Events Archive

Policy Brief of FES Geneva

Although digitalization is opening many opportunities for businesses, including in developing countries, women remain heavily under-represented in the…

The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights has put forward a proposal to establish a global helpdesk for business, governments, civil society…

HRC54 Side Event / Geneva Toxic Free Talks

Side Event: Human Rights Implications and Risks of Geoengineering Interventions

Are you interested in the circular economy? Did you always want to deepen your understanding about the HS codes? And are you open for experiments?…

How can we ensure human rights-based approaches to address climate-related displacement risk and human mobility in impacted communities?

A civil society delegation highlighting voices of climate-impacted communities took four regional policy briefs on climate change, human mobility, and…

An invaluable open access resource for making sense of the continent's major trade challenges

The 2023 Geneva Dialogues on Human Rights and Climate Change followed up on previous editions to discuss how Geneva-based human rights institutions…

Perspectives on the Future of International Cooperation in Times of Multiple Crises

Circular Economy is on the agenda. And it has the potential to become a hot topic on the trade agenda, too.

How does the Human Rights Council measure the progress of human rights? Through mechanisms like the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). It allows to…

Perspective Series: »Climate and Trade Communities: Joining Hands to attain a Prosperous and Sustainable Future« | N°1

Interview with Luisa Feline Freier of the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, Peru

The briefing paper series aims at reinforcing steps towards migration justice

What exactly is the World Trade Organization and what is it not? How does the multilateral trading system work?

States adopted the International Migration Review Forum’s Progress Declaration by consensus.

During this workshop co-organized by FES Geneva and UNCTAD, Government officials acting as Focal Points for the implementation of UNCTAD’s capacity…

The role of international trade in fostering a circular economy transition is gaining prominence in international policy debates.

States bear the primary responsibility for the protection of human rights also in the context of business enterprises’ activities as provided by a…

Future Paths for the International Trading Architecture

Session during the WTO Public Forum

This session organized ahead of the 51st Regular Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC51) was co-convened by the Geneva Environment Network and the…

New publications released

17 case studies on the impact of the UPR process

Transformational Changes on the Ground

Established in some countries of the Global North and in major international organisations, feminist policies have been put into action to target and…

The 2022 Trade and Sustainability Hub took place from June 13 to 15 alongside the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s Twelfth Ministerial Conference…

The rules-based multilateral trading system plays a crucial role in helping least-developed countries further integrate into the global economy.

Taking Stock and Navigating the Way Forward

Spotlight report about key issues affecting migrants at the grassroots, national and regional levels.

Human rights has been a powerful tool for political change but has not yet played the part it could in steering economic thinking and economic policy…

FES in cooperation with its partners the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and the Office of the High Commissioner for…

Upcoming report about key issues affecting migrants at the grassroots, national and regional levels.

We embark on a new journey to envision the future of trade, which should be less long and arduous, but short and pleasant.

Interview with members of the Global Coalition on Migration

The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) is developing a General Comment on Sustainable Development and Economic,…

New briefing paper by the GI-ESCR!

Simply take three minutes and watch…

Humanizing the WTO will be a key part of making the organization more impactful and durable.

We speak with IOM Director General António Vitorino on the newest data on migration.

Video Series

Report of the Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights

A documentary about Discrimination Experienced by People in Poverty

Made by the Academy for Social Democracy

On 8 October 2021, the Human Rights Council, at the end of its 48th session, established a Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human…

Supporting the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions at the WTO

The FES Geneva office, together with UNEP, CIEL, Earthjustice, Geneva Environment Network and Franciscans International co-sponsored a panel on…

This expert seminar invited UN special procedures mandate holders, treaty body members as well as OHCHR staff and NGO representatives to discuss…

Re-start or re-shape? Do we need a more resilient or a more robust multilateral trading system?

Interview with Katharina Rose, GHANRI

Policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis have exacerbated rather than reduced global inequalities. The most visible…

Five years into its review of international investment agreements, and specifically investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), Working Group III…

Demanding Justice Beyond Rhetoric

Interview with Filippo Grandi (UNHCR) about the right to asylum

Briefing on the June/July 2021 Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC47)

Organised by the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR), OXFAM Mexico and with the support of the FES Geneva office,…

Greater analytical attention is again being paid to intersectional inequalities as a trigger of and challenge for progressive social movements.

