United Nations
The United Nations is the largest intergovernmental organisation in the world, and has the promotion and protection of human rights among its core objectives.
Through its various political bodies, including the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and UN Human Rights Council (HRC), UN Member States make commitments on how they will protect freedom of expression at the national level, as well as agreeing collective action in response to the world’s most pressing human rights issues.
ARTICLE 19 shapes and ensures support for standard-setting initiatives on freedom of expression at the UN, informing our advocacy through the local and national human rights priorities of our regional offices and partners. We leverage various UN human rights mechanisms to hold states to account for freedom of expression violations. This includes through the UNGA and HRC, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN special procedures, in particular the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, the treaty bodies, and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism. In turn, our national advocacy work uses the obligations and commitments of States’ at the UN to drive local change.
Featured
UN: Human Rights Council adopts resolution on human rights on the Internet
UN: States must embrace free expression to tackle disinformation
UN: Human Rights Council must progress standards on free expression
All United Nations
Iran: UN fact-finding mission a crucial step for justice and accountability
Iran: Calls for UN independent investigations into human rights abuses
Eastern Africa: Governments must do more to protect journalists
Kenya: A coalition to address content moderation and promote free speech
‘The survival right’: freedom of expression in armed conflicts
UN: Highlights from the 51st Session of the Human Rights Council
Vietnam: Human Rights Council candidacy demands human rights progress
