News

IMADR submitted a written statement on “Arbitrary Detention in Sri Lanka” at the 39th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or downloaded here.  The original statement with footnotes is available here.  ——— Arbitrary Detention in Sri Lanka IMADR welcomes the country visit to Sri Lanka undertaken by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) from 4th to 15th December 2017. In this regard, we submit this written statement to share concerns and recommendations on the issue of arbitrary detention in Sri Lanka. We welcome the following recent progress undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) related to the prevention of arbitrary detention and the prosecution of those […]

IMADR statement on “Human rights violations against minorities in Myanmar and India” at the 39th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or downloaded here.  ——— IMADR Oral Statement: 39th session of the Human Rights Council Item 4: General Debate 18 September 2018 Speaker: Taisuke KOMATSU Thank you Mr. President, We welcome the Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar which identified grave human rights violations committed by Myanmar’s military and other security forces in Kachin, Shan and Rakhine States and concluded for the need for further investigations and prosecution for crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. We call for the full implementation […]

IMADR statement on “Arbitrary Detention in Sri Lanka” at the 39th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or downloaded here.  ——— IMADR Oral Statement: 39th session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention 12 September 2018 Speaker: Antoine GIBERT Thank you Mr. President, We welcome the Working Group’s report on arbitrary detention in Sri Lanka and its recommendations. We reiterate the Working Group’s concerns over the discriminatory exercise of deprivation of liberty and the dire effects on minority groups. The report has highlighted areas for reforms and action to be taken to address such systematic human rights violations. […]

IMADR statement on “Racist hate speech in politics and transitional justice in Sri Lanka” at the 39th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or downloaded here.  ——— IMADR Oral Statement: 39th session of the Human Rights Council Item 2: General Debate – Oral Update by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 11 September 2018 Speaker: Taisuke KOMATSU Thank you Mr. President, We congratulate the High Commissioner on the appointment and thank her for the first oral update to the Human Rights Council. At the outset, we would like to reiterate our calls and commitments laid out in the joint letter addressed to you by over 700 […]

IMADR delivered the joint oral statement with Anti-Slavery International and Minority Rights Group International on “Human rights to water and sanitation for Dalits in India at the 39th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or download here.  ——— Joint Oral Statement: 39th session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive Dialogue – Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation 10 September 2018 Speaker: Taisuke KOMATSU Thank you Mr. President, This statement is delivered in solidarity with International Dalit Solidarity Network, Jan Sahas, as well as the Movement to end Manual Scavenging (SKA). We express our great appreciation to the Special […]

On the 30th of August, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) concluded its 96th session. At the session, the CERD adopted concluding observations on Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, China (Hong Kong), China (Macau), Cuba, Japan, Latvia, Mauritius and Montenegro. *Recommendations with asterisks [*] are one-year follow-up recommendations. Concluding observations, reports of the State parties and other stakeholders are available at the OHCHR website . You can also watch the video archives of the public meetings with the States parties at UN Web TV . The Committee issued a letter to the Governments of India, the Philippines and U.S. under its Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedure. _ Bosnia and Herzegovina The Committee welcomed the Government’s […]

For the consideration of the 10th-11th combined periodic report of Japan by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)  at its 96th session in August 2018, the Japan NGO Network for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ERD Net) submitted a joint civil society report on racial discrimination in Japan. IMADR works as the Secretariat of ERD Net. The report provide following information. Download the full report here  Absence of anti-discrimination legislation Establishment of a national human rights institution Article 4 and Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Racist Statements by Politicians and Public Officials The right to education for Korean school children The right to leave and return to one’s country of permanent residents Limits […]

On the 6th of July, we released our new issue of E-CONNECT. If you have not subscribed to our newsletter, you can do it from here! Back number is also available. Feature story Dalit women shared their struggle in fight against caste-based violence in India On the 21st of June, IMADR co-organised the side event titled “#DalitWomenFight against Caste-Based Violence” at the 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The event was supported by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN). The panel composed of human rights defenders from India and UN independent experts highlighted the need for collective actions in order […]

