Side Event at the 62nd Session of the Human Rights Council
DRTD@40 and Sustainable Development Agenda: Youth Perspectives on the Right to Development in the Global South
Co-organized by South Centre, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the University for Peace
3 July 2026, 12h-13h, Room XVI, Palais des Nations, Geneva
As we mark 40 years since the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development (DRTD), it is crucial to ensure that youth perspectives are represented in the post-2030 agenda. Youth in the Global South—the largest generation in history—face unique structural challenges, including digital divides, systemic debt distress, and limited policy space for industrialisation.
This event provides a platform to amplify youth voices on structural economic reform, digital sovereignty, and intergenerational justice.
Let’s bridge normative Right to Development frameworks with lived experiences. Join us in shaping the future of the Right to Development!
TOOLKIT: Leveraging the Universal Periodic Review to Advance the Rights of Women and Girls to the Highest Attainable Standards of Health
By Daniel Uribe Terán
This Toolkit serves as an operational guide for State officials, policymakers, civil society organisations (CSOs), national human rights institutions (NHRIs), and healthcare professionals on how to leverage the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. The primary focus is advancing the rights of women and girls to the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health, with a specific focus on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).
The toolkit outlines the international normative frameworks, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), that establish state obligations to respect, protect, and fulfil these rights, as set out in the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality (AAAQ) framework. It details evidence-gathering strategies using a Human Rights-Based Approach to Data (HRBAD), guidelines for drafting impactful stakeholder or “shadow” reports, and the integration of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) recommendations. Furthermore, it emphasises national implementation mechanisms, showcasing digital tracking innovations like Paraguay’s System for Monitoring Recommendations (SIMORE) and the Pacific region’s Integrated Management and Planning of Actions Open Source Software (IMPACT OSS). Real-world state reporting dynamics are illustrated through 4th-cycle UPR report excerpts from Mexico, South Africa, and Costa Rica.
Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights
62nd Session of the Human Rights Council
Geneva, 19 June 2026
During the Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights at the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, the South Centre delivered a statement.
Climate action must be anchored in the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and supported by adequate, predictable, and accessible finance. The statement outlines four actionable pathways:
Grant-Based Public Finance: Advanced economies must provide new grant-based public finance rather than relying on profit-driven private-sector solutions.
Binding Climate Reparations: Following the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, providing climate reparations is a binding legal obligation. The Loss and Damage Fund must recognise historical emissions and be funded.
Dismantling Barriers: We must address intellectual property monopolies blocking technology transfer, Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanisms penalising climate regulations, and Unilateral Coercive Measures crippling domestic resilience.
Right to Development: Climate finance must facilitate the Right to Development. It must not be weaponised by restrictive conditionalities that block vulnerable communities from accessing funds.
Realising human rights demands climate justice, requiring equitable, accessible, and rights-based finance to repair historical harms.
Input for the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee
Study on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Systems on Good Governance
South Centre
May 2026
The South Centre has submitted technical input to the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee regarding AI systems and governance. The submission analyses the integration of AI through the framework of Rule of Law principles: effectiveness, accountability, and inclusiveness.
61st Session of the Human Rights Council Side Event:
Regulating Corporate Power in the Era of Deregulation: Launching the South Centre and FES 2026 Report for the UN Legally Binding Instrument
Co-organized by the South Centre and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Geneva Office
Date: 26 March 2026
Time: 12:00 – 13:00 CET
Venue: Room Concordia 1, Palais des Nations, Geneva
The South Centre, in collaboration with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Geneva, is pleased to invite you to the launch of our new report The UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights: Regulating Corporate Power in the Era of Deregulation.
This study examines how the UN Legally Binding Instrument (LBI) serves as a vital tool to preserve state sovereignty and to ensure the primacy of human rights in the era of deregulation.
Join us in Geneva to discuss concrete solutions to “justice paralysis” and corporate impunity.
Sovereignty and self-determination over natural resources in times of conflicts, climate change and (neo)colonialism
Side-Event to the 61st Session of the Human Rights Council
Co-organized by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development (Special Procedures, United Nations Human Rights Council) and South Centre
10 March 2026, 12-1pm
Concordia 1, Building A, Palais des Nations, Geneva
As we navigate the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, the South Centre and the Special Rapporteur on the right to development are convening a critical discussion on the intersection of resource sovereignty, conflict, and (neo)colonialism.
