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 Enforced Disappearances (CED) is scheduled to hold its 29th session from September 22 to October 3 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.

Due to the ongoing liquidity crisis at the UN, the Pre-sessional Working Group for the 94th session of the Committee on the Elimination against Women (CEDAW) will be held online, in closed meetings, from October 27 to 31. During these meetings the Committee will (a) adopt a list of issues in relation to the periodic report of Cook Islands, as well as lists of issues prior to reporting for the following States parties: Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Croatia, Eswatini, Ghana, India, Liberia, Madagascar, Sierra Leone and Vanuatu; and (b) assess the follow-up reports of Costa Rica, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Slovenia, Tunisia, and Ukraine. NGOs that submitted written information by the September deadline specified on the session information page were given the option to also request to participate remotely in an informal private meeting that will be held online on Monday, 27 October 2025 from 14h00 to 15h30 (Geneva time; time to be confirmed).

The 92nd session of the Committee, initially scheduled for October 6 to 24, has been cancelled. The Committee has postponed its State party reviews of Argentina, Cabo Verde, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Iraq, Lesotho, Lithuania, The Netherlands and Viet Nam to its next session in February 2026.

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, youth and human rights, integration of a gender perspective, rights of Indigenous Peoples, and 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.

Three of the UN Human Rights Council’s special procedures have country visits scheduled for October. 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 October.

• The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions is scheduled to visit Lebanon from September 29 to October 10.
• The UN Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt is scheduled to visit Kuwait from October 1 to 8.
• The UN Working Group on business and human rights is scheduled to visit Serbia from October 6 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.]

Two of the UN Human Rights Council’s special procedures will be holding sessions in October:

• 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 UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development (EMRTD) is scheduled to hold its 12th session in Geneva from October 27 to 29.

• The 4th Africa Business and Human Rights Forum will be held in Lusaka, Zambia from October 7 to 9. The theme will be “From Commitment to Action: Advancing Remedy, Reparations and Responsible Business Conduct in Africa.” Those interested in attending the forum either virtually or in person can do so through the UN’s Indico system.
• The Forum on Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from October 13 to 14. This year’s theme is “democracy and climate change: focusing on solutions.” Participants are required to register ahead of time through the UN’s Indico System. Further information on modalities of participation is available on the webpage of the forum. The forum will also be webcast on UN Web TV.
• The UN Human Rights Council will convene the annual Social Forum in Geneva, Switzerland from October 30 to 31. This year’s theme is focused on the contribution of education to the respect, promotion, protection, and fulfilment of all human rights for all. Participants are required to register ahead of time through the UN’s Indico System.

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) will hold its 85th Ordinary Session:

• Private Session: 7 – 17 October 2025 (virtual and closed to the public)
• Public Session (in-person and open to the public): 21 – 30 October 2025

The ordinary session will be live streamed on the ACHPR’s YouTube channel.

The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) will hold its 351st Session from October 13 to 17. 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 180th Ordinary Session which began on September 22. The latter portion of the session, from September 29 to October 3, the Court will be meeting virtually for closed deliberations on pending decisions.

Later in the month, from October 13 to 17, the Inter-American Court will hold its 181st Ordinary Session.

In preparation for its 116th session, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is 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 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 October 26.

In preparation for its Pre-Sessional Working Group for the 102nd session, the Committee on the Rights of the Child is accepting written contributions from NGOs and other civil society actors to inform its adoption of a list of issues for Suriname. The Committee requests that written contributions be submitted through the Child Rights Connect website. Deadline November 1.

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 the human right to a healthy environment has issued a call for input to inform her report on the protection of clean air, as a vital element of the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Deadline October 16.
• 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 Independent Expert on the rights of persons with albinism has issued a call for input to inform a report on the right to employment for persons with albanism. The call for input details specifies further the type of information the rapporteur is looking for, such as information on employment-related data and experiences, as well as examples of policies and measures. 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 UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief has issued a call for input to inform a report on freedom of religion or belief in relation to death and the honouring of the deceased. Deadline October 24.
• The UN Expert Mechanism on the right to development (EMRTD) has issued a call for input to inform an upcoming study on “Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cultural Rights, and the Right to Development.” Deadline November 30.

• The UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFMI) will continue to receive submissions that will inform its oral update to the UN General Assembly in October 2025 and its report to the UN Human Rights Council in 2026. Submissions may refer to, but are not limited to, the areas listed in the FFMI’s Call for Submissions. The Call for Submissions also contains recommendations on steps to follow when submitting information to the FFMI. Deadline October 15.
• The UN Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus has issued a call for submission of information and documentation relevant to its investigation of human rights violations and abuses committed in Belarus since May 1, 2020. Deadline November 30.
• The UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar has issued a press release calling for all those who witnessed or have direct information about an airstrike on a boarding school complex in Thayat Tabin village, Kyauktaw Township in Rakhine State, on September 12, 2025 to please share their evidence. The press release also contains instructions on how to share information with the Mechanism. No deadline specified.

• The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a call for input to inform the preparation of guidelines for States on the effective application of a human rights-based approach to the development and implementation of laws, policies, and programmes to prevent and eliminate child, early, and forced marriage. Deadline October 10.

The ACHPR 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.

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. New deadline November 17.