The Human Rights Council: Between Law and Politics in a Changing International Environment

Tuesday, April 22 | 6:00 p.m.—7.30 p.m. (EST)
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
105 E 17th Street (b/w Park Ave S & Irving Place)
New York, NY 10003

Hosted by the NYU Center on International Cooperation, the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the Center for Human Rights & Global Justice at the New York University School of Law.

The United Nations Human Rights Council plays a critical role in the promotion and protection of human rights globally. However, it faces increasing challenges between its core legal mission and the political influences that impact its functioning. These geopolitical tensions reflect the complexity of human rights work in an international system marked by competing interests and national priorities.

During this lecture, Ambassador Jürg Lauber, President of the Human Rights Council for 2025, will analyze the challenges and opportunities facing the Council as a body that must combine legal requirements and geopolitical balances while fulfilling its mandate.

About Ambassador Jürg Lauber

Ambassador Jürg Lauber has served as the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, since September 1, 2020. On December 9, 2024, he was elected President of the Human Rights Council for 2025.

From 2015 to 2020, he served as the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN in New York. Prior to that, he headed the UN and International Organizations Division in Bern, Switzerland (2011–2015), served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, and was Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament (2009–2011).

Between 2007 and 2009, he was Chef de Cabinet to the President of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. His earlier diplomatic postings included Bangkok, Thailand; Beijing, China; Bern, Switzerland; and New York. Before joining the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in 1993, he served in peacekeeping missions in Namibia (UNTAG) and Panmunjom, Korea.

Born in 1963 in Horgen, Switzerland, Ambassador Lauber holds a law degree from the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Agenda