Human Rights Engagement to Strengthen Protection through Law and Policy

This paper was developed by the Global Protection Cluster’s Task Teams on Human Rights Engagement (TT-HRE) and on Law and Policy (TTLP) with the aim to explore how human rights engagement by protection clusters and their members can be used to increase the access of people affected by crises to their rights through the development and implementation of laws and policies in line with international standards.

The first section explains why it is important for protection clusters to increase their human rights engagement, particularly with the aim of promoting changes in law and policies which lead to strengthening protection for the people affected by humanitarian and displacement crises. The second section explores how this can be done, while the third and fourth sections offer concrete examples of how two specific forms of human rights engagement in particular - the Universal Periodic Review and Special Procedures Mandate Holders, in particular the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs - have been used to promote law and policy change for strengthened protection outcomes.