Center for Global Law and Justice | Resource Hub

Zero Tolerance for FGM Day
2026-02-06
The World Health Organization’s International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation is observed on February 6.

Call for Input, UN SR on violence against women and girls
2026-02-06
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls (SR VAWG) has issued a call for input to inform a thematic report that examines “the forms and manifestations of violence experienced by women and girls because of their status as mothers, including where that status intersects with other grounds.” This report will be presented to the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Visit to Egypt, UN SR on the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
2026-02-08 - 2026-02-17 | Egypt, Egypt
The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation is scheduled to visit Egypt.

Visit to Ireland, UN SR on the human right to a healthy environment
2026-02-09 - 2026-02-20 | Ireland, Ireland
The UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment will visit Ireland.

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) 79
2026-02-09 - 2026-02-25 | Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) is scheduled to hold its 79th Session in Geneva, Switzerland. During this session, the Committee will consider reports from Australia, Georgia, Kenya, and Uruguay; lists of issues prior to reporting for Ecuador, Egypt, Kazakhstan, and Paraguay; and follow-up to concluding observations (CoBs) made to Lithuania, and Tajikistan. Members of civil society who wish to attend the session must register via the UN’s Indico platform. A provisional agenda is available on the session page.

World Pulses Day
2026-02-10

Call for Input, OHCHR (genocide prevention)
2026-02-10
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect have issued a questionnaire to which they are seeking responses from civil society organizations to inform a report on genocide prevention to be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council and General Assembly later this year.

Visit to Mali, UN SR on the counter-terrorism and human rights
2026-02-10 - 2026-02-20 | Mali, Mali
The UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights is scheduled to visit Mali.

World Radio Day
2026-02-13

IACHR, Registration Deadline for 195th Period of Sessions
2026-02-13
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has opened registration to take part in the regional ex officio public hearings that are set to take place in person during its 195th Period of Sessions (March 9–13) in Guatemala City, Guatemala. According to Press Release No. 21, “[a]ll private individuals and representatives of States and civil society organizations interested in taking part in any of these hearings will need to register online (in Spanish or English) by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on February 13, 2026.”
The hearings will cover the following themes:

Situation of judicial officers
Human rights of Roma peoples
Effects of practices aimed at changing sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression
Impact of illegal mining on economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights

Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), Civil Society Submissions Due
2026-02-13
In preparation for its 117th session, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is accepting written submissions to inform its consideration of follow-up reports from: Albania, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Qatar, and Turkmenistan. Please send submissions electronically to the CERD Secretariat. Deadline February 13.
Also in preparation for its 117th session, the Committee is accepting electronic submissions relating to Early Warning and Urgent Actions (EWUAP). Deadline February 13.
Finally, the Committee is accepting civil society reports that may inform its consideration of the regular periodic State reports of Burkina Faso, Cuba, Cyprus, Serbia, Slovenia, and Uzbekistan. Deadline March 23.

Call for Input, UN WG on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
2026-02-15
The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has issued a call for input to inform an upcoming thematic report on enforced disappearances and memorialization. This report will be presented to the Human Rights Council in September 2026 and to the General Assembly in October 2026.

Call for Input, UN IE on sexual orientation and gender identity (IE SOGI)
2026-02-15
The UN Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (IE SOGI) has issued a call for input to inform a thematic report on violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women. The call for input provides further detail on key questions the rapporteur seeks to address. This report will be presented at the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.

Call for Input, OHCHR (UN human rights treaty body system)
2026-02-15
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a call for inputs to inform its upcoming biennial report to the UN General Assembly “on the status of the human rights treaty body system and the progress achieved by the human rights treaty bodies in realizing greater efficiency and effectiveness in their work, including the number of reports submitted and reviewed by the committees, the visits undertaken and the individual communications received and reviewed, where applicable, the state of the backlog, capacity-building efforts and the results achieved, as well as the situation in terms of ratifications, increased reporting and the allocation of meeting time and proposals on measures, including on the basis of information and observations from Member States, to enhance the engagement of all States parties in the dialogue with the treaty bodies.”
Please submit inputs to ohchr-tbs@un.org in digital or electronic formats accessible to persons with disabilities, for example, Word or text formats. The responses will be posted as received on the following OHCHR webpage http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRTD/Pages/TBStrengthening.aspx.

Visit to Chad, UN SR on trafficking in persons
2026-02-16 - 2026-02-26 | Chad, Chad
The UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons is scheduled to visit Chad.

Call for Input, WG on peasants (right to seeds)
2026-02-19
The UN Working group on peasants is seeking input to inform a thematic report on the right to seeds, which will be presented to the Human Rights Council later this year.

Call for Input, WG on peasants (Peasant Territorialities)
2026-02-19
The UN Working group on peasants is calling for input to inform a thematic report on Peasant Territorialities of Sea and Land, which will be delivered to the UN General Assembly later this year.

