International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP)

The Council stimulates cooperation and exchange across the non-governmental, governmental and intergovernmental sectors, and strives to mediate between competing perspectives. It brings together human rights practitioners, scholars and policy-makers, along with those from related disciplines and fields whose knowledge and analysis can inform discussion of human rights policy. It produces research reports and briefing papers with policy recommendations. These are brought to the attention of policy-makers, within international and regional organisations, in governments and intergovernmental agencies, and in voluntary organisations of all kinds.

The International Council on Human Rights Policy provides a forum for applied research, reflection and forward thinking on matters of international human rights policy. In a complex world in which interests and priorities compete across the globe, the Council identifies issues that impede efforts to protect and promote human rights and proposes approaches and strategies that will advance that purpose. In all its efforts, the Council is global in perspective, inclusive and participatory in agenda-setting and collaborative in method.

  • Civil Society
  • Community Conflict Resolution
  • Development of a Constitution
  • Gender
  • Good Offices and Peace Support
  • Human Rights
  • Humanitarian Protection
  • Involvement of non-state actors
  • Judicial and Legal Reform
  • Land and property rights
  • Law Enforcement Institutions
  • Mechanism for implementation
  • Monitoring of abuse
  • Participation of women and involvement of non-state actors
  • Public Administration and Government Strengthening
  • Right to return, right not to return
  • Transitional Justice

Human Rights
The Council's research suggests that human rights can make a practical and positive contribution to many areas of conflict resolution, during the negotiation and implementation of peace agreements. It analyses the dilemmas and trade-offs that those involved face when they consider human rights and, based on country cases, suggests how such difficulties can be managed and sometimes resolved.
Other
  • Research and policy development
Description of activities
Frameworks for protection. What kind of human rights frameworks and mechanisms for their implementation are included in peace agreements? Repairing the past: forcible displacement. To what extent do peace agreements protect the needs of forcibly displaced people. In particular, are they able to return to their homes and claim their rights to property? Dealing with the past: impunity and accountability. To what extent do peace agreements include measures to deal with past abuses? / examines human rights provisions and monitoring mechanisms in the following peace agreements, as well as the arguments for and against their inclusion. The cases were: Cambodia (Final Act of the Paris Conference, October 1991) El Salvador (Peace Agreement in Mexico City, January 1992) Mozambique (General Peace Agreement, October 1992) Bosnia-Herzegovina (Dayton Peace Agreement, December 1995) Guatemala (Agreement on a Firm and Lasting Peace, December 1996) Northern Ireland (Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, April 1998) Sierra Leone (Lomé Peace Agreement, July 1999) Burundi (Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement, August 2000).

Monitoring of abuse
Our research findings: Human rights can make a practical and positive contribution to many areas of conflict resolution, during the negotiation and implementation of peace agreements. Case studies suggest that adding human rights to a negotiating agenda helps to address, or at least monitor, abuses; and in addition, may create opportunities to advance talks, as parties often have an interest in protecting their own rights. Peace settlements also need to create political and legal institutions that offer parties non-violent ways to resolve their disputes: human rights frameworks and mechanisms can help achieve this objective, because they restrain power and promote fair and accountable legal institutions.
Other
  • Policy advice
  • Research and policy development
Description of activities
Guidelines and recommendations for mediators, parties to a conflict, civil society, human rights NGOs, international and regional inter-governmental organisations and donors / thematic, not directed at specific country situations.
Report: Negotiating Justice? Human Rights and Peace Agreements, International Council on Human Rights Policy, 2006 / thematic, not directed at specific country situations.

Participation of women and involvement of non-state actors
Our work is distinctive because we focus on human rights but bring a range of voices to that discussion.
Other
  • Research and policy development
Description of activities
In all its work, the ICHRP gives specific attention to the impact of policies on women, and on the contribnution that civil society organisations can make to the design and implementation of public policies.
  • The ICHRP includes country studies in its research but is not “active” in any particular country for any long period of time
International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP)
Chemin du Grand-Montfleury 48
Versoix CH-1290
See map: map.search.ch, Google Maps
http://www.ichrp.org
Research/ Academic
More than 10 years
Between 1 million to 50 million CHF per annum
8.5
Chemin du Grand-Montfleury 48
Versoix CH-1290
See map: map.search.ch, Google Maps
Headquarters

The Council Secretariat facilitates, promotes and undertakes applied research into world-wide inter-governmental, governmental and non-governmental policy regarding or relating to international human rights and the implementation of the body of international law relating to human rights established by treaty or custom, including current and proposed policy and practice. The Secretariat also arranges, co-operates in arranging and attends meetings and lectures for the reading and circulation of papers and holding of seminars or discussions, providing a forum and acting as convenor to stimulate cooperation, discourse and thinking on human rights policy world-wide.

8.5
Mr
Robert Archer
Executive Director
Ms Fairouz El Tom
Research and Publications Officer

Network

Members of Foreign Ministries

Type: 
Formal, Informal
Type: 
Governments
Description: 

Governments / Formal and informal activities: provide applied policy research findings. dissemination of reports, participation in conferences, panel presentations, consultations, participation in capacity-building activities.

National Human Rights Institutions

Description: 

Independent members / Formal and informal activities: provide applied policy research findings. dissemination of reports, participation in conferences, panel presentations, consultations, participation in capacity-building activities.

thousands of institutional and individual contacts around the world

Description: 

Media, parliamentarians , NGO, United Nations, Governments, Practitioner, Academic/ Formal and informal activities: provide applied policy research findings. dissemination of reports, participation in conferences, panel presentations, consultations, participation in capacity-building activities.

Without name

Type: 
Formal, Informal
Type: 
Governments
Description: 

provide applied policy research findings. dissemination of reports, participation in conferences, panel presentations, consultations, participation in capacity-building activities.