The Advisory Committee acts as a think-tank for the UN Human Rights Council and is composed of 18 independent experts from different professional backgrounds representing various regions of the world. It provides expertise to the Council on thematic issues, by undertaking studies and research-based advice on the promotion and protection of all human rights. At the moment, the Committee is looking, amongst other topics, at how to regulate artificial intelligence at international level, it is drafting human rights guidelines on neurotechnology, and looking at the human rights implications of sea-level rise.
Professor Fikfak, who was nominated to the post by Slovenia, said of her appointment: ‘I look forward to working in a collaborative, cross-national and interdisciplinary way to provide quality research and advice to the Human Rights Council on current and future human rights issues. This is a critical moment for international human rights institutions and for the United Nations. In an increasingly fragmented international legal landscape, I think it is important that we remain deeply committed to international institutions and that we work to strengthen them within.’
Professor Lauge Poulsen, Head of the Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy, notes: ‘This is a major achievement for Professor Fikfak and testimony to her career-long dedication to the study and advancement of human rights. Students at our MA in Human Rights benefit greatly from her combination of scholarly excellence and real-world experience at the coalface of international human rights law and policy.’
Veronika Fikfak is a Professor of Human Rights at University College London, Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy. She currently leads an ERC/UKRI Consolidator Grant project BreaktheBias, which looks at access to international human rights justice.