In an era defined by climate instability and geopolitical shifts, the right to self-determination over natural resources has never been more relevant. We are honoured to host a distinguished panel of ambassadors and experts to explore these challenges.
South Centre Statement during the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
General Debate under Item 3
Geneva, 19 September 2025
At the 60th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC60), the South Centre delivered a statement welcoming the crucial update to the technical guidance on preventable maternal mortality and morbidity.
We are encouraged that the guidance moves beyond technical corrections to address the deep-seated root causes of why women and girls still die during childbirth. In our statement, we highlighted several key advancements:
🔹 An Intersectional Approach: The guidance rightfully identifies structural racism and discrimination as fundamental factors, providing a strong basis for targeted interventions.
🔹 A “Human Rights Economy” Framework: It broadens accountability to international financial institutions and corporations, emphasising that the global financial architecture—including sovereign debt, austerity measures, and healthcare privatisation—must be reformed to prioritise human rights.
🔹 Accountability and Reparations: The call for independent accountability mechanisms and a reparation fund for victims correctly reframes preventable maternal deaths from unfortunate accidents to serious injustices requiring systemic solutions.
These principles are intrinsically linked to the realisation of the Right to Development. A global environment that respects this right is essential for funding public health and creating societies where women and girls can thrive.
The challenge now is implementation. We call on all states, international financial institutions, and partners to fully fund and realise this new, rights-based and justice-oriented guidance.
The Role of the Human Rights Council in Advancing the Right to Health: From Guidance to Implementation
Side Event to the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Organized by the South Centre
Date & Time: 25 September 2025, 15h00-16h00
Venue: Room Concordia 1, Palais des Nations, Geneva
This side event to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council is convened to discuss the critical implementation gap at domestic level of oversight over state obligations related to health, placing the voices and priorities of the Global South at the center of the discourse to chart a course for a more effective approach to advancing the right to health for all.
ID with the SR on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
South Centre Statement (Item 3)
In its 59th session of the Human Rights Council statement on the Right to Health, the South Centre addressed the Special Rapporteur’s report, focusing on the protection of health and care workers. The statement noted the challenges they face, from migration impacts to poor working conditions, and called for their protection to ensure health equity for all.
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Context of International Human Rights
By Carlos Correa and Daniel Uribe
This policy brief examines the growing recognition of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) within the framework of international human rights law. It traces the evolution of this consensus through key United Nations (UN) General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions, foundational documents like the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and the Beijing Platform for Action, and the interpretative work of human rights treaty bodies. These instruments increasingly affirm that SRHR are an integral component of the right to health and are essential for gender equality. However, this brief also highlights the challenges these common efforts face in line with other views, which prioritise national sovereignty in determining policies on reproductive health. The analysis highlights the tension between the evolving international human rights framework and state-centric approaches, concluding with the imperative for ongoing dialogue to solidify and implement SRHR as universal, inalienable human rights.
Access to medical products and reproductive rights
Side Event to the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council
23 June 2025
12:00 to 13:00
Room XXVII, Palais de Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
The pursuit of health equity, encompassing fair and just opportunities for all to achieve their full health potential, remains a paramount global challenge. The right to health is a fundamental part of our human rights and of our understanding of a life in dignity. This event will explore the indivisible links between equitable access to medical products, the advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and the strengthening of international cooperation as pillars for upholding this fundamental right for everyone, everywhere. The interconnectedness of these themes is central; they are not disparate issues but integral components of a holistic approach necessary to realise comprehensive health equity.
The side event is anticipated to significantly enhance participants’ understanding of the complex, intersecting challenges and opportunities in upholding health equity, particularly through improved access to medical products and the full realization of SRHR. The discussions aim to identify potential policy pathways, innovative approaches, and actionable strategies for key stakeholders to address existing inequities. Furthermore, a crucial outcome will be a reinforced commitment to multilateralism and collaborative action as essential tools for tackling global health challenges and advancing the right to health, with the dialogue contributing valuable insights to ongoing policy debates in relevant international fora, especially concerning the implementation of recent global agreements and agendas, while also strengthening networks and partnerships dedicated to health equity and human rights.