Migrant workers and the post-COVID world

Social protection is essential to achieve the 2030 Agenda. Social protection is not only a universal human right, investing in social protection also…

Watch the video with SR Olivier de Schutter's statement

Laurel Townhead from the Quaker United Nation Office in Geneva on the Council's role in protecting the human rights of migrants and refugees.

A framework for the human rights community to engage effectively with economic policy

Find out which myths obstruct the understanding of social protection

Higher education can be a key driver of development and a force for social mobility. It can also be a path to overcome inequalities across gender and…

Support the campaign for global social protection by telling us why social protection is important to you

During the 109th International Labour Conference (June 3-19), a delegation of workers from the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers, the International…

FES-WTO virtual seminar for English-Speaking Journalists from Africa and Asia specialized in trade and economic issues.

Report from Special Rapporteur Olivier De Schutter

Key findings from the new report "Investments in social protection and their impacts on economic growth"

New ITUC Report on universal social protection

The FES in cooperation with its partners the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) and the Office of the High Commissioner…

FES-WTO virtual seminar for Spanish Speaking Journalists from Latin America specialized in trade and economic issues

Lessons from the global COVID-19 crisis

Activists, women human rights defenders, community leaders and experts were joined on March 25th to the online roundtable on Promoting gender justice…

High-level session of the Human Rights and Climate Change Geneva Dialogues

Conversation with representatives from Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples and States. This event served as a follow-up briefing and discussion on the…

"Arms Diversion”: The fourth and last consultation of the series focused on arms diversion.

The Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung invited to a virtual roundtable discussion amongst…

While it is well documented that the worst forms of business-related human rights abuse tend to happen in conflict-affected contexts, a better…

The 2020 Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform will focus on the connectivity between regional and global human rights mechanisms. It…

"Youth Engagement”: The third consultation of the series focused on the engagement of youth in disarmament and arms control campaigns.

The FES is supporting its partner organisations in holding virtual regional consultations to strengthen the discussion towards the appointment of a UN…

The FES together with its partner organisations held a virtual briefing to strengthen the discussion towards the appointment of a UN Special…

"Transparency & Reporting”: The second consultation of the series focused on the perspectives of reporting obligations and participation in the ATT…

A series of virtual consultations around a thematic or regional issue pertaining to the work of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) for the members and…

For the fifth year in a row, FES Geneva supported the training course “Building Capacities for Effective Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty” of…

The Working Group is mandated by the Human Rights Council to promote the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the globally recognized…

How much public wealth has been redirected to the 1% in recent decades, and what can we do to get it back? These are the central questions which Guy…

During the Global Social Protection Week at the International Labour Organization (ILO), two strategic meetings of the Core Team of the Global…

The dialogue jointly organized by FES and the WTO aimed at developing a better understanding of the WTO and its role in the international trading…

LDCs are not at the forefront when it comes to public awareness. Nor are their special needs and interests high on the agenda of ongoing trade…

The remarkable economic growth of sub-Saharan Africa in the first 15 years of the 21st century did not always go hand in hand with greater equality.…

Digitialization is rapid and accelerating, with innovation changing the way we design, produce and generate value from products and related services.

The IPCC released on 8th August a Special Report on Climate Change and Land. The report was endorsed by all governments. It contains key findings that…

The UN Special Rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes, Baskut Tuncak, has presented a report containing 15 principles to end the exploitation…

Digitialisation is rapid and accelerating. The way new digital technologies interact with the global economy poses new opportunities and challenges…

The UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas…

This event, co-organized with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, marks the launch in Geneva of the new book by Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, UN Independent…

All governments are obligated to respect, protect and fulfill human rights. The Paris Agreement affirms that governments should respect, protect and…

Economic inequality and environmental degradation are among the greatest policy challenges of our time. Properly understanding global inequality…

What exactly is the World Trade Organization and what is it not? How does the multilateral trading system work? What are the most current developments…

The training was organized jointly by FES, OHCHR, the Global Alliance of NHRIs and UNITAR. It was developed especially for junior staff of National…

For the fourth year in a row, FES Geneva supported the training course “Building Capacities for Effective Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty” of…

Whilst the digital economy is being felt across the continent, there exists a substantial digital divide between African countries and the rest of the…

Following the presentation by the Independent Expert on foreign debt and human rights of the guiding principles for human rights impact assessments…

Members of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors held a strategy meeting on financing social protection for all in the run-up to various…

During the 32nd session of the Universal Periodic Review, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung supported civil society representatives of Chile and Uruguay in…

Digital trade is growing rapidly in Africa. It can provide many opportunities that promote or realise human rights.

