The Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung’s (RLS) Geneva office has been strengthening the Stiftung’s work at international level since 2019. International solidarity is the key to a socio-ecological transformation and to the implementation of social rights on a global scale. A revitalised UN could play a decisive role in this transformation. Against this background, the RLS office in Geneva serves as a liaison office between the United Nations in Geneva as well as other Geneva-based international organisations and RLS partners from the global South who are fighting for their rights.
The current focus of our work is on three topics, which are also dealt with in international Geneva: social rights (Human Rights Council OHCHR, UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, International Labour Organisation ILO, World Health Organisation WHO, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development UNRISD), socio-ecological transformation (Intergovernmental Panel on climate Change IPCC, World Meteorological Organization WMO) and the international organisation of workers (international trade union confederations, International Labour Organisation ILO). Together with our international partners, we organise conferences, seminars, workshops and side events at UN conferences, but also research projects with the aim of accompanying processes and supporting partners in the articulation of their interests at the international level. We involve non-state actors (NGO activists, trade unionists, academics) as well as staff of international organisations based in Geneva. The activities are supplemented by publications, studies or reports and other media formats.
📍Monday, Day 1: Balance on the #BintingTreaty negotiations in United Nations Human Rights
- Some 75 States participated
- Despite the impact of the change of date of the session, civil society was present with a strong presence and clear demands.
- A key question throughout the interventions of States and civil society was the importance of the treaty advancing on the legal responsibility of companies (accountability) for environmental impacts and for damages caused in the context of wars, conflicts and genocides.
- Article 4 began to be discussed, in which several Latin American States defended the inclusion in the treaty of elements that respond to gender-differentiated violations.
- In addition, several states argued that the rights conferred by the treaty should not only be for the victims, but also for affected individuals and communities.
📢NEW PUBLICATION!
GPF-Briefing: Scope of a #UNtreaty on #Business and #HumanRights
In the brand new briefing published by Global Policy Forum & Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, Celia Sudhoff (GPF Project Coordinator - Business and Human Rights) raises the question:
‘Which companies should the #UNTreaty on business and human rights apply to?’
This central question has been discussed by the working group on a #UN treaty for business and human rights for almost 10 years. While some are calling for a restriction to transnational corporations, others want the treaty to cover all companies.
Shortly before the start of the 10th round of negotiations in #Geneva (16-20 December 2024), this new briefing takes a closer look at the substantive arguments in favour of a narrow or broad scope of application and identifies possible ways to reach a compromise.
The role played by other paragraphs and how rights holders in particular can be placed at the centre can be read in the briefing: https://lnkd.in/d78TtuKD#BindingTreaty#UNtreaty#StopCorporateAbuse#HoldBizAccountable#BizHumanRights
This week, we marked Human Rights Day—a critical moment to reflect on the state of human rights worldwide. In the face of growing human rights abuses, from the suppression of civil society to violations of freedom of expression, systemic inequalities, and the devastating impact of ongoing wars, this day reminds us of the urgent work still needed.
For the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights last year, we as Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung - Geneva Office collaborated with BUBBLEGUMCLUB, a Johannesburg-based cultural intelligence agency, to produce a podcast series titled "Beyond a Declaration: What Rights Can Do."
The podcast explores human rights from a Southern African perspective, offering critical reflections and fresh insights that are often missing from mainstream narratives. Through these discussions, we aim to amplify voices from the Global South and reframe conversations about human rights in a more inclusive way.
I invite you to listen to the series here: https://lnkd.in/eD5wxEWq, reflect on these perspectives, and join the fight to defend and uphold human rights for everyone.
#HumanRightsDay#HumanRights75#GlobalSouthPerspectives
📢 Reflecting on Our Work on Statelessness: Awareness-Raising and Advocacy
At Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung - Geneva Office, we’ve worked closely with incredible partners like UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the European Network on Statelessness, the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, and the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights to shed light on one of the most vulnerable groups of people in the world—stateless individuals, who are excluded like few others. Despite their plight, statelessness remains a topic that is far too little discussed.
🔍 Some highlights from our work:
Podcast: Citizens of Nowhere – an insightful series exploring the lived realities and challenges of stateless people. 🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/e_A7Ve8r
Atlas of the Stateless: A comprehensive and visual exploration of the scope, causes, and consequences of statelessness. 🗺️ Download here: https://lnkd.in/eVf9SiDY
Video: There Are Many Reasons for Statelessness – a powerful visual narrative shedding light on the complexity of statelessness. 🎥 Watch here: https://lnkd.in/e368Udy9
Publications:
Lessons for the Future: Evaluating the third cycle of the UPR and its engagement with statelessness. 📘 Read here: https://lnkd.in/edEXP-dQ
Health and Statelessness: Assessing the impacts of COVID-19 on stateless communities in Europe. 🏥 Explore here: https://lnkd.in/eZNU9VH7
This photo is from our most recent event, where we launched the Citizens of Nowhere podcast together with Monika Sandvik-n., Chris Nash, Anna Rascouët-Paz, and Chahut média. The energy, engagement, and exchange during the event were a testament to the importance of this work.
At Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung - Geneva Office, we are committed to raising awareness, fostering understanding, and advocating for solutions to end statelessness.
Statelessness is not only a legal anomaly but also a profound human rights challenge. It is a solvable problem, and we remain dedicated to amplifying the voices of those affected and working towards inclusive, durable solutions.
What aspects of this work resonate most with you?
#statelessness#humanrights#advocacy#unitednations
Just about to fly home from Geneva after speaking at the launch event for the excellent STATELESSNESS:Citizens of Nowhere podcast by Anna Rascouët-Paz with Chahut média and funded by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung - Geneva Office.
It was great to speak alongside Anna, Monika Sandvik-n. and Eva Wuchold to a full room of people all eager to learn more about #statelessness and hopefully to get involved with efforts to address it. Raising awareness is critical so please do listen to and share the podcast!
You can find it here: https://lnkd.in/ew7SxSGY
Yesterday, we released a podcast series that we have been working on for over a year! I'm very excited about this and it has been amazing to collaborate with the great team at Chahut média ❤️
Next week, on Wednesday 27th, we are organizing the official launch event of the podcast with two fantastic guests:
Chris Nash from European Network on StatelessnessMonika Sandvik-n. from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
As some of you might know, the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung - Geneva Office will be closing its doors in the first semester of 2025. This means that it will be the last event that we organize. So come, say hi, learn new and important things, meet fascinating people and have a drink with us 😊
Listen to the podcast: https://lnkd.in/ew7SxSGY
Register to the event: https://lnkd.in/eeuAR3mG
It was a pleasure to contribute to this excellent podcast ‘STATELESSNESS: Citizens of Nowhere’ https://lnkd.in/euy4zzRC curated by journalist Anna Rascouët-Paz and supported by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung - Geneva Office, long-standing partners of European Network on Statelessness .
Contributing alongside longtime incredible friends and colleagues such as Lynn Al khatibAleksejs Ivashuk Bronwen Manby & others was an opportunity to reflect on efforts by so many, and some progress in addressing #statelessness over the last decade, but equally a sobering reminder of how so much more remains to be done. Hopefully awareness-raising pieces such as this can help push the needle on our collective efforts moving forwards as if you can’t see a problem, you can’t fix it.
I will be speaking at the podcast’s launch event in Geneva on Wednesday evening so if you’re based nearby then do come along! You can register here: https://lnkd.in/eeuAR3mG
