On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, the CCIG contributed to the training course organized by Edmund Rice International (ERI), delivering a training session on UN treaty bodies to 12 Civil Society representatives from Australia, India, Nigeria, Philippines, Sierra Leone, the USA, and Zambia. The training took place on the ERI premises in Geneva. Its aim was to enable local civil society actors to better navigate the articulated UN Human Rights Treaty system in order to strengthen their advocacy work for the protection of children’s rights in their respective countries.

The training covered all aspects of this topic thoroughly, including the definition of a Treaty, the process of its ratification, the current treaties in place, and the duties of State Parties to fully implement those treaties. A special attention was devoted to the functioning of the UN Committee on the Rights of Child. Opportunities for Civil Society participation within the treaty body reporting cycle were another key aspect of the training. Participants were able to actively engage throughout the training by asking questions and sharing their own experiences.

Thanks to this training, Civil Society actors from four different continents now have a better understanding of how to advocate for national policy change through the UN Treaty Bodies system. It was also a chance for the CCIG to work toward its own goal of empowering  Civil Society to increase its impact in the fight for human rights at the local and international level.

[CCIG presentation] offered us profound insights into how the treaty bodies work along with the various ways in which NGOs can engage effectively with the […] UN conventions. [Its] mastery of the UN operations related to treaty bodies was admirable. Inspired! 

Feedback from a Training Participant