Resources and Tools

With ECOSOC accreditation, an NGO has greater rights to participate in the processes of the UN. However, the accreditation process is in the hands of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) NGO Committee. The Committee is well-known for its politicised practice, particularly in regard to human rights organisations. Changing the practice of the Committee and ensure its processes are fair, transparent and apolitical will ultimately require a change in the membership. This video provides background on the Committee and how each of us can help safeguard NGO participation at the UN.

ISHR and ILGA have reviewed the work of 14 UN Special Procedures to compile factsheets listing the references and recommendations made by UN experts regarding LGBTI persons, sexual orientation, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression. Focusing on the Special Procedures that have made the most regular and in-depth references to issues affecting LGBTI persons, the factsheets examine all thematic reports, reports arising from country visits, and communications sent to different States between January 2011 and November 2018.

This publication is useful for those who wish to learn more about the Human Rights Council and how it functions as an institution, including political dimensions. It explains the structures, procedures and mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, illustrating each point with examples drawn from Council practice.

English Version. Available in English and French.

A guide to international law obligations to respect, protect and fulfill the right of all persons to participate in public affairs by engaging in criticism, opposition and dissent. This guide explains the international legal standards, principles, and jurisprudence protecting the rights to dissent and protest as essential human rights. It provides activists, human rights defenders, jurists, NGOs, corporate actors, and government authorities with the tools and knowledge necessary to ensure rights, protect the lives and liberty of dissenters, enable meaningful participation in public life, and promote the rule of law.

Providing women human rights defenders with the tools to document their experience and that of colleagues. This resource aims to generate awareness about violations and abuses against defenders and support demands for human rights change, it also outlines why documentation of their experience is important.

How can human rights defenders effectively engage businesses to promote corporate respect for human rights? The publication provides an overview to human rights defenders of the legal and policy frameworks, and government and corporate trends relating to the protection of human rights within the context of business.

English Version. Available in English, French and Spanish.

This resource provides an overview of the UN human rights treaty body system and the different ways human rights defenders can make use of it to further their human rights causes. The guide also provides information on the relationship between the treaty bodies and other UN human rights mechanisms, relevant developments related to the harmonisation of the working methods of the treaty bodies, and a glossary and e-resources for further reference.

English Version. Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish.

This Guide considers strategies and tactics that NGOs can use to contribute to the implementation of UN recommendations at the national level. The Guide is intended for a diverse audience, working in different countries and sectors, and with different areas of focus and expertise. It outlines a range of strategies with a view to NGOs identifying those which are most appropriate to their domestic political, legal, economic, and social contexts and their organisation’s goals, resources, and working methods.

This resource outlines a programme through which civil society organisations (CSOs) can maximise their impact while engaging with the African Commission for Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR). It provides information, describes challenges and shares tips based on concrete experiences by CSOs working with the ACHPR. The Road Map provides a user-friendly step-by-step 'tour' of each phase of the engagement process, including post-implementation follow-up.

English Version. Available in English and French.

This resource aims to enhance understanding of, and sensitivity to, the specific issues and situations confronted by women human rights defenders (WHRD). It was written in response to calls for a documentation system on violations and abuses against WHRD, to develop protection mechanisms of their needs. This guidebook is intended to be of use to WHRD themselves as part of a continuous process of acknowledging, validating, and transforming their practical experiences and insights into a body of knowledge, theories and tools for use by them and by others.