Impact Open Source Software Trust

Human Rights Tracker Scotland launched

2026-03-19T00:00:00+00:00

The online launch event featured opening remarks by Kaukab Stewart, Minister for Equalities, and contributions by Marie-Eve Boyer-Friedrich from OHCHR, Hussein Patwa, co-chair of SNAP2, and Jan Savage, Executive Director of the Scottish Human Rights Commission. The event concluded with a brief demonstration highlighting the Tracker’s key features and functionality.

The first phase of the Human Rights Tracker provides a publicly accessible database of more than 500 recommendations that were previously housed across different reports, platforms and formats, enabling the public, civil society, NGOs and parliamentarians to explore and filter recommendations by theme, human rights issue and affected group. With the aim of further enabling strategic and coordinated action in devolved areas, the Scottish Government has indicated that it will consider including actions taken and progress reports in future phases, further strengthening transparency and accountability.

The Human Rights Tracker Scotland is the third official implementation of IMPACT OSS, complementing Samoa’s Sadata) and New Zealand’s Human Rights Monitor. It is the first implementation for a regional government, demonstrating how IMPACT OSS can be adopted beyond the UN member state level. This customised version features a bespoke theme with custom logo and graphics and also includes significant accessibility improvements for admin users which we are looking forward to making available to the other implementations soon.

Links

Human Rights Tracker Scotland: humanrightstracker.gov.scot
Sadata (Samoa): sadata.ws
Human Rights Monitor New Zealand: humanrights.govt.nz
IMPACT OSS: impactoss.org/impactoss
Coverage by The National: https://www.thenational.scot/news/25935420.new-tool… (also available on PressReader)

IMPACT OSS presented at AI training for human rights professionals

2025-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

Through expert-led sessions and hands-on demonstrations, participants explored how AI and machine learning can enhance human rights monitoring, evidence-based policymaking and SDG tracking, while critically engaging with governance, ethical and data protection frameworks. Topics ranged from AI governance and technical foundations to ethics and practical case studies.

Our trustee Timo Franz was invited as a speaker on the potential of digital solutions like IMPACT OSS and AI to address challenges in human rights monitoring and implementation.

IMPACT OSS featured at inaugural event of the 'Global Network on NHRAP'

2025-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

We are thrilled that our trustees Edith Woischin and Timo Franz were given the chance to participate at this three-day event and learn from the experiences shared across more than 40 national human rights action plans, covering trends, developments and challenges spanning 30 years of human rights action planning across all five continents.

Representing the Pacific Community, Ashley Bowe presented a case study of IMPACT OSS on the panel “Digitalisation and NHRAPing” where Timo served as a discussant.

Image: Liverpool University

Exploring Interoperability and AI in DHRTTDs

2024-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

Building on the two previous roundtables (1st, 2nd), participants explored frameworks for standardised data formats, common protocols and sustainable funding models to enhance information-sharing across tools while preserving each tool’s unique functionalities. A significant focus was placed on the dual role of AI and machine learning: their potential for streamlining data processing, automating tasks and generating predictive insights on one hand, the ethical and practical challenges of algorithmic bias, transparency, privacy and data security on the other.

With fellow trustee Edith Woischin also participating, Timo Franz moderated the panel “AI and ML in Human Rights and SDG Monitoring: Ethical and Practical Challenges” where the panellists highlighted the need for a human rights-based approach, interdisciplinary and diverse teams, careful implementation and accountability through transparency.

The event concluded with actionable next steps including mapping interoperability potential across tools, establishing a dialogue space for AI and human rights experts, and forging knowledge exchange partnerships with universities.

Links

Geneva Human Rights Platform: [archives.geneva-academy.ch/geneva-humanrights-platform.html]
Expert Roundtable recap: [archives.geneva-academy.ch/news/detail/743-expert-…]
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): [ohchr.org]

Image by Geneva Academy

Human Rights Monitor New Zealand launched

2024-09-30T00:00:00+00:00

The [Human Rights Monitor]((https://humanrights.govt.nz) brings together recommendations from UN human rights mechanisms and tracks government actions to implement them. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith described it as helping “to ensure transparency and accountability for our human rights commitments”.

The Monitor is a key component of New Zealand’s National Mechanism for Implementation, Reporting and Follow-up, and initially includes the 259 recommendations from New Zealand’s fourth Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and 80 recommendations from the seventh periodic review under the Convention Against Torture. In addition it features 108 agreed actions, targeting the recommendations, assigned to 21 Government agencies.