IMADR statement on “Racial discrimination against non-citizens” at the 38th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or downloaded here.  ——— IMADR Oral Statement: 38th session of the Human Rights Council Item 9: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on racism 2 July 2018 Speaker: Taisuke KOMATSU  Thank you Mr. President,  We welcome the first reports of Ms. Tendayi Achiume as the Special Rapporteur on racism. We express our great appreciation to her close engagement with civil society which she has demonstrated since she took up the function last year.  We endorse her timely recommendations to combat racial discrimination in the context of citizenship, nationality and immigration status, […]

On June 21, 2018, the side event titled “#DalitWomenFight against Caste-Based Violence” was organized at the 38th session of the UN Human Rights Council, by the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Minority Rights Group (MRG), Anti-Slavery International, FORUM-ASIA, and Franciscans International (FI). The event was supported by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN). Mr. John Fisher from HRW moderated the event. Ms. Asha Kowtal, General-Secretary of the All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM) presented testimonies from victims in India. The panel of experts who responded to the testimonies included Ms. Vrinda […]

IMADR statement on “Human rights defenders and CERD” at the 38th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or downloaded here.  ——— IMADR Oral Statement: 38th session of the Human Rights Council Item 2: General Debate – Oral Update by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 19 June 2018 Speaker: Taisuke KOMATSU Thank you Mr. President, We thank the High Commissioner for his last oral update to the Human Rights Council. We share his concerns on the growing threat of chauvinistic nationalism which denies the universality of human rights. Such exclusive ideology is often manifested through racism and racial discrimination against indigenous peoples, minorities, migrants, refugees and […]

Together with Anti-Slavery International, FORUM-ASIA, Franciscans International, Human Rights Watch and Minority Rights Group, IMADR is holding a side event on “#DalitWomenFight against Caste-Based Violence” at the 38th session of the Human Rights Council from 12:00, Thursday 21st June at Room XXVII in Palais des Nations. This event is supported by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN). For further information, click on the flyer below.

At its 96th session from 6th to 30th August 2018, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) will consider the situation of racial discrimination in following 7 countries. Civil society organisations (CSOs) are encouraged to submit information on Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, China (Hong Kong), China (Macau), Cuba, Japan, Latvia, Mauritius and Montenegro.  If you are a CSO participating in the forthcoming session and wishes to receive practical information, contact us at: geneva[@]imadr.org (remove “[]” when you send e-mail) Practical Information Deadline for submission of NGO reports:  16 July 2018  Information Note for NGOs  for the submission of reports, accreditation and participation in informal meetings and lunchtime briefings  For States parties’ reports, list of themes and […]

At the 30th meeting of Chairpersons of Human Rights Treaty Bodies (29 May – 1 June) in New York, TB-Net is organising a side event on “Promoting Quality, Independence and Diversity of Treaty Body Membership”  from 13:15 pm, Friday 1st June at Room 8 in the UN Headquarters. The event will be webcasted live via UN WebTV. For further information, click on the flyer below.

The NGO Network on UN Treaty Bodies (TB-Net), which IMADR is a founding member of, submitted a joint statement for the 30th meeting of Chairs of the UN human rights treaty bodies. The statement focuses on three of the key issues of the UN human rights mechanism: Follow-up procedures; Quality, Independent and Diverse Treaty Body Membership; and Webcast. Click the image below to read the full submission.

As a member organisation of the NGO Network on UN Treaty Bodies (TB-Net), IMADR made a joint written submission to the 30th meeting of Chairs of the UN human rights treaty bodies. The submission aims to promote good practices across different UN human rights treaty bodies with a particular focus on: NGO engagement; common methodology for adoption of general comments and general recommendations; interactive dialogue; non-reporting States; and follow-up procedures on concluding observations. Click the image below to read the full submission.