On 24 April 2023, the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria (UP), and the Human Rights Implementation Centre, University of Bristol, in the United Kingdom, held a roundtable dialogue on exploring interdisciplinary approaches to the implementation and impact of human rights decisions.

The dialogue focused on interdisciplinary methods for the investigation of implementation and analysing the impact of decisions and recommendations of human rights bodies. The objective of the dialogue was to explore the potential of adopting diverse disciplinary approaches to understand implementation and impact and to seek innovative ways in which multidisciplinary work can augment the implementation of human rights decisions and recommendations. The entry point of the discussion was the Concluding Observations emanating from South Africa's fifth periodic report under the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

The roundtable discussion boasted participation from numerous disciplines within UP, encompassing Human Rights, Political Sciences, Educational Psychology, African Music, Educational Management, and Early Childhood Education. The multidisciplinary nature of the participants was in line with and supported the overarching theme of the discussion.

Several themes surfaced in the course of the dialogue, including collaboration among stakeholders from different disciplines in addressing implementation, using music to drive awareness, localising phrases used in recommendations, and adopting an intersectional, action-oriented approach to practical education, all aimed at bolstering the implementation of decisions and recommendations of human rights bodies.

The participants also illuminated the complexity of defining impact, with some of them noting that community ownership should be emphasised regarding their interpretation of impact and how it can be achieved. Furthermore, it was suggested that decisions and recommendations of human rights bodies must be specifically tailored and systematized to identify responsible stakeholders for implementation, ensure proper articulation of recommendations, and break down complex recommendations into simpler, actionable points to improve compliance with the decisions and recommendations of human rights bodies. The importance of a multi-, trans- and interdisciplinary approach to the implementation of human rights decisions was reiterated, highlighting its role in facilitating the desired impact.

The roundtable dialogue is the beginning of efforts within UP towards encouraging collaboration among different disciplines in improving the compliance of states and the impact of decisions and recommendations of human rights bodies.  

The Centre’s Litigation and Implementation Unit organised the hosting of this event in close collaboration with the Human Rights Implementation Centre at the University of Bristol. Professor Rachel Murray, the Director of the Human Rights Implementation Centre attended the event in person, while some of her colleagues attended online. The roundtable dialogue is part of a long-standing collaboration between the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria and the Human Rights Implementation Centre, University of Bristol. The event was supported by the Leverhulme Trust, London, United Kingdom.

For more information, please contact:

Foluso Adegalu                                                         
Programme Manager                                                
Litigation and Implementation Unit                       
Centre for Human Rights                                         
foluso.adegalu@up.ac.za

Zainab Olaitan
Project Officer
Litigation and Implementation Unit
Centre for Human Rights
zainab.olaitan@up.ac.za