Edmund Rice International

The first formal consultation in relation to the zero draft of the Global Compact on Refugees took place in New York in February. The draft has its origins in the 2016 New York Declaration when all UN member states agreed to work towards the adoption of a global agreement to improve international practice with regard […]

One of the functions of the committee of experts that constitute a UN Treaty Body is to publish their interpretation of the content of the human rights provisions contained in the treaty they monitor. These interpretations are known as general comments and also may include guidance on the information that should be submitted in State […]

At the recent Human Rights Council session, Edmund Rice International made statements as part of the formal adoption of the outcomes of the Universal Periodic Reviews (UPR) of the United Kingdom and South Africa. During the review itself, which took place in May of this year, ERI lobbied member states regarding the recommendations made in […]

Speaking at the opening of the 28th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva the High Commissioner highlighted the intimidation, bullying and reprisals directed towards human rights defenders and NGOs by governments that were increasingly setting a course towards authoritarianism and oppression. He reiterated that adherence to human rights principles were the only way […]

The Edmund Rice Centre for Justice & Community Education (ERC) has been documenting the fate of rejected asylum seekers returned to Afghanistan by the Australian government since 2002. Their latest report is the continuation of ERC’s determination to investigate Australia’s most recent deportations to Afghanistan by providing an overview of Afghanistan’s current security, political, and […]

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, has expressed concern at the growing threat to important international agreements. He pointed to the refusal of Burundi to be bound by the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court and of states such as South Africa and Jordan allowing free movement of the indicted […]

The 2016 report on the state of Religious Freedom in the World was released on November 24th. The report was prepared by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and its release was accompanied by an event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See and […]

To co-incide with the 104th International Labour Conference, the International Catholic Centre in Geneva (CCIG) joined with several other civil society organisations to hold an event entitled “Decent work along the global value chains: A call for responsibility and an opportunity for solidarity”. The word ‘value’ was used instead of ‘supply’ to give greater emphasis […]

Edmund Rice International is an ECOSOC accredited NGO working within the UN. This means that it can be active within the UN in a variety of ways. From its very inception, NGOs have been recognised as having had a major role to play within the UN, particularly with regards to human rights. Increasing restrictions on […]

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency dealing specifically with labour issues, standards, social protection, and work justice for all. In 2014, the International Labour Conference adopted a new protocol that confirmed the obligations under Convention No. 29, a convention adopted in 1930 to prohibit the use of forced labour. The ILO […]