UN Human Rights Council names Professor Bernard Duhaime Special Rapporteur, reflecting UQAM's commitment to the promotion of human rights

MONTREAL, April 8, 2024 /CNW/ - In this time of significant global conflicts and human rights violations, the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) is especially proud that Bernard Duhaime, a professor in the Department of Legal Sciences, has been named by the United Nations Human Rights Council as Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition. Appointed by consensus on April 5, he will be tasked with transitions that follow a conflict or an authoritarian regime, when there have been serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

This is the second Special Procedures mandate given to Bernard Duhaime by the Human Rights Council. From 2014 to 2021, the lawyer was a member, and subsequently vice-president and president, of the Working Group against Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances.

"This exceptional appointment will allow Professor Duhaime to have a direct effect on improving human rights around the world," noted UQAM rector Stéphane Pallage. "This is a task of the utmost importance in today's international context fraught with tension. We are proud of this extraordinary nomination, illustrating, once again, UQAM's profound commitment to the advancement of democracy and the promotion of human rights, and showcasing our expertise to the four corners of the globe. Professor Duhaime can count on our support. I wish him an excellent mandate."

A strategic mission

The work of the Special Rapporteur includes studying trends, developments and problems on the ground and making recommendations, particularly on strategies and policies addressing serious violations of human rights during periods of transition.

"In my opinion, this mandate is one of the most important among the UN Special Procedures. It deals with highly complex and politically sensitive legal issues in a current climate marked by numerous conflicts and human rights violations. The work is carried out with the assistance of the victims and their families, and I will be collaborating closely with them," explains Bernard Duhaime.

Professor Duhaime will be asked to undertake missions in various countries and to present his observations and recommendations to the various stakeholders involved. He will work closely with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and report annually on his work to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.

Biographical Notes

A professor at UQAM since 2004, Bernard Duhaime founded and directed the UQAM International Clinic for the Defense of Human Rights (CIDDHU). His teaching and writings have focused on international humanitarian law and human rights, inter-American law and transitional justice. In addition to having participated in numerous judicial remedies involving these subjects, he has testified as an expert witness in Argentina, Mexico, the United States and at the Inter-American Court, where he will appear again shortly in this capacity. He has been a researcher and visiting professor abroad, including at Harvard and New York University in the United States, at the European University Institute in Italy, at the University of Palermo in Argentina, and at Université Paris II Panthéon Assas in France. He was a fellow of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and a researcher in the Canada-United States Fulbright program. He is a Commissioner at the International Commission of Jurists and an emeritus member of the Quebec Bar. Bernard Duhaime has defended human rights since 1996.

SOURCE Université du Québec à Montréal

Source: Francis Boucher, Communications Advisor, Press Relations and Special Events Division, Communications Department, Phone: [phone], [email protected]