Inaugural event for the Global Network on National Human Rights Action Planning

Between 4 - 6 June 2025, the School of Law and Social Justice hosted the inaugural event of the Global Network on National Human Rights Action Planning. Over the course of three days, we welcomed over 88 delegates from 36 countries, working across different sectors including both governmental and non-governmental organisations, National Human Rights Institutions, and academia, as well as various key bodies such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Development Programme and the Council of Europe.

These three days were packed with incredible discussions and reflections and active engagement of our participants. Overall, across 17 panels we explored more than 40 National Human Rights Action Plans in depth, as well as trends, developments and challenges of more than 80 NHRAPs over the last 30 years.

From Europe to the world

In summer 2024, Dr Azadeh Chalabi, started a project (funded by the Research England, policy support fund) on building the first 'European network on National Human Rights Action Planning' but soon, this network expanded well beyond Europe and has quickly become very much a global network. As of today, this global network involves members from more than 36 countries across all the five continents.

We are proud that we managed to circle the world in just three days! We started with NHRAPing in Europe (Spain, Greece, Finland, Lithuania, Scotland, Germany, Italy, Norway, Wales, and Armenia) on Day 1. Day 2 first took us to Asia Pacific (New Zealand, South Korea), moving to South America (Paraguay, Portugal), and from there to Africa (Morocco), back to Europe (Albania, Ukraine, Austria, Estonia), finishing in North America (Canada) and the South again (Argentina). We moved back to Asia Pacific on Day 3 (Taiwan, Thailand, Nepal), continuing to Asia/Europe (Turkey and Georgia), finishing strong in South America (Brazil and Mexico). 

The universality of human rights

We received very positive impressions from our delegates about the welcoming and enthusiastic atmosphere of the event and this outward-focused initiative (which has received widespread coverage on social media platforms from many countries). 

We have discussed the structure and future of this network and established the four key principles of the network, including: the principle of the universality of human rights, the principle of transparency, the participation principle and the impartiality and autonomy of the network.

^{University of Liverpool Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones, speaking at the event.}

A pioneeering role in international law

The pioneering role of the University of Liverpool in this area of international law: 

1.  This project speaks to the University’s overarching theme of sustainability as one out of two strategic priorities
   
   
2. In 2018, we released the first academic book on NHRAPing published by OUP (author: Dr Azadeh Chalabi)
   
   
3. In 2019 we created (and are running) the first ever module (at the postgraduate level) on Human Rights Action Planning at the School of Law and Social Justice (SLSJ)
   
   
4. In 2024, Dr Chalabi conducted the most comprehensive study on NHRAPing examining thirty years of NHRAPing 1994-2024.

 
^{Dean of the School of Law and Social Justice, Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas, speaking at the event.}

Please do send us any relevant documents, events, new NHRAPs, etc, to NHRAPNetwork@liverpool.ac.uk. 

Join the network

If you have worked on any phases of National Huan Rights Action Plans and would like to join the network, contact Dr Azadeh Chalabi, the Founder and current coordinator of the network, at a.chalabi@liverpool.ac.uk.

Find out more

• View Dr Azadeh Chalabi's staff profile page
• Visit the International Law and Human Rights Unit (ILHRU) research cluster
• View the Global Network on National Human Rights Action Planning web page