review information it has requested from Mexico regarding concerns that a widespread or systematic practice of enforced disappearance may be occurring within its territory.

Also during the session, on September 29, the Committee will hold its annual meeting with civil society actors, intergovernmental organizations, and National Human Rights Institutions to facilitate the sharing of information and ideas for strengthening and furthering the work of the Committee. For further guidelines specific to the 29th session, see the Information Note referenced above. For more general guidelines on civil society engagement with the Committee, please see the Committee’s webpage.

The United Nations Human Rights Council, an intergovernmental deliberative body, is scheduled to hold its 60th regular session from September 8 to October 8 in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the session agenda, the Human Rights Council will appoint one special procedure mandate holder and hear the presentation of reports by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN Secretary-General, special procedures, and other mechanisms on specific countries and topics.

The Council is also scheduled to hold panel discussions on discrimination and violence against intersex people, on youth and human rights, on integration of a gender perspective, on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and on unilateral coercive measures and human rights.

Finally, the Council will consider and adopt the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review for Armenia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Nicaragua, Spain, Sweden, and Türkiye.

For information on accreditation for and ways to participate in the Human Rights Council’s sessions, visit the Council’s page on NGO participation.

Two of the UN Human Rights Council’s special procedures have country visits scheduled for September. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights provides a list of country visits that are forthcoming, including those scheduled beyond the month of September.

• The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls is scheduled to visit Kuwait from September 2 to 9.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants is scheduled to visit Mauritania from September 2 to 15.

Please note that some of the UN special procedures have postponed country visits “due to the ongoing liquidity crisis.” [For example, the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Environment to Ireland and the visit of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances to the Republic of Korea.]

UN special procedures holding sessions in September include the following:

• The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances is scheduled to hold its 137th session in Geneva from September 15 to 24.
• The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights is scheduled to hold its 42nd session in Geneva from September 29 to October 3.

The African Court on Human & Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) will convene for its 78th Ordinary Session at its Seat in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania from September 1 to 26.

The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will hold a hearing in the case of Jesus Pinhal v. Portugal on September 17 at 9:15 a.m. in Strasbourg, France. Court hearings are public and may be viewed on the Court’s website or in person. Pre-registration is required for in-person attendance.

The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) will hold its 350th Session from September 8 to 12. The agenda and synopsis of the session will be posted on the Committee’s webpage after the conclusion of the session.

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) is holding its 179th Regular Session at its seat in San José, Costa Rica, from August 18 to September 3. The Court will hold public hearings in three cases, in addition to other activities. The public hearings may be viewed in person or via livestream.

Later in September the Court will travel to Paraguay and hold the public portion of its 180th Regular Session there from September 22 to 26. During this session, the Court will hold public hearings in three cases. These public hearings may be viewed in person or via livestream. While in Paraguay, the Court will also hold five private hearings in cases where the Court is still supervising compliance with its prior judgments. The session will continue virtually from September 29 to October 3 for the Court to hold closed deliberations on pending decisions.

• The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has issued a call for input for civil society organizations in Israel and in the State of Palestine to submit written contributions on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the ad hoc Conciliation Commission (CERD/C/113/3) dated 21 August 2024 (paragraph 56). Deadline September 29.
  The Conciliation Commission’s recommendations, on the implementation of which organizations are invited to comment, were as follows:
  1. that civil society organizations in both States Parties create a joint platform with Israeli and Palestinian human rights defenders to address questions of racial discrimination and hate speech in both communities; and
  2. that civil society organizations in both States Parties promote common activities towards peace and reconciliation within the territories of both State parties and in the diaspora.
• In preparation for its 116th session, the CERD is also accepting written contributions from NGOs and other civil society actors to inform its review of the following State reports: Burundi, Guatemala, Maldives, New Zealand, Sweden, and Tunisia. Deadline October 20.

• In preparation for its Pre-Sessional Working Group for the 94th session, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is accepting written contributions from NGOs and other civil society actors to inform the following:
  • The Committee’s adoption of a list of issues for Cook Islands and lists of issues prior to reporting for Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Croatia, Eswatini, Ghana, India, Liberia, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, and Vanuatu. Deadline September 29.
  • The Committee’s assessment of reports following up on the most recent concluding observations issued to Costa Rica, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Slovenia, Tunisia, and Ukraine. Deadline September 22.
• Please note that due to the ongoing liquidity crisis at the UN, this session will be held online, in closed meetings, and NGOs will not be able to participate in these meetings except through their written contributions.

