Mobilizing Civil Society for Human Rights

This project is made possible through the generous support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and builds upon the legacy of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC) to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

Our mission is to strengthen the collective ability of civil society organizations (CSOs) to work with the Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments to fulfill international human rights obligations, particularly those stemming from ratified treaties and commitments made during the United Nations' Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process.

Through the Mobilizing Civil Society for Human Rights project, JHC convened and facilitated conversations with over 32 CSOs across Canada, guided by the learnings from the 2023 Ignite Change Global Convention. Our work focused on three key areas to advance human rights in Canada:

  1. Addressing and supporting the implementation of the 4th Universal Periodic Review recommendations (2024).

  2. Increasing and supporting human rights education to improve CSOs' capacity to engage with international human rights mechanisms.

  3. Strengthening collaborative relationships and building a national network committed to advancing UPR recommendations.

Key Outputs and Results

This project has generated key resources and solidified JHC’s engagement at the United Nations, moving the national human rights agenda forward.

Advancing Human Rights Capacity and Education

A national gap analysis report, Building Capacity: Mapping Human Rights Training, Knowledge and Gaps, presents the research findings and proposes a comprehensive education strategy. This research confirms the robust educational capacity within CSOs while identifying critical systemic barriers—such as resource shortages and the complexity of the UN system—that limit their ability to hold the Canadian state accountable. The resulting strategy outlines four components to build a Canada-wide "rights practice" learning ecosystem, prioritizing peer mentorship, equitable access to resources, and advocating for government mechanisms that value meaningful dialogue.

To provide CSOs with practical tools for immediate engagement, a short guide, Engaging UN Mechanisms, was developed, providing a quick reference on where to access information at the UN and the key listservs available to stay up to date.

Advancing JHC’s UN Engagement

JHC has worked to ensure meaningful engagement around key UN processes through this project:

  • International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC) submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee to inform the review of Canada’s implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This submission leveraged JHC’s research and advocacy work to highlight domestic human rights concerns.

  • Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG): JHC collaborated with the Canadian government to draft and lead the adoption by consensus of the latest Canada-led UN Human Rights Council resolution (A/HRC/RES/59/20) on violence against women and girls, which advanced critical human rights standards related to gender equality.

  • Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: We supported the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention during its June 2024 visit, helping to connect it with a range of civil society actors and mobilize community attendance in Edmonton.

  • Collaboration: JHC collaborated with FAFIA and other organizations to combine engagement efforts in the ICCPR process in Geneva.

Advancing Collaborative Efforts

The whole focus of this project has been to strengthen connection and unity among organizations working on human rights implementation across the country. The 75th anniversary provided the space to bring people together, learn, and build forward, culminating in a blueprint for collaborative action.

The CSO Collective: Partners in Human Rights

Our work is a collective effort made possible through collaboration with over 32 CSOs, including:

  • Amnesty International Canada

  • Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

  • Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies

  • Citizens for Public Justice

  • Human Rights Watch

  • Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa

  • Maytree Foundation

  • National Association of Japanese Canadians

  • National Right to Housing Network

  • Righting Relations Canada

  • SHE Associates

  • South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario

Collective Commitment:

As a network of civil society organizations, we commit to advancing human rights by:

  • Amplifying voices from the community.

  • Prioritizing ongoing human rights education.

  • Fostering collaboration across diverse intersections of identity and experience.

  • Sharing skills, knowledge, and organizing resources.

  • Working directly with the government to advance human rights.

Our Blueprint for Action

On December 10, 2023, we developed a Blueprint for Collaborative Action that lays the foundation for ongoing dialogue between civil society and the Government of Canada to advance human rights. Starting in 2024, conversations began with CSOs and government officials to advance strategies focused on ensuring long-term government accountability and civil society resourcing.


Key elements of this blueprint include:

  • Establishment of a Federal Human Rights Office: An office dedicated to monitoring, reporting, and engaging civil society in the UPR and other treaty bodies’ recommendations.

  • Meaningful Consultation with Diverse Communities: A commitment from the government to engage communities with lived experiences.

  • Long-Term Resourcing for Civil Society: Sustainable funding for CSOs to act as educators, facilitators, and advocates.

  • Transparency in Consultation Processes: The Government of Canada should make public all invite lists for consultations related to human rights mechanisms.

Our advocacy focuses on three concrete pillars to enforce accountability and strengthen implementation:

  1. NMIRFs Implementation: To establish a transparent, functional National Mechanism for the Implementation, Reporting, and Follow-up (NMIRFs) to track international treaty body recommendations. This includes demanding a briefing on NMIRFs at ministerial meetings and pushing for a public NMIRFs database/scorecard.

  2. Bureaucratic Engagement: To institutionalize CSO consultation and briefing at the bureaucratic level  and ensuring follow-up. We also built protocols of engagement to inform the federal government on strengthening its work with civil society, advocating for consultations that prioritize co-creation, transparency, and reciprocity, while centering the voices of those with lived experience.

  3. UPR Accountability: To keep the UPR and treaty body recommendations "alive" by integrating them into all departmental advocacy efforts. A key action is coordinating collective mobilization around planned Special Rapporteur visits, such as the SR on Migrant Rights and the SR on Racism (September 16–October 9, 2026).