Things To Keep In Mind

The UN can serve as a useful tool to promote and protect human rights, either to urge action on a situation that is overlooked domestically, or to supplement efforts to advocate for or advance youth rights nationally or internationally.

Engaging with human rights mechanisms should not be an end goal in itself, but a means for improving the human rights situation in your context, or addressing critical and urgent human rights violations, especially where efforts or options available domestically have proven ineffective or inadequate.

First and foremost, consider your personal safety and do your best to ensure that you are not putting yourself at risk of harm or reprisals, particularly in the case of human rights issues which a State is unable or unwilling to address, and/or that are politically sensitive in the context where you work. For more information on safety, see Section B, question on ‘How can I stay safe and be protected while defending my rights?’.