We aim to update these briefers over time. If there are other multilateral bodies you would like to see included, please let us know by reaching out to global@icnl.org.

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UN Human Rights Council 

The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) is an intergovernmental body, based in Geneva and comprised of 47 states elected by the UN General Assembly, that is responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. The HRC meets three times per year, in February-March, June-July, and September-October.   

A primary agenda item for these sessions is the negotiation and adoption of resolutions on human rights issues or situations. The drafting and negotiation of these resolutions is usually led by a “core group” of 4-6 states, with one or two states acting as lead drafters responsible for the development and refinement of resolution text. Several resolutions related to civic space and civil society are regularly negotiated at the HRC, including the following (with lead drafters in parentheses): 

• Freedom of opinion and expression (Canada and the Netherlands) 

• Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (Czech Republic) 

• Civil society space (Ireland) 

• The promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests (Switzerland) 

• Right to privacy in the digital age (Brazil and Germany) 

The lead drafters of HRC resolutions will often invite inputs from civil society partners known to be interested and to possess relevant expertise, with initial (often virtual) consultations; opportunities to provide written input on key issues resolutions should address; and circulation of resolution drafts for feedback. In many instances, the core groups shepherding negotiation of resolutions prioritize adoption by consensus, and thus use prior agreed language of resolutions as a starting point for successive iterations of the text. Lead drafters will often particularly welcome proposed language drawing on text from other HRC or UN documents. 

To express interest in contributing to future negotiations of the resolutions listed above or other resolutions of interest, civil society partners should reach out to the lead drafting states noted above at their Geneva missions or at capital. Civil society can also seek guidance or support from coalitions of other civil society organizations or partners like ICNL to identify opportunities and entry points. 

The HRC also presides over a regular mechanism for reviewing the human rights record of UN Member States: the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Every 4 ½ years, each UN Member State must submit a report on actions it has taken to improve the human rights situation in its country and to address challenges to the enjoyment of human rights. Each State undergoing review then receives recommendations for improvement from HRC Member States – making the UPR a form of peer review. However, and critically, each country review is carried out on the basis not only of the information provided by the State under review, but also considering reports of UN special procedures, treaty bodies, and other entities, and information from other stakeholders – including civil society. Local and international CSOs can thus submit information, including comprehensive civil society-drafted reports – often referred to as shadow reports – to inform country reviews. Civil society can also attend UPR working group sessions and make statements at HRC sessions where the outcome of State reviews is discussed. For more information on contributing to UPR reviews, please consult these guidelines.  

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UN Human Rights Committee 

The UN Human Rights Committee is a body of 18 independent experts, nominated and elected by States Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), that monitors Covenant implementation through three primary modalities. 

The Committee receives and considers individual communications, also known as complaints, from persons claiming to be victims of violations of the ICCPR by States Parties who have signed its Optional Protocol (a group currently comprising 119 countries). Violations of the ICCPR can include impermissible restrictions on the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, or freedom of association, among other rights protected by the Covenant.  

Persons filing communications with the Committee should first exhaust all remedies available through domestic procedures, including local court systems, unless such exhaustion would be “unreasonably prolonged” or such measures would “plainly be ineffective”. The Committee will also not consider complaints that are at the same time being examined by another mechanism of international investigation or settlement. Given the large number of complaints submitted to the Committee, there may be a delay of several years between an initial submission and the Committee’s final decision. If the Committee decides that a State Party has violated the rights of a complainant under the ICCPR, it will invite the State Party to submit information on the steps taken to address the Committee’s findings. Though the Committee cannot enforce the findings of its decisions, or mandate state action in response, these findings can provide powerful proof of wrongdoing and trigger states or other stakeholders to respond to violations. 

For more information on submitting a communication to the Committee, please visit the Committee’s website here. 

General Comments

The Committee periodically issues authoritative guidance on the obligations of States Parties under the Covenant, known as general comments. These comments, of which there have been 37 to date, can provide invaluable standards and principles for civil society to reference in advocacy, litigation, and monitoring efforts. In 2025-26, the Committee is developing a new general comment on the right to freedom of association – the first time it has addressed this core civic freedom in such guidance. In its prior General Comment No. 37, adopted in 2020, the Committee explored the right to freedom of peaceful assembly. The Committee has also issued general comments on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right of public participation, and the right to privacy, amongst other rights. The process by which the Committee develops general comments is usually highly inclusive and participatory, with opportunities for civil society, states, and other stakeholders to provide inputs on issues to be addressed and the draft text of comments. Upcoming opportunities to influence general comments are advertised on the Committee’s website. 

