The Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law proudly inaugurated Human Rights Month 2025 with its first panel discussion, “Human Rights and Global Governance: Assessing Multilateralism in Times of Crisis.” The event, held on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, was conducted in a hybrid format, welcoming both in-person and virtual participants from around the world. As part of the 2025 Summer Program of Advanced Studies, the panel set the tone for a series of thought-provoking events designed to spark dialogue and promote collaboration on pressing human rights issues.

Distinguished Panelists and Topics

The panel featured an impressive lineup of global experts, including our Co-Director, Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón; the current UN Special Rappertour for North Korea, Elizabeth Salmon; The Professor of Public International Law at the Sorbonne Law School, Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen; the Former Director of the Geneva Academy on Human Rights, Gloria Gaggioli, and the Ad-hoc Judge of the International Court of Justice, Fausto Pocar. Together, they provided unique perspectives on the evolving landscape of human rights protection and the critical role of multilateral cooperation in addressing global crises.

Key Themes of Discussion

1. Strengths of the Human Rights System

Panelists highlighted the remarkable progress achieved in terms of Human Rights law, the fact that the human right law did not even exist before 1945. Today, the system includes nine treaty bodies that monitor compliance with international treaties, review state reports, issue concluding observations, develop general comments, and, in many cases, receive individual communications and some event conduct country visits. These mechanisms have significantly expanded the scope of human rights protections, addressing issues such as migration, climate change, and the reintegration of foreign fighters.

The discussion also covered charter-based bodies such as the Human Rights Council, created in 2006, and its Universal Periodic Review process aimed at minimizing politicization. Despite criticisms of double standards, the Council has established a variety of special procedures, rapporteurs, working groups, and commissions of inquiry on situations including Syria, Ukraine, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.The session offered OAS Member States a forum to learn more about the initiative and to explore avenues for regional engagement. Broader participation from countries of the Americas could prove pivotal in strengthening the case. Several participants highlighted past support from the region: for example, on September 26, 2024, Honduras and Chile joined a joint statement condemning the Taliban’s gross and systematic human rights violations, particularly the gender-based discrimination against women and girls.

2. Challenges Facing Multilateralism

The panel highlighted the ongoing crisis of multilateralism, marked by political polarization, weakened international cooperation, and challenges to the legitimacy of human rights institutions. Implementation gaps, difficulties in enforcement, and tensions between states and international bodies remain central concerns.

Migration emerged as a particularly pressing issue. Participants noted that while legal migration often supports democratic values and economic growth, illegal migration presents policy and humanitarian challenges, with some governments proposing stricter laws that risk undermining protections for vulnerable groups.

Panelists also emphasized that the current legitimacy crisis of international institutions reflects broader cycles of integration and disintegration in international law. Since the 17th century, international order has evolved through phases of central authority and state independence, with today’s multilateral framework again at a crossroads.

3. Resilience and the Role of Academia

Speakers stressed the need for resilience and reform within the human rights system, underscoring the crucial role of academia in fostering critical analysis, generating innovative proposals, and training the next generation of advocates and policymakers.

Reflecting on the early 20th century—a period marked by wars and humanitarian catastrophes—the panel called for renewed commitments to multilateralism and stronger engagement from civil society, scholars, and practitioners to fortify the system.

The panel acknowledged that unprecedented challenges have recently jeopardized core values of the current machinery of human rights multilateralism. Yet they highlighted multiple achievements that endure to this day. Today’s obstacles, they emphasized, are not permanent. The human rights system has weathered serious crises before, and with sustained engagement from civil society and democratic states, there is every reason to believe it can overcome present challenges as well.

Looking Ahead: Human Rights Month 2025

The Human Rights Academy will continue to host Human Rights Month 2025 over the next three weeks, with panels featuring distinguished experts, practitioners, and scholars. Each session is designed to encourage meaningful dialogue, sharpen critical thinking, and connect participants from diverse regions and professional backgrounds who share a commitment to advancing human rights worldwide.

By launching Human Rights Month with a discussion on global governance, the Academy reaffirmed its mission to serve as a hub for academic excellence, interdisciplinary engagement, and the practical advancement of human rights and humanitarian law.

Conclusion

The opening panel of Human Rights Month 2025 underscored both the progress and the fragility of the international human rights system. While multilateral institutions have achieved unprecedented success in creating mechanisms for protection, they now face legitimacy crises and political challenges that test their resilience. The Academy’s initiative provides an essential platform for reflection and reform, reminding us that the defense of human rights depends on cooperation, accountability, and innovation. Human Rights Month 2025 promises to continue fostering the critical dialogue and collaboration needed to strengthen global human rights governance for the future.