The Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) invites you to join us for a virtual panel event on Tuesday 22 September 2026 on Zoom from 16:00-17:00 (UK), ‘Independent Experts, Global Mandates: Understanding the Work, Impact and Limitations of UN Special Rapporteurs’.
UN Special Rapporteurs constitute the largest category of mandate-holder within the UN Special Procedures system: independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to examine specific human rights themes or country situations. Serving in an unpaid, personal capacity, mandate-holders undertake country visits, send communications to States and other actors, including urgent appeals, issue public statements, and report to the Human Rights Council, with the majority of mandates also reporting to the General Assembly. Their mandates, however, carry no enforcement powers and depend substantially on state cooperation, while limited resources, geopolitical pressures and reprisals against those who engage with mandate-holders can further constrain their work.
Despite these limitations, Special Rapporteurs play a significant role in documenting violations, amplifying victims’ experiences, contributing to the development of human rights standards, informing domestic reform and litigation, and prompting wider international action. This panel, hosted by the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, will examine the position of Special Rapporteurs within the wider UN human rights system and consider how mandates are established and renewed by the Human Rights Council and implemented through country visits, communications, thematic reporting and public advocacy, while assessing the institutional and political constraints under which mandate-holders operate. The discussion will also explore how civil society organisations, national human rights institutions, legal professionals, academics and the media can engage effectively with Special Rapporteurs and help to strengthen the implementation and impact of their findings and recommendations.
The event will be co-chaired by Haydee Djikstal (BHRC Executive Committee & Barrister, 33 Bedford Row) and Ben Keith (Barrister at 5 St Andrew’s Hill), and will welcome speakers Alice Edwards, Former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture (2022-2026); Mary Lawlor, Former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders (2020-2026); and Ahmed Shaheed, Former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief (2016-2022) & UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran (2011-2016).
Registration is now open here.
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