• In preparation for its 83rd session in November 2025, the Committee Against Torture (CAT) is accepting written contributions from NGOs and other civil society actors to inform the Committee’s review of the following State reports: Albania, Argentina, Bahrain, and Israel. Deadline October 13.
• Civil society actors submitting written information to the CAT may also register to participate in person at the 83rd session. Pre-accreditation and registration are required for in-person participation. Deadline September 4.

• The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has issued a call for input to inform draft guidelines on addressing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination against women and girls with disabilities. Deadline October 15.

• The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group is accepting written contributions from stakeholders, including NGOs, to inform the April 2026 UPR of Namibia, Niger, Mozambique, Estonia, Paraguay, Belgium, Denmark, Palau, Somalia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Latvia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, during its 52nd session. Deadline October 10.
• In preparation for the January 2026 UPR of Micronesia (Federated States of), Lebanon, Mauritania, Nauru, Rwanda, Nepal, Saint Lucia, Oman, Austria, Australia, Georgia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Sao Tome and Principe, the UPR Working Group is receiving national reports from the governments being reviewed in its 51st session until October 6.

• The UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights has issued a call for input to inform his priorities and technical recommendations for the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of the upcoming Ninth Review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which will occur in mid-2026. Deadline September 1.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights has issued a second call for input to inform a position paper on the human rights impacts of using artificial intelligence in countering terrorism, including guidance on good practices. Deadline September 1.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on summary, extrajudicial or arbitrary executions has issued a call for input to inform his upcoming visit to Lebanon in September/October 2025. Deadline September 10.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues has issued a call for input to inform his upcoming visit to Nepal in October 2025. Deadline September 15.
• The UN Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt on the full enjoyment of human rights has issued a call for input to inform her upcoming visit to Kuwait in October 2025. Deadline September 15.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on torture has issued a call for input to inform a report that “will explore the experiences and perspectives of victims and survivors of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as their recommendations, in strengthening measures to prevent, prohibit, investigate and punish crimes of torture, and provide rehabilitation and reparations for victims and survivors, at national, regional and global levels. In particular, focus will be provided on how the meaningful participation and collaboration of survivors can be secured.” Deadline September 22.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders has issued a call for input “from human rights defenders on how they view their human rights work, the environment in which that work takes place and changes they would like to see for the greater support of their work.” Deadline September 30.
• The UN Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity has issued a call for input to inform her upcoming report to the Human Rights Council on peace and international solidarity. While submissions on other topics are welcome, the UN Independent Expert has provided a list of 17 specific areas related to which she is most interested in receiving comments, observations, and examples of good practices on. Deadline October 17.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights has issued a call for submissions of additional input, comments and suggestions for the finalisation of “Principles and Guidance on humanitarian action” that she has been drafting. Deadline October 20.
• The UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights has issued a second call for input to collect feedback, comments and suggestions on her first draft of the Guidance on Effective Remedy, Responsibility and Redress in Unilateral Sanctions Environment. Deadline October 20.

• The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a call for input to inform a report on addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization and enjoyment of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy. Deadline September 1.
• The OHCHR has also issued a call for input to inform a report on the rights of persons with disabilities and disability-inclusive infrastructure, including transport and housing. Deadline September 1.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) is scheduled to hold its 85th Ordinary Session in October. Those wishing to make a statement or intervention must register by September 30.

The ACHPR also invites stakeholders to submit their contributions to improve the final text of its Draft Advocacy Framework for withdrawing reservations on some provisions of the Maputo Protocol on the rights of women and girls. Deadline October 22.

Finally, the ACHPR’s Working Group on Extractive Industries, environment and human rights violations in Africa (WGEI) invites inputs from all stakeholders to inform its Intersession report on the right of peoples to a general satisfactory environment favourable to their development. This thematic report is meant to enhance the African Commission’s General Comment on the protection and promotion of the right to environment. Deadline September 1.

The Republic of Guatemala has presented to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) a request for an advisory opinion on Democracy and its protection under the Inter-American System of Human Rights. The Court has issued a call for submissions of written observations, which should be sent to the Court by October 3.