The Human Rights Monitor replaces the New Zealand National Plan of Action, also based on IMPACT OSS, that was previously maintained by the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, reflecting a shift in reporting responsibilities to the Ministry of Justice. Complementing Sadata, Samoa’s online implementation plan for human rights and development, this custom-themed version of IMPACT OSS also features several enhancements, including CSV export for recommendations, actions and indicators, support for Single Sign-On with Microsoft Azure, and improved accessibility and performance.

Links

Human Rights Monitor New Zealand: humanrights.govt.nz
Sadata (Samoa): sadata.ws
IMPACT OSS: impactoss.org/impactoss
NZ Justice article: www.justice.govt.nz/justice-sector-policy/constitutional-issues-and-human-rights/human-…
NZ Government press release on UPR: www.beehive.govt.nz/release/human-rights-recommendations-accepted

Sadata user training in Apia, Samoa

2024-03-05T00:00:00+00:00

The workshop, organised as part of SPC’s PROJECT Governance, provided practical training on using Sadata to manage and track Samoa’s human rights, SDG and national development commitments.

Alongside the training, Sadata was updated to replace the previous national development plan with Samoa’s new Pathway for the Development of Samoa, involving both code updates and a joint effort to prepare and update the database content.

Links

Sadata: sadata.ws
IMPACT OSS: impactoss.org/impactoss

Discussing Accessibility, Sustainability, and Interoperability of DHRTTDs

2023-09-21T00:00:00+00:00

Building on the discussions from the previous roundtable, participants explored challenges and opportunities around three key themes: accessibility, sustainability, and interoperability. Accessibility discussions addressed open versus limited access, web accessibility for persons with disabilities, and multilingual support. Sustainability covered coordination in data collection, staff turnover, user adoption, and funding models. Interoperability focused on cooperation between tools and the potential of a less fragmented approach to human rights tracking.

Our trustee and technical lead Timo Franz moderated the panel Navigating the Role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, emphasising the heightened responsibility that comes with adopting AI in the human rights domain.

Sadata and IMPACT OSS presented alongside other digital human rights tracking tools

2022-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

Following a round of short presentations of each tool, participants discussed the common challenges Governments and organisations are facing and explored the potential of technological advances to address them. The identified implementation challenges include lack of coordination across ministries, duplication of activities, and low levels of engagement with the international human rights system at the domestic level. Digital tools were seen as having the potential to address these challenges through clustering of recommendations and obligations, linking obligations to the Sustainable Development Goals and facilitation of coordinated monitoring. Further, the developers agreed on the need for collaboration and technical interoperability.

Alongside tools such as Universal Human Rights Index (OHCHR), National Recommendations Tracking Database (OHCHR), SIMORE (Paraguay), UWAZI (HURIDOCS), UPR Info, SDG Explorer (Danish Institute for Human Rights), Girls Rights Platform (Plan International), our trustee and technical lead Timo Franz presented the latest “multi-framework” version of IMPACT OSS and representatives of Samoa shared their experience with Sadata, Samoa’s national implementation of IMPACT OSS.

Sadata version 2 released

2021-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

With funding and technical support provided by The Pacific Community, this update introduces support for Samoa’s national development plan Strategy for the Development of Samoa as a third framework of implementation objectives, alongside Human Rights and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Other enhancements include the ability to bookmark filtered list views and a better print layout, optimised for PDF export.

Under the hood, the dynamic multi-framework support further increases the flexibility of IMPACT OSS’s modular architecture, enabling users to seamlessly manage and monitor implementation across various national and international goals and obligations.

Links

Sadata: sadata.ws
IMPACT OSS: impactoss.org/impactoss
The Pacific Community - Regional Rights Resource Team: rrrt.spc.int

IMPACT OSS presented at Pacific Dialogue on NMIRFs

2019-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Our trustees Edith Woischin and Timo Franz were grateful for the opportunity to participate at the two-day event that brought together Pacific government representatives, national human rights institutions, civil society and international organisations. The first regional consultation of its kind, the dialogue aimed to exchange good practice on coordinating the national implementation of UN human rights recommendations and explore the role of digital tools in supporting these efforts.

Timo spoke on IMPACT OSS and digital NMIRF platforms, highlighting the potential of digital tools to address common implementation challenges such as overlapping recommendations, duplication of activities and gaps in data collection. He also showcased Samoa’s Sadata and New Zealand’s National Plan of Action, both based on IMPACT OSS, and highlighted the collective vision of the trust as the maintainer of the open source project.