Leveraging The System
Leveraging international human rights mechanisms and processes to advocate for youth rights.
What is the UN?
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded in 1945 in the aftermath of the Second World War to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations, and to achieve international cooperation and encourage respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. As such, human rights are at the core of the UN’s work.
Where can I learn more?
The UN is the one place where the world’s nations can gather together, discuss common
problems and find shared solutions. The organization’s purposes and principles, membership as well as key organs and their functioning are described in the UN Charter.
How does the UN work to monitor, promote and protect human rights globally?
The UN has different bodies, mechanisms and processes that work to promote and protect human rights around the world. All of these combined give access to a wide range of reporting and monitoring tools you can work with to advance youth rights. The key is knowing how and when to use which one or which combination of processes to achieve your advocacy goals. The UN also operates at the regional and domestic level in many countries; however, this section gives an overview of the different tools and contains some tips on how to engage with the UN to advocate for youth rights, with a focus on mechanisms and processes that are available at the international level.
Engaging with human rights mechanisms
There are different ways in which you can engage with the work of UN human rights mechanisms and processes.
What does this toolkit cover?
The present toolkit primarily focuses on human rights bodies and mechanisms at the global level.
What is the UN Human Rights Office?
The UN Human Rights Office, is the leading UN entity on human rights, and has a mandate to promote and protect the enjoyment and full realization, by all people, of all human rights.