28th Annual Meeting of Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Chairs of Working Groups

The 28th Annual Meeting of Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Chairs of Working Groups will take place in Geneva from 6th – 10th June 2022. The Annual Meeting offers mandate holders the opportunity to discuss issues of common interest, coordinate their work and meet with a range of stakeholders, including States and civil society organizations.
This years' meeting will focus on strategic and substantive issues as well as on working methods. Attention will be given to the following related topics:

• In terms of strategic and substantive issues, mandate holders will discuss how to respond to pushbacks on human rights issues. They will also explore intersectional approaches in the implementation of their mandates. They will also have a discussion with high-level UN officials on the Call to Action and ‘Our Common Agenda’ for Human Rights and what could be the contribution of special procedures in this context. They will also share experiences on the impact of the work of special procedures and their engagement with stakeholders on follow-up.
• In terms of working methods, the mandate holders will discuss the implementation of their mandates on time of COVID and beyond. They will also exchange experiences in engaging with the development and peace and security sectors and the Resident Coordinators of the UN. The discussions will cover issues such as the visibility of the work by Special Procedures, the response to attacks against experts both online and offline and to reprisals against those cooperating with the UN on human rights and the issuance of joint statements.
• During the week, they will also meet with key stakeholders, including the High Commissioner, the President of the Human Rights Council, the Under Secretary General for policy in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, UN agencies, regional mechanisms, States, and civil society. They will have an exchange with the UN Envoy on Youth to explore how to address youth issues in their mandates.