“The world is off-track in terms of achieving sustainable development, and fundamental policy changes are necessary to unleash the transformative…

In his 2018 annual report to the Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound…

Digital trade can provide many opportunities that promote or realise human rights within the international and regional human rights framework.

This expert meeting served to assist the drafting of the next report by the Special Rapporteur, Baskut Tuncak, to the Human Rights Council (to be…

The training, developed especially for staff of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) world-wide, aimed to support participants in...

What exactly is the World Trade Organization and what is it not? How does the multilateral trading system work?

In line with the theme of the 2017 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights “Realizing access to remedy” this side event aimed at exploring access to…

In cooperation with the Geneva Institute for Human Rights, FES Geneva organized an advanced training course on human rights and the UN human rights…

The international community has faced challenges in finding winning collective formulas to support the prevention of violent conflict and achieving…

Whistleblowers play a pivotal role in supporting transparency and accountability in both the public and private sectors as they bring to light illegal…

Independent monitoring and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its structural obstacles and challenges are key factors for the success…

The adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 created a new context for the interface between climate change and trade policy.

This expert seminar, jointly organized by FES Geneva, the German Institute for Human Rights, Forum Menschenrechte and the Geneva Academy examined the…

The aim of this meeting was to present a summary of the outcomes of a two-year scenario building initiative the International Organization for…

The continental free trade area (CFTA) is expected to generate significant gains for Africa in terms of growth, productivity, jobs and incomes. How…

To ensure that the benefits of trade are more equally shared, special attention needs to be given to decent work in global supply or value chains…

What exactly is the World Trade Organization and what is it not? How does the multilateral trading system work?

Despite the relatively fast pace of ratifications of the Arms Trade Treaty, universalization in certain regions and implementation is still a pending…

The outcomes of Erosion and Profit Shifting project (BEPS), launched in September 2015 by the OECD, confirm the existence of a need for a…

The African Union is negotiating a Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) premised on the importance of enhanced trade integration and resulting…

The dialogue for civil society and media representatives aimed at developing a better understanding of the WTO and its role in the international…

Children are disproportionately impacted by climate change due to their unique metabolism, physiology and developmental needs says the Analytical…

This seminar was a follow-up to a March 2017 workshop in Geneva where the need for a more comprehensive approach to prevent and address the severe…

This training was developed especially for staff of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) world-wide.

As a global governance mechanism, the G20 is uniquely positioned to shape the various components of the global trade and investment regime.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is widely acknowledged as one of the major innovations of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

One worker dies every minute due to the use of hazardous substances in the workplace. The international human rights framework including a vast number…

In response to debt and financial crises States have adopted fiscal consolidation measures, such as reducing the public sector wage bill or the number…

This workshop, jointly organized by FES Geneva, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Global Future, a Geneva based NGO, constituted…

Since 2015 the Economic Commission of Africa, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the FES Geneva office are undertaking a joint…

Although the CFTA is expected to boost intra-African trade and create aggregate gains for the continent, the distribution of these gains will be key.

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has decided to put the concept of SPF at the centre of its activities in the area of social justice.

Organized jointly by FES, the German Institute for Human Rights and the NGO Forum for Human Rights, this annual conference on the occasion of the 10th…

Agriculture is at the crossroads of the world’s social, economic, commercial and political system. Its double purpose – producing food but also…

Trade can create prosperity for all of Africa’s people by increasing opportunities for income generation. But for this to happen, UNCTAD research…

The leaking of the draft texts of the proposed TiSA offer the public significant access to understand the objectives and detail of the intended…

Today's international trade world is dominated by digital innovation. Effective participation of ACP States in the digital economy is crucial to their…

This workshop, jointly organized by FES Geneva, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Global Future, a Geneva based NGO, constituted…

Independent monitoring and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its structural obstacles and challenges are key factors for the success…

This Side Event aimed to explore the links between economic, social and cultural rights and the prevention of destructive conflict and violence as…

After long years of negotiations for accession, Russia became member of the WTO in August 2012.