The Committee also conducts country reviews, whereby it considers reports submitted by each State Party at eight-year intervals on the measures it has adopted which give effect to the rights recognized in the ICCPR, and progress made in their enjoyment. The Committee then issues a set of concluding observations on States Parties’ compliance with the Covenant. This monitoring and assessment process does not have formal entry points for civil society participation, aside from any consultations States Parties may elect to conduct in preparing their reports for the Committee. 

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UN Special Procedures 

The UN Human Rights Council, and occasionally other UN bodies as well, appoints independent experts to report and advise on human rights around the world, pursuant to mandates agreed by HRC resolutions. These experts are referred to as “special rapporteurs” or “independent experts” depending on the terms of their mandates, and generally as “mandate holders”.  

Key special procedures addressing civic space include UN special rapporteurs on: 

• the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association; 

• freedom of opinion and expression 

• human rights defenders; 

• the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism; and 

• environmental defenders under the Aarhus Convention. 

Special procedure mandate holders engage in a range of advocacy, awareness-raising, and technical assistance activities, often in support of or in tandem with civil society efforts. Three modes of activities in particular present opportunities for civil society input on issues relating to civic space. 

Mandate holders undertake country visits, at the invitation of host governments, to assess the situation of human rights at the national level. The findings, conclusions, and recommendations of these visits are then published in reports to HRC. Mandate holders will often meet with members of civil society, amongst other stakeholders, during country visits, and local CSOs can also assist in convening civil society meetings and consultations with mandate holders. Country visits are often announced on special procedures’ official websites in advance. 

Upon receiving complaints alleging human rights violations falling within their mandates, mandate holders will send communications to States and other actors to request information or action responsive to the allegations. Communications from special procedures can be effective in securing redress for past violations; ceasing or forestalling ongoing or potential violations; or preventing the enactment or implementation of measures that fail to comply with international human rights law. Special procedures can act on reports of violations or broader concerns within as little as 24 hours. The official websites of special procedures will usually set out contact information through which complaints can be submitted. 

Thematic Reports

Finally, many mandate holders develop one or two thematic reports per year on developing or priority issues related to human rights. These reports, which may be presented to the UN General Assembly or HRC at their sessions, constitute an important source of soft law on international human rights obligations. Such reports can be cited as persuasive authority in advocacy or litigation or may influence other sources of law, such as HRC resolutions or general comments issued by treaty bodies (including the UN Human Rights Committee). When developing a thematic report, mandate holders will usually issue a public call for inputs that is advertised on their websites. Additionally, mandate holders may conduct virtual or in-person consultations with civil society actors and other stakeholders to gather information relevant to these reports. 

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The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the principal UN entity with responsibility for human rights. OHCHR provides support and facilitation to the other UN bodies and mechanisms discussed in this briefer, while also advancing a range of advocacy, research, education, conflict resolution, human rights monitoring, and capacity-building activities, including through its field offices. 

For purposes of this briefer, we will focus on one particular role of OHCHR with special relevance to local civil society engaged in activities to defend and expand civic space: its work to address intimidation and reprisals against individuals and groups seeking to cooperate with the UN on human rights. OHCHR leads efforts to develop and implement a more comprehensive system across the UN to prevent and address intimidation and reprisals, including by supporting high-level engagement on reprisals and advancing action on urgent cases. 

To submit an alleged case of intimidation or reprisal to OHCHR, partners can write to ohchr-reprisals@un.org, with secure communication channels available on request. 

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In our next briefer in this series, we consider how civil society partners can engage with specialized or technical bodies to defend and expand civic space. To access that briefer, please click here. 

This briefer was produced with support from the Government of Ireland – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The ideas, opinions and comments therein are entirely the responsibility of ICNL and do not necessarily represent or reflect DFAT policy. 

[1] As noted in the first briefer, in considering engagement with any multilateral processes including those described in this briefer, civil society partner should consider the risk of reprisals for participation and availability of protective mechanisms. ICNL and other international civil society organizations can be a helpful source of information and assistance on navigating risks related to participation in multilateral processes.