Session, UN WG Business & Human Rights 43
2026-05-11 - 2026-05-15 | Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights is scheduled to hold its 43rd session in Geneva.

**POSTPONED** Visit to Republic of Korea, UN SR on violence against women and girls
2026-05-11 - 2026-05-20 | Republic of Korea, Korea, Republic of
The visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls to the Republic of Korea has been postponed to a later date at the request of the Government. New dates to be announced.

Visit to Mexico, UN WG of Experts on People of African Descent
2026-05-11 - 2026-05-20 | Mexico, Mexico
The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent will visit Mexico.

Call for Input, Committee on the Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers (CMW)
2026-05-13
The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW) has issued a call for input to inform its draft Guidelines on the Disappearance of Persons in the Context of Migration.

International Day of Families
2026-05-15
International Day of Families is observed on May 15.

Call for Input, Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
2026-05-15
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) invites inputs to inform its work on elaborating a draft general comment on the Application of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Situations of Armed Conflicts.

Call for Input, Human Rights Council Advisory Committee
2026-05-15
The UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee has issued a call for input on the implications of plastic pollution for the full enjoyment of human rights.

Call for Input, OHCHR (human rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations)
2026-05-15
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a call for input to inform a report on best practices and main challenges in the promotion and protection of the human rights of women and children in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Call for Input, UN IE on the rights of persons with albinism
2026-05-17
The UN Independent Expert on the rights of persons with albinism has issued a call for input to inform a thematic report to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on the psychosocial impact of colour-based discrimination as it relates to the enjoyment of the rights to life, work, education, and public participation, with a particular focus on their implication on the mental health of persons with albinism.

Deadline to Request Side Event for Human Rights Council, Session 62
2026-05-18
The UN Human Rights Council, an intergovernmental deliberative body, is scheduled to hold its 62nd regular session in Geneva, Switzerland in June. Registration of requests for NGO Side Events will open on Monday, 11 May 2026, at 12 noon (Geneva time – CEST) until Monday, 18 May 2026, at 12 noon (Geneva time – CEST). Those interested in requesting a side event are strongly encouraged to consult the Step-by-Step Informal Guidance on the Registration and Processing of NGO Side Event Requests for further details.
For any questions, please contact OHCHR’s Civil Society Team at: ohchr-hrcngo@un.org.

Call for Input, OHCHR (international cooperation for the advancement of human rights)
2026-05-18
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a call for input regarding good practices and examples of North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation for the advancement of human rights, including the right to development.

Call for Input, UN SR on Belarus
2026-05-18
The UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus has issued a call for input to inform his report for the 81st session of the General Assembly about the situation of human rights in Belarus in the area of women’s rights and gender equality.

Visit to Mongolia, UN IE on sexual orientation and gender identity (IE SOGI)
2026-05-18 - 2026-05-29 | Mongolia, Mongolia
The UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (IE SOGI) is scheduled to visit Mongolia.

Visit to Poland, UN SR on the independence of judges and lawyers
2026-05-18 - 2026-05-29 | Poland, Poland
The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers is scheduled to visit Poland.

**(TBC)** Visit to Honduras, UN SR on racism
2026-05-19 - 2026-05-28 | Honduras, Honduras
The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism is scheduled to visit Honduras.
Please note that some of the UN special procedures have postponed country visits “due to the ongoing liquidity crisis.”
As of April 29, this visit to Honduras has not been confirmed and may not occur.

Registration Deadline for Consultation, UN SR on slavery and trafficking in persons
2026-05-20
The new UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons has announced that she will be hosting a series of online consultation workshops to gather insights and perspectives on progress in anti-slavery and anti-trafficking, as well as on opportunities, threats and strategic priorities that should shape the future direction of her mandate. These consultations will take place on May 26 from 07:00-08:30 UTC, on May 28 from 12:00-13:30 UTC, and May 28 from 16:00-17:30 UTC. Those interested in participating should use the links provided to register for a specific consultation session by no later than May 20.
Further information is provided in a downloadable participant information sheet.

World Day Cultural Diversity
2026-05-21
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is observed on May 21.

Biological Diversity Day
2026-05-22
International Day for Biological Diversity is observed on May 22.

Call for Input, UN SR in the field of cultural rights
2026-05-22
The UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights has issued a call for input to inform a report in which she will propose guidance on how to assess efforts to implement cultural rights.

Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW) 42
2026-05-28 - 2026-06-12 | Palais Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland
The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers (CMW) is scheduled to hold its 42nd session in Geneva, Switzerland. During the 42nd session, the Committee will consider the fourth periodic report of Ecuador, the second periodic report of Ghana, and the initial report of The Gambia. During this same session, the Committee will adopt a list of issues for Lesotho, as well as lists of issues prior to reporting for Guatemala and Guyana. Finally, the Committee will adopt a report in relation to a follow-up report from Burkina Faso. The programme of work for the session provides specific dates and times for these activities. The information note for civil society organizations describes the various opportunities for civil society organizations to engage with the Committee during the session. Those wishing to attend in person must register individually online through the Indico system. All public meetings will also be webcast on UN Web TV.

EMRIP 19, Deadline for requesting side events
2026-05-30 | Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
The UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) will hold its 19th session in Geneva, Switzerland in July 2026. The deadline for requesting side events is May 30.

Call for Input, UN IE on human rights and international solidarity
2026-05-31
The UN Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity has issued a call for input to inform a report on women and international solidarity that will be presented to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
The deadline for this call for input was originally in April 2026, but has now been extended.

Call for Input, UN Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law
2026-05-31
The sixth session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law will be held in November 2026 with the theme “Education for civic participation: empowering future generations, fostering knowledge and critical thinking.” The Forum Secretariat has issued a call for views on the topics to be discussed, towards preparing the agenda for the session.

Call for Input, UN SR on slavery and trafficking in persons
2026-05-31
The new UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and trafficking in persons has issued a call for input inviting participation in a global consultation survey and a series of consultation workshops intended to gather insights and perspectives on:

Progress made over the past 100 years of anti-slavery and anti-trafficking
Current opportunities and threats
Strategic priorities for accelerating progress
The future direction of the mandate

Further information is provided in a downloadable participant information sheet.

Call for Input, OHCHR (national frameworks for the protection of journalists)
2026-06-01
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a call for input to inform the study requested under Human Rights Council resolution 59/15 aimed at assessing the effectiveness of national frameworks for the protection of journalists.

African Court on Human & Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) 81
2026-06-01 - 2026-06-26 | Arusha, Arusha, Tanzania, United Republic of
The African Court on Human & Peoples’ Rights (AfCHPR) will convene for its 81st Ordinary Session at its Seat in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania.

Call for Input, UN SR on the independence of judges and lawyers
2026-06-02
The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers has issued a call for input to inform an upcoming thematic report on the role of justice systems in addressing the climate crisis, to be presented at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

Visit to Colombia, UN SR on discrimination against persons with leprosy
2026-06-02 - 2026-06-13 | Colombia, Colombia
The UN Special Rapporteur on discrimination against persons with leprosy (Hansen’s disease) is scheduled to visit Colombia.

Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) 191
2026-06-03 - 2026-06-19 | Costa Rica, Avenida 10, Calles 47 y 49, Los Yoses, San Pedro, San José, Costa Rica
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) is scheduled to hold its 191st session. Agenda and additional information forthcoming.

World Oceans Day
2026-06-08
World Oceans Day is observed on June 8.
