United Nations
The United Nations is the largest intergovernmental organisation in the world, and has the promotion and protection of human rights among its core objectives.
Through its various political bodies, including the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and UN Human Rights Council (HRC), UN Member States make commitments on how they will protect freedom of expression at the national level, as well as agreeing collective action in response to the world’s most pressing human rights issues.
ARTICLE 19 shapes and ensures support for standard-setting initiatives on freedom of expression at the UN, informing our advocacy through the local and national human rights priorities of our regional offices and partners. We leverage various UN human rights mechanisms to hold states to account for freedom of expression violations. This includes through the UNGA and HRC, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN special procedures, in particular the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, the treaty bodies, and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. In turn, our national advocacy work uses the obligations and commitments of States’ at the UN to drive local change.
Featured
UN: Human Rights Council adopts resolution on human rights on the Internet
UN: States must embrace free expression to tackle disinformation
UN: Human Rights Council must progress standards on free expression
All United Nations
Statement of the meeting of civil society delegates of the 3rd UN Inter-Agency meeting on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity
UN General Assembly must adopt strong resolution on right to privacy in the digital age
The Gambia: Appalling human rights record under scrutiny by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva
Joint Letter: List of issues for the consideration of Spain’s sixth periodic report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
Kazakhstan: States must make strong recommendations during UPR
Post-2015: No target met unless met for all
UN HRC rejects hostile amendments and reaffirms importance of civil society
UN Secretary General must recognise the ‘Right to Know’ in his Post-2015 report
