Impact of the work of Special Procedures: Facilitating dialogue and/or coalition building

Partnering with other organizations

Partnering with other organizations: From January to April 2021, Pedro Arrojo Agudo, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation organized bilateral meetings with 22 international and regional organizations working on access to water, sanitation and hygiene. The outcome of these bilateral meetings are currently being compiled on OHCHR webpage titled “Partnering with other organizations”, which hosts two-pager flyers dedicated to each organization introducing salient work of those organizations as well as the way forward for the Special Rapporteur to collaborate with those organizations during his tenure.

Other impact: Human rights mainstreaming

Special Rapporteur on housing develops "The Shift" movement to focus on housing rights in partnership with OHCHR and United Cities and Local Governments

The Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing developed a partnership with OHCHR as well as United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), representing more than 250,000 local governments worldwide. The partnership, which is also supported by the South African Human Rights Commission and Habitat International Coalition, seeks to establish a global movement called "The Shift" to bring together all actors who recognize housing as one of the most pressing human rights issues. This movement has already resulted in several positive outcomes. More than 40 cities, acting through their respective mayors, have joined "The Shift" movement and have also signed the UCLG Cities for Housing Declaration in which they pledged to take action to implement the right to housing at the local level. Many of these cities have started to take concrete action by bringing into force new laws and policies to address the financialization of housing, an issue that the Special Rapporteur addressed in her report to the 34th session of the Human Rights Council in 2017 (A/HRC/34/51). In addition, several Shift events have been organized by others across the world, including in in global conferences such as the World Urban Forum, COP24, and the High-Level Political Forum on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in New York. During the Annual Meeting of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, the Special Rapporteur hosted a Shift event to encourage national human rights institutions to undertake activities to ensure access to justice to the right to housing (A/HRC/40/61). After the event, several national human rights institutions, including those from Germany, the Netherlands, and Scotland, have proposed plans to do so.

Other Impact: Contribution to Governmental and/or Judicial Processes, Legislative Reform, Policy Reform, Prevention and/or Cessation of Human Rights Violations, and Raising Human Rights Awareness

US lifts sanctions against Sudan after two mandate holders promote dialogue through quiet diplomacy

Through quiet diplomacy, the Independent Expert on Sudan and the Special Rapporteur on the adverse impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights helped create a situation under which US sanctions imposed against Sudan could be lifted. In particular, after his country visit to Sudan in November 2015, the Special Rapporteur on the adverse impact of unilateral coercive measures suggested that a procurement unit for life-saving drugs and spare-parts for material equipment should be created under the auspices of the UN Office in Khartoum. The unit was eventually established through an agreement between Sudan's Ministry of Health, the UN, and the US, and it acted as a confidence building measure between Sudan and the US. Through this process, the Obama administration provisionally agreed to lift the unilateral sanctions imposed against Sudan. Following an appeal by the Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures during the 33rd session of the Human Rights Council in September 2016, the Trump administration agreed to lift the sanctions against Sudan on 10 October 2016.

Other Impact: Contribution to Governmental and/or Judicial Processes and Policy Reform