The establishment of UN Human Rights Council (HRC)-mandated investigative mechanisms – such as a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) or Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) – is one of the strongest ways in which the Council can respond to protracted or emerging crises. Such mechanisms monitor, investigate and establish the facts and circumstances of grave abuses and violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, some of which may amount to atrocity crimes. By collecting evidence, mapping existing patterns of violations and sometimes identifying individual perpetrators, these mechanisms are instrumental to establishing an accurate and unbiased historical record and contributing to truth, justice, reconciliation and societal healing. As investigative mechanisms often focus their analysis on the root causes and structural and hybrid risk factors that may enable atrocity crimes, their work can be vital in preventing recurrence of atrocity crimes and breaking cycles of violence, conflict and impunity. Ensuring that the mandates translate to meaningful follow-up action – including after investigations have come to an end – is thus critical to protecting populations from atrocity crimes and to accountability and preventing recurrence.

Recognizing the need to bridge the gap between mandates and meaningful follow-up action, the Global Centre created a dedicated workshop that takes place every year to strengthen understanding and engagement with these mechanisms. In 2022 the Global Centre launched the annual workshop for Geneva-based diplomats on HRC-mandated investigative mechanisms and mass atrocity situations. The annual workshop aims to provide an introductory discussion and forum of exchange for colleagues commencing their positions in Geneva, as well as for diplomats and human rights experts who have already engaged in the establishment and renewal of such mechanisms at previous HRC sessions. The full-day, in-person workshop features a range of panelists, including senior diplomats, chairs and commissioners of past and currently operational investigative mechanisms such as the Heads of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanisms for Syria (IIIM) and Myanmar (IIMM), senior representatives of OHCHR and the International Criminal Court, investigators, world-renowned experts on accountability and prominent human rights defenders from countries with past or currently operational investigative bodies.

The annual training workshop explores key themes and challenges of HRC-mandated investigations in the context of their establishment, renewal and operationalization. The workshop addresses how to maximize the impact of HRC-mandated investigations through follow-up actions at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels to enhance accountability for atrocity crimes and contribute to non-recurrence. The discussions cover the wider UN accountability architecture, the complementarity of HRC-mandated investigative mechanisms with other monitoring and reporting mandates, new challenges in evidence collection and preservation and strategies for assessing the success and impact of HRC-mandated investigations. The workshop also aims to better understand how populations experiencing atrocity crimes interpret the value and impact of respective investigations and the meaning of accountability in their specific contexts. In this regard, diplomats discuss how to navigate the resolution-making and mandate negotiation process to maximize the impact these mechanisms can have for context-specific crisis situations.