The Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM)

with the Embassy of Switzerland in Poland

and

the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

are pleased to invite you to the online discussion:

UN Human Rights Council at 15: Role and Perspectives

This year, the UN Human Rights Council celebrates its 15^th anniversary. Although the body remains one of the principal institutions tasked with the universal protection and promotion of human rights, its role and activities are much less known to the wider Media reports on its work often focus on the clashes between the different visions of human rights protection standards of the Western and developing states, and criticism of the Council sometimes prevails over rational assessment. That is why a debate on its current state and the future of the UN human rights protection system remains vital.

The event’s main aim will be to make the viewers more familiar with the Council’s membership and internal dynamics, as well as selected mechanisms, such as special procedures. It will demonstrate the continuous pertinence of the body and dissipate the possible wrong impressions about its work. Since Poland is currently one of the members of the Council, the event will also shed light on the involvement of Polish diplomacy and experts in the work of the body.

28 April (Wednesday ) 2021

14:00 - 15:30 CEST (Poland)

Agenda

14:00-14:15    Opening Remarks

• Patrycja Sasnal, Head of Research, PISM, Member of the Advisory Committee of the UN Human Rights Council
• Matthias Dettling, Deputy Head of Mission of Switzerland to Poland

14:15-15:30    Around the Human Rights Council

• Kamelia Kemileva, Senior Consultant with the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, former Special Assistant to the President of the UN Human Rights Council
• E. Zbigniew Czech, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Poland to the United Nations Office at Geneva
• Anaïs Marin, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus
• Clément Voule, UN Special Rapporteur on Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, member of the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council
  
  Co-chairs:
  Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director, Geneva Human Rights Platform, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
  Szymon Zaręba, Head of the Global Issues Programme, PISM

Those wishing to participate are kindly invited to join the debate via our livestreamed YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/PolandPISM 

The online seminar will be recorded and livestreamed on YouTube channel.