Advocacy

UNITED NATIONS

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

61st session ■ 23 February – 2 April 2026

The draft programme of work includes interactive dialogues with the Special Rapporteur on torture, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, and the Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, as well as with the Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy.
The session will also feature an annual debate on the rights of persons with disabilities, an interactive dialogue with the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, an interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s oral update on Ukraine, and an oral update on Georgia. 
The Council will also adopt UPR conclusions in respect of Belarus, Andorra, Bulgaria and Croatia.

>> NGOs in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) can be accredited to participate as observers. See details on the session here and on NGO participation here.

Universal Periodic Review

54th session ■ January – February 2027

The UPR Working Group will review State reports submitted by Iceland, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

>> Submit by 17 July 2026. See details here.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE

COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

1563rd DH meeting ■ 9-11 June 2026

The CMCE will review the implementation of the following ECtHR judgments relating to prisoners’ rights:

• Armenia | Inadequate medical care in detention (Shirkhanyan v. Armenia, no. 54547/16, 22 February 2022, group of cases).
• Belgium | Structural problem concerning prison overcrowding, material conditions of detention and lack of an effective preventive remedy (Vasilescu v. Belgium, no. 64682/12, 25 November 2014).
• France | Poor conditions of detention (overcrowding) and lack of an effective preventive remedy (J.M.B. and others v. France, no.  9671/15, 30 January 2020).
• Hungary | Life sentence without parole in combination with the lack of an adequate review mechanism, life sentence with parole only after having served between 25 years and 6 months and 48 years and one month of the sentence (László Magyar v. Hungary, no. 73593/10, 20 May 2014, group of cases).
• Portugal | Overcrowding and poor conditions of detention in prisons and lack of effective remedies (Petrescu v. Portugal, no. 23190/17, 3 December 2019, group of cases ; Cunha Casaca v. Portugal, no. 17761/22, 6 July 2023).
• Russia | Administrative practices in occupied territory of Ukraine resulting in grave human rights violations perpetrated by Russian or Russian-controlled forces, including extrajudicial killings, torture and inhuman and degrading treatment, appalling conditions of detention, forced labour, unjustified displacement and transfer of civilians in detention and application of filtration measures (Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia [GC], no. 8019/16, 9 July 2025).
• Switzerland | Applicant’s detention in solitary confinement in prisons unable to offer him care appropriate to his mental illness (I.L. v. Switzerland (no. 2), no. 36609/16, 20 February 2024)
• Ukraine | Ill-treatment / torture by law enforcement officials and lack of effective investigation; lack of medical care in prison; systematic handcuffing of blind prisoner with his hands behind his back whenever he left his prison cell (Kaverzin v. Ukraine, no. 23893/03, 15 May 2012, group of cases).

>> Submit preferably by 21 April 2026 .See full list of cases here.

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

Country visits ■ 2026

The CPT has announced it will visit the following countries in 2026: Bulgaria, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Moldova, Serbia, Sweden, United Kingdom.

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

EUROPEAN UNION

No advocacy opportunity identified