Deadline to Apply for Financial Support for PFPAD
2026-02-20
The 5th session of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (PFPAD) will take place in Geneva, Switzerland starting April 14, 2026. Members of civil society who wish to apply for financial support to participate must do so by February 20.

Call for Input, UN WG on Business and Human Rights
2026-02-20
The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights has issued a call for input to inform an upcoming thematic report considering how the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) “has been and should be applied in relation to corporate governance, through consideration of States duties to prevent human rights abuses, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and access to effective remedies.” The “particular focus [of the report] will be on director’s duties and the responsibilities of senior executive governance of large businesses (as these impact significantly on small and medium sized businesses).”

Call for Input, OHCHR (mental health of young people)
2026-02-20
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a call for inputs to inform a study on the impact of mental health challenges on the enjoyment of human rights by young people.

World Day of Social Justice
2026-02-20
World Day of Social Justice is observed on February 20.

Call for Input, UN SR on Indigenous Peoples (land demarcation, registration and titling)
2026-02-20
The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples has issued a call for input to inform a thematic report on demarcation, registration and titling of Indigenous Peoples’ lands, territories and resources, to be presented at the UN General Assembly.

Call for Input, UN SR on Indigenous Peoples (women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health)
2026-02-20
The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples has issued a call for input to inform a thematic report on the topic of historical and contemporary forms of violations against Indigenous women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights, to be presented to the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council. The call for input provides further detail on key questions the rapporteur seeks to address.

Human Rights Committee (ICCPR) PSWG 145
2026-02-23 - 2026-02-27 | Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
The Human Rights Committee is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) by its States parties. In preparation for its 145th session, the Committee’s Pre-sessional Working Group is scheduled to convene.

Voices, Rights, Action: Standing with Roma and Travellers
2026-02-23 - 2026-03-03 | Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
On February 26, UN independent experts, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and Romani human rights defenders from various parts of Europe and the Americas discuss human rights issues facing Roma and Travellers, challenges in addressing antigypsyism, and ways forward. Information about in-person attendance and online participation is available by scanning the QR code in the event flyer, or by consulting the event webpage.
From February 26 to March 3, The Office of the UN High Commisssioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights will also present a hybrid exhibition on the human rights of Roma and Travellers in Europe and the Americas. The exhibition features photographs from the travelling exhibition The Unheard 12 Million, an initiative by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, as part of his priority work on the human rights of Roma and Travellers. The exhibition visually supports the Commissioner’s book The Unheard 12 Million – The Unstoppable Voices of Roma and Traveller Women, published in October 2025. The exhibition also includes, on an interactive screen, the crowd-sourced initiative Romani Memory Map for the Americas. The Map is also available online in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Human Rights Council 61
2026-02-23 - 2026-03-31 | Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
The UN Human Rights Council, an intergovernmental deliberative body, is scheduled to hold its 61st regular session in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the session agenda, the Human Rights Council will appoint 17 special procedure mandate holders 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 (a.) the role of new and emerging digital technologies in preventing and eliminating female genital mutilation , (b.) the Durban Programme of Action (to combat racism), (c.) human rights and a culture of peace, (d.) sustainable development and human rights, (e.) the rights of persons with disabilities, and (f.) the rights of the child.
Finally, the Council will consider and adopt the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Review for Andorra, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Honduras, Jamaica, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, and Panama.
For information on accreditation and ways to participate in the Human Rights Council’s sessions, visit the Council’s page on NGO participation.

Call for Input, UN SR on Belarus
2026-02-26
The UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus has issued a call for input to inform his 2026 report on the situation of human rights in Belarus to the Human Rights Council.

Deadline for Registering to Attend UNPFII
2026-02-27
The 25th annual session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) will take place at UN Headquarters in New York starting April 20, 2026.
All who wish to participate in the forum must both obtain accreditation and register. The deadlines are as follows:

Accreditation must be requested via the UN’s iCSO system by January 30, 2026.
Accredited participants must register via the UN’s Indico system by February 27, 2026.

Call for Input, UN Secretary General (death penalty)
2026-02-27
The UN Secretary General has issued a call for input to inform a report to the UN Human Rights Council on “a yearly supplement to his quinquennial report on capital punishment and the implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, paying special attention to the imposition of the death penalty on persons younger than 18 years of age at the time of the offence, on pregnant women and on persons with mental or intellectual disabilities.”

Call for Input, UN SR on summary, extrajudicial or arbitrary executions
2026-02-28
The UN Special Rapporteur on summary, extrajudicial or arbitrary executions has issued a call for inputs to inform an upcoming thematic report that “will examine the pain and suffering inflicted at each stage of the process of capital punishment—investigation and trial, death-row conditions, methods of execution, and post-execution practices—and its impact on the condemned person and their family members, including discriminatory patterns, from the perspective of the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the protection of human dignity.” This report will be presented to the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council.
