Advocacy

UNITED NATIONS

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

59th session ■ 16 June – 9 July 2025

The draft programme includes interactive dialogues with special rapporteurs (Belarus, Health, Judges and Lawyers), a series of events on Ukraine (a presentation of the High Commissioner’s report, a presentation of the interim report of the Secretary General on human rights in the temporarily occupied territories, and a report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions on his visit to Ukraine), as well as the adoption of UPR conclusions in respect of Italy, San Marino, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

>> NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC can be accredited to participate as Observers. See the session’s programme here and details on NGO participation here.

Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

33rd session ■ 11 – 29 August 2025

The CRPD will review the State report submitted by Finland.

>> Submit by 4 July 2025. See details on the session here.

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

78th session ■ 8 September – 3 October 2025

The CESCR working group will examine reports submitted by the Netherlands and Russia.

>> Submit by 8 August 2025. See details on the session here.

UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW

51st session ■ 19 – 30 January 2026

The UPR working group will review Austria and Georgia.

>> Submit by 17 July 2025. See details on the session here and on NGO participation here.

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

145th session ■ 13 October – 7 November 2025

The Committee will review State reports from Moldova and Slovakia, and will adopt Lists of issues prior to reporting (LOIPR) in respect of Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic and Hungary. It will also review Ukraine under the follow-up procedure.

>> Submit by 21 July 2025 for the follow-up procedure, by 18 August 2025 for LOIPR, and by 15 September 2025 for State reports. See details on the session here.

UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture

Country visits ■ 2025

The SPT announced a visit to France in 2025.

>> NGOs are encouraged to contact the Subcommittee in advance of visits. See the press release here and the calendar of visits here.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE

COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

1537th DH meeting ■ 15 – 17 September 2025

The Committee of Ministers will review the progress made in implementing the following ECtHR judgments concerning prisoners’ rights:

• Bulgaria | Constitutional ban on voting imposed automatically on persons serving prison sentences (Kulinski and Sabev v. Bulgaria, no. 63849/09, 21 July 2016).
• Cyprus | Poor conditions of detention (Danilczuk v. Cyprus, no. 21318/12, 3 April 2018).
• Greece | Poor conditions of detention (Nisiotis v. Greece, no. 34704/08, 10 February 2011).
• Romania | Inhuman treatment on account of the prolonged detention of a terminally ill prisoner (Dorneanu v. Romania, no. 55089/13, 28 November 2017).
• Romania | Detention regime of prisoners classified as “dangerous” (Enache v. Romania, no. 10662/06, 1 April 2014).
• Romania | Ill-treatment in prison due to the inadequate management of the applicants’ psychiatric conditions (Ţicu v. Romania, no. 24575/10, 1 October 2013).
• Russia | Administrative practice of inhuman and degrading treatment and arbitrary detention of Georgian civilians, and of torture of Georgian prisoners of war by the South Ossetian forces (Georgia v. Russia (II), no. 38263/08, 21 January 2021 and 28 April 2023).
• Russia | Multiple violation of rights of persons detained in separatist region of the Republic of Moldova – poor detention conditions, lack of medical assistance, ill-treatment, refusal to allow them to see a pastor, restrictions on visits by family members and on right to converse in their own language, lack of effective remedy (Mozer v. the Republic of Moldova and Russia, no. 11138/10, 23 February 2016).
• Türkiye | Absence of any mechanism to review “aggravated” life imprisonment sentences (Gurban v. Türkiye, no. 4947/04, 15 December 2015).
• Ukraine | Poor conditions of detention in pre-trial detention centres and prisons and lack of domestic remedies (Sukachov v. Ukraine, no. 14057/17, 30 January 2020; Nevmerzhitsky v. Ukraine, no. 54825/00, 5 April 2005; Yakovenko v. Ukraine, no. 15825/06, 25 October 2007; Melnik v. Ukraine, no. 72286/01, 28 March 2006).
• Ukraine | Irreducibility of life sentences and life prisoner ban on communication with other prisoners during out-of-cell activities (Petukhov v. Ukraine (no. 2), no. 41216/13, 12 March 2019).

>> Submit preferably by 28 July 2025. See full list of cases here.

European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Country visits ■ 2025

The CPT has announced it will visit the following countries in 2025: Azerbaijan, Germany and Montenegro.

>> NGOs are invited to contact the Committee ahead of the visits. See the list of visits here.

EUROPEAN UNION

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Call for evidence ■ Mid-term review of the Strategy to strengthen the application of the CFR

The Commission is seeking input for its mid-term review of the Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU.

>> Submit by 8 July 2025. See details here.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Call for evidence ■ EU Civil Society Strategy

The Commission is seeking input for its Civil Society Strategy.

>> Submit by 5 September 2025. See details here.