Organised by the IBAHRI, the Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP), the Geneva Bar Association, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Assembly and Association (FoAA), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Geneva and the International Commission of Jurists, the event aims to promote the use of the guidelines across the legal profession and create a network of lawyers engaged on FoAA.

Felix Kirchmeier, executive director at the GHRP, will provide opening remarks and a keynote address will be given by Phillip Riblett, legal adviser at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva. Sandrine Giroud from the Geneva Bar Association will moderate the event, with the panel of speakers to include:

• Clément N. Voule, UN Special Rapporteur on FoAA, and Researcher, Geneva Academy
• Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Director, IBAHRI
• Dennis Kwak, Former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Legal), and Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, Ash Centre
• Alejandro Lanz, Co-Director of Temblores, Colombia

Presented during the 47th session of the Human Rights Council by Clément N. Voule, the UN Special Rapporteur on FoAA, the guidelines outline the role of lawyers in upholding the rights to freedom of assembly and association, and provide a set of practical recommendations for lawyers to support them in their work facilitating access to justice.

The discussion on 24 January will feature:

• An overview of the guidelines, highlighting the key recommendations and investigating their practical use for legal professionals.
• The measures lawyers can take to ensure accountability for serious human rights violations that occur in the context of peaceful protests.

Register here