INPUTS TO THE UNITED NATIONS IN THE SERVICE OF HUMANITY
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights periodically invites contributions from various stakeholders, including academic institutions.
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​In attention to this important space, Facts and Norms established a permanent Global Human Rights Observatory.
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​Since August 2021, under this premise the Institute prepared and sent 30+ inputs to the UN on contemporary issues of major humanitarian importance.
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​Submissions included themes related to torture; religious intolerance, violence, and racism; the notion of short-term enforced disappearances; transitional justice and sustainable development; the role of non-state actors (particularly businesses) in transitional justice; memorialization and the Roma; criminalization of persons living in the street and in extreme poverty; the protection of lawyers; social participation; poverty, post-growth and SDGs; sustainable development and the human rights of persons with albinism; the human rights of indigenous and rural communities to water and sanitation; militarization of indigenous and quilombola land; human rights and internet shutdowns; mercury, artisanal and small-scale gold-mining and human rights; contemporary forms of slavery and the informal economy; technology and contemporary forms of slavery; human rights, voluntourism, and the protection of children and adolescents; digital education and online protection of young people; adequate housing and climate change; the extractive sector, just transition, and human rights.
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Status: permanent project. 30+ submissions to UN instances.
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CONTRIBUTING TO HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE AMERICAS: THE INTER-AMERICAN PROJECT
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights accepts contributions from various stakeholders, including academic institutions, in the form of Amici Curiae Memorials.
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​In attention to this important space, Facts and Norms established a permanent Inter-American Human Rights Observatory.
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​Since October 2023, under this premise the Institute prepared and sent 2 Amici Curiae Memorials on contemporary issues of major humanitarian importance.
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The first Amicus Curiae Memorial concerned the contentious case of Leite de Souza and Others vs. Brazil (the Massacre of Acari). The petitioner denounced the State for both the commission of a massacre and the impunity of the facts.
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The second Amicus Curiae Memorial concerned the Court's upcoming advisory opinion on the issue of the Climate Emergency and how it relates to human rights.
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Status: permanent project. 2 submissions to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
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THE FNI NEWSLETTER:
INTERNATIONAL NEWS, EDUCATION AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
In January 2024, the Facts and Norms Institute released the #1 Issue of the Facts and Norms Newsletter, a periodical bulletin with World News, new developments in international law and human rights, recent rulings by international courts and tribunals, and selected academic and professional opportunities!
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The Newsletter is now in Year #1, Issue #9.
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Status: permanent project.
RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES NEWSLETTER: A VOICE FOR INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
The Rights of Indigenous Peoples Interest Group (RIPIG) Newsletter, a joint project between the Facts and Norms Institute (FNI) and the American Society of International Law (ASIL), aims to address key developments and challenges faced by indigenous communities worldwide.
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Since June 2022, this collaboration has focused on producing a high-quality, insightful newsletter featuring detailed analyses, updates from UN and treaty bodies, and significant regional and international reports on indigenous rights.
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Status: Ongoing project. Two editions published to date (issues 10 and 11).
UNDERSTANDING HOW INFECTIOUS DISEASES RELATE TO HUMAN RIGHTS
Human rights can be battered by infectious diseases and how societies deal with them. The Covid-19 pandemic is a recent, dramatic example of this truism.
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The relation between human rights and infectious disease has been largely documented by the United Nations. Different instances of the UN have contributed to this outcome.
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The project “Human Rights and Infectious Diseases: Lessons from the United Nations” aims at identifying and systematizing these contributions with the hope of informing better decisions in the future.
Coordination: Henrique Napoleão Alves; Adriano Koslides Mitre; Amit Anand.
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Status: ongoing. 40+ researchers received training and hands-on experience in legal research applied to human rights and infectious diseases. Using the Universal Human Rights Index, the research identified and systematized 2,000+ UN documents so far.
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