There seems to be a window of opportunity to revive the old idea of a binding social clause in international trade and in global supply chains. The…

Tanzania was reviewed during the 25th Working Group session of the Universal Periodic Review, on May 09, 2016.

This week-long human rights training course in Geneva was developed especially for staff of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) world-wide.

The mechanism of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is widely acknowledged as mobilizing the attention of the media and the public of a country. The…

This week-long information seminar was jointly organized the WTO and FES Geneva for English-speaking journalists specialized in economy and trade.

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has decided to put the concept of SPF at the centre of its activities in the area of social justice.

The Core Team of the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors had its regular strategy meeting from 7th to 8th March 2016.

This side event followed the High Level Panel Discussion on climate change and the right to health and the presentation of the reports by the Special…

50 years ago the General Assembly adopted the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) as well as the International…

In the aftermath of COP21, a debate on climate-resilient livelihoods and gender inequalities is particularly timely.

The rise of new e-commerce is enabling more developing countries to seize opportunities from online commerce.

This workshop was the first of a series of workshops with government and civil society actors in support of OHCHR’s Accountability and Remedy Project.

The Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT) is a group of leaders from around the world who believe that…

Climate change is an issue of justice and inequality for those experiencing severe impacts of climate change.

This side event to the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, co-organized with the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, brought together business,…

For a number of conflict regions, particularly in Africa, the current concepts designed to prevent or halt natural resource exploitation as funding…

On the occasion of the 23rd UPR session held between 02 – 13 November 2015, Nepal was reviewed by the Human Rights Council.

Lebanon’s human rights records was reviewed during the 23rd Working Group session of the Universal Periodic Review, on November 2nd 2015.

In cooperation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Geneva Institute for Human Rights, FES Geneva organized an…

Fair taxation can help in fighting inequality, realizing human rights, and ensuring the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Shared Responsibility and mutual accountability for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of the “2030 Agenda for…

Organized jointly by FES, the German Institute for Human Rights and the NGO Forum for Human Rights, this annual conference focused on the three main…

Trade can be a vehicle for growth, development and poverty reduction. Harvesting the potential gains trade, however, is not neither automatic nor…

Trade in services “works” to integrate services sectors into the global economy and to open up markets for transnational suppliers of services.

In June 2015, the African Union summit launched negotiations to achieve a free trade area throughout the continent.

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) was collaborating with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the…

In its last Resolution on climate change the HRC has “expressed concerns that climate change has contributed to the increase of both sudden-onset…

Women and girls remain overrepresented in the informal economy, labour-intensive and precarious work, and in low-paid jobs.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families,…

This forum was co-sponsored by the Middle Powers Initiative, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, Basel Peace Office and…

In the context of the UN Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda in September 2015, this side event to the 29th session of the HRC discussed…

In the run-up to the COP 21 climate conference in Paris at the end of this year, the Business and Hphoto Side eventuman Rights Resource Centre and FES…

In the line of the use and transfer of green technologies, the importance of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) has risen enormously. IPR are seen as…

On 6 and 8 May, Panama and Honduras underwent their second UPR review. FES supported civil society actors in both countries in submitting reports to…

This training course was developed especially for staff of National Human Rights Institutions world-wide.

The aim of this workshop was to strategize on a potential human rights impact assessment (HRIA) of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), on which…

Technology has changed the world of business tremendously during the past at least two decades. E-commerce does not stand for something exotic.…

The aim of the proposed dialogue was to strengthen NHRIs' capacities to participate effectively in the coming international processes in which the…

At this expert round-table, we presented and discussed the results of the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA)-study “Owning seeds, accessing food”.

A full-day panel in the official program of the HRC addressed the issue of climate change.

How can social protection floors contribute to the realization of economic, social and cultural rights? And how can better understanding of the norms…

FES and Earthjustice and CIEL, as initiators of the GeCCco (Geneva Climate Change concertation group) organized a coordination meeting at the occasion…