UNA-UK's human rights and humanitarian programme focuses on three issues crucial to building a fairer world: protecting civilian lives; upholding international law; and securing rights for everyone.

• The 'responsibility to protect' (R2P) principle provides a framework for protecting populations at risk of violence. Through its new R2P programme, UNA-UK will analyse how the principle can be put into practice and advocate its use as an early-warning and civilian-protection mechanism.
• Developing a system of international human rights laws has been one of the UN's biggest achievements. UNA-UK will work with policy-makers and practitioners to further their implementation, and will instigate thought and debate on strengthening mechanisms such as the Human Rights Council and International Criminal Court.
• Securing human rights for all remains a top priority for UNA-UK. We will focus in particular on championing the rights of those who currently fall outside the scope of legal mechanisms, and will seek creative ways to use existing tools to provide the widest possible protection.