Abstract
A tradition has come about where the Editor in Chief of the Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights – together with the Managing Editor – writes an editorial every December issue, reflecting on the year that has passed. Since the last December issue went to press, it is sobering to note that the world has gone through a period of intense turbulence. Of course, the appalling events in October 2023 in Israel happened last year, but the ensuing war in Gaza and escalation of violence in the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory has dominated the news throughout 2024. At the same time, horrific armed conflicts in Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen and Syria – to name but a few – have carried on too, along with climate catastrophes, rising populism and frequent attacks against migrant and refugee rights, free speech and reproductive rights. Sometimes the news cycle covering the polycrisis that we seem to be living in can become very overwhelming, such that when browsing an online newspaper you don’t know whether you’re doomscrolling or just reading the news.
Amongst this negative news cycle, it is important that we do not overlook the fact there are also events to celebrate in the field of human rights. Some notable victories at the global level include the United Nations General Assembly resolution to start a process for the establishment of an international, legally binding convention to safeguard the rights of older people, 1 the CERD's new general recommendation on racial discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to health (which is the topic of our column in this issue), the continued global shift away from the criminalisation of LGBTQ + people, 2 the ongoing global progress towards the legalisation of same sex marriage, 3 and more states endorsing the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences arising from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas – to name but a few. Listing these ‘human rights successes’ is important, but perhaps also does not give due attention to the nature of the human rights movement, its actors and the space in which it operates. To identify the real victories of the human rights movement in 2024, it is necessary to acknowledge the courage and activism of human rights defenders throughout the world who are advocating for rights in the hardest of circumstances, the number of political prisoners who have been released, the court cases about human rights principles that have been won, and the ability of ordinary people to fight for and enjoy the rights and freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Remembering that the human rights discourse and framework runs through every fibre of everyday life, both public and private, is key to understanding the need to centre human rights in efforts to address the world's most pressing challenges and also to solve more local conflicts and contestations. To give an example close to home here in Utrecht, the human rights framework has proven to be a valuable anchor in discussions regarding Utrecht University's approach to student protests in 2024. Professor Antoine Buyse – member of the executive editorial board and former editor in chief of the journal – opened this year's academic year at Utrecht University this year reminding the audience that the university is a ‘human rights actor’. 4 At the same event, the city of Utrecht's mayor recalled that the city is formally a human rights city. Together, they emphasised what the UDHR states in its preamble: that ‘every organ of society’ is responsible for upholding the human rights framework. 5 Drawing attention to the fact that the human rights framework can provide importance guidance in the most difficult of circumstances may seem obvious, but all too often human rights norms are getting lost in discussions that are dominated by concerns for security, safety and public order. The human rights framework reminds us that while discussions of safety and security have a role, they cannot take centre stage or constitute an end-goal. As the Human Rights Committee has said: ‘the imposition of any restrictions should be guided by the objective of facilitating the right, rather than seeking unnecessary and disproportionate limitations on it’. 6
Noting that another year has gone by since our last editorial also means that the NQHR board has come together another six times (three times online and three times in person) to debate submitted articles and columns, read and discuss peer reviews, and review and deliberate re-submitted articles. The work of the executive editorial board, international board and the scores of peer reviewers who have devoted time to the journal has paid off again with four excellent issues published in 2024. Highlights include the reflections by Professor Theo van Boven on the 75th anniversary of the UDHR. Drawing on his personal archive from the time in which he was the Director of the UN Human Rights Secretariat, Professor van Boven shares correspondence that reveals how the governments of Argentina, Chile and Guatemala conducted a vicious campaign against him, UN staff and members of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities between 1977 and1982. Showing how this campaign of harassment led to his ultimate resignation, Professor van Boven ends the article commenting that similar ‘retrograde practices … persist in our time’. He also provides the advice that if ‘principle’ is to triumph over ‘power’, the human rights movement will need to ‘be steadfast, and remain resolute in defending human rights and dignity world-wide’.
Another highlight this year is the publication of the Peter Baehr lecture delivered by Professor Hilary Charlesworth, judge at the International Court of Justice and renowned scholar of international law and human rights. Entitled ‘Human Rights and the International Court of Justice’, Judge Charlesworth provides a review of the Court's jurisprudence on human rights, focusing in particular on the Court's approach to human rights procedural rules. She argues that while the Court has rarely elaborated a substantive human rights jurisprudence, it has nevertheless delivered an important contribution in clarifying and simplifying the rules concerning when human rights norms apply and to whom, and who can invoke responsibility for their alleged violation before the Court.
In our March issue, we were proud to bring out the Special Issue on the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development of Human Rights, which was brought into being by guest editors Elsabe Boshoff and Dinie Arief. The special issue included four articles about the synergies between human rights and the rights of nature, contested visions of sustainability in conflicts over renewable energy, human rights considerations in sustainability reporting practices, and the possibility of degrowth as a pathway to a rights-based and sustainable development landscape. The special issue thus provides a perspective on the integration of the human rights and sustainable development paradigms, and the potential benefits thereof, from theoretical and practical approaches, while setting the scene for further research into this rapidly developing field.
We were pleased to feature three excellent columns this year. These columns served as the opening pieces for each edition, meant to maintain a clear link with current debates touching upon fundamental rights. The column in our June 2024 issue was written by Dr Daragh Murray on the human rights impact of surveillance through facial recognition technology, in which he posed the question whether the rise of facial recognition will be the end of human rights as we know them. In September 2024, the column of Dr Karin de Vries took stock of existing standards to combat racial profiling and asked whether the time has come to consider a European convention against racial profiling. Finally, in this December 2024 issue, Dr Tina Stavrinaki introduces the recently adopted general recommendation by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which focuses on racial discrimination and structural inequalities in the enjoyment of the right to health. Our columns remain some of the journal's most downloaded pieces because they explore developing issues and are sure to stimulate thoughtful discussion and engagement on important topics.
The journal has also remained active in trying to support early career researchers in their efforts to get published. On 8 April 2024, we held a workshop entitled ‘Surviving Peer Review: from Submission to Publication’. Three members of our executive and international board (Professor Yvonne Donders, Professor Anja Mihr and Professor Elina Pirjatanniemi) shared insights on the most important things that an author should pay attention to when seeking to get their work published, the factors peer reviewers find most important when reviewing an academic article, and how to increase the chances of an academic article getting published. The workshop was very well attended with over 110 attendees.
Further notable developments over the last year relate to our status as one of Europe's leading human rights journals. We are still proud to be taking part in the SAGE Subscribe to Open (S2O) pilot, which means that all of our articles are open access and can be read by readers throughout the world, irrespective of institutional subscriptions. This also entails that scholars can publish in our journal free of charge, as there is no author processing fee. Over the last year, we have been informed that our Five-Year Impact Factor has gone up again so that it is now 1.7. The relevance of a journal's impact factor should not be overestimated, but it is certainly something to be proud of as it is a measure of the usefulness and quality of the journal's articles.
Behind this success lies a lot of hard work of numerous individuals to whom we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks.
First, we are incredibly grateful for the dedication and energy given by the members of the executive editorial board and the international board to the NQHR. The executive editorial board carefully reviews each article with a keen eye, provides meaningful insights during board meetings, and ensures the quality that defines our journal. Meanwhile, the international board conducts peer reviews and participates in our annual meetings, helping us navigate the journal's progress and challenges. For these invaluable efforts, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the boards for their commitment to this journal. We also extend our warm congratulations to Jasper Krommendijk who was made Professor of Human Rights law at Radboud University in 2024 and congratulate Janneke Gerards, who was elected as Staatsraad at the Afdeling advisering van de Raad van State. Unfortunately for us, this means that Janneke will be leaving our international board. Bas de Gaay Fortman will also be stepping down, marking the end of his many years of invaluable service. Both will be greatly missed, and we sincerely thank them while wishing them the very best in their future endeavors.
We also want to recognise the essential work behind the scenes of the NQHR. Therefore, we would like to acknowledge all the scholars who have taken the time to peer review articles. We are very grateful for this work, which we know is often done in the cracks of a busy week. We would also like to thank our executive assistants, Daniel Eggleston, Sikora Kloster, Annabel Ashworth, Thomas Becker and Ajatshatru Bhattacharya. Their careful work reviewing the articles is a crucial step in our publishing process. Additionally, we would like to convey our appreciation to the Utrecht University Library, and in particular Sandrien Banens, for providing the recent publications on international human rights.
Finally, we sincerely thank the authors who have submitted to the NQHR, allowing us to continue to be seen as a leader in publishing articles addressing and debating human rights law issues from an international perspective. We welcome submissions from pre-eminent and emerging scholars from around the world and do our best to handle all submissions in a timely and constructive manner.