The Human Rights Treaty Bodies are committees of independent experts that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties. They are created in accordance with the provisions of the treaty that they monitor.
When a country ratifies one of the treaties, it assumes a legal obligation to implement the rights recognized in that treaty and commits to submit regular reports to the monitoring committee set up under that treaty on how the rights are being implemented. To meet their reporting obligation, States must submit an initial report usually one year after joining (two years in the case of the CRC and CRPD) and then periodically in accordance with the provisions of the treaty (usually every four or five years).
While the reporting process might vary slightly from one Committee to the other, the most frequent features of the process are as follows:
A pre-sessional working group of the Committee meets prior to each of the regular sessions of the Committee to produce a list of issues, which contains a number of questions addressed to the State party, formulated on the basis of the documents submitted by the State party (common core document, specific report, annexes to the report) and on information made available to the Committee from all other sources, including NGOs.
The State party is requested to provide written replies to the list of issues well in advance of the regular session at which its report is scheduled for consideration.
In the light of all the information available, the Committee during its regular session, which are open to the public, engages in a interactive dialogue with the State representatives. Based on this dialogue, the Committee produces its Concluding Observations, which include, among others, recommendations for action.
States are supposed to pay special attention in their subsequent report to the implementation of these recommendations. Moreover, most treaty bodies have implemented a so-called follow-up procedure, through which they ask States parties to provide feedback (usually within one year) on the actions taken to implement a selected number of recommendations, which the Committee considers of special relevance.
Mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities in the work of all United Nations treaty bodies is a priority of the International Disability Alliance. To this end, IDA (CRPD Forum) frequently contributes to the efforts of treaty bodies besides the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
An example of such an instance was an IDA (CRPD Forum) contribution submitted to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in order to influence a draft general comment on non-discrimination which this Committee was finalizing. A number of disability-related elements in the draft general comment were either weak or inconsistent with the provisions of the CRPD. Thanks to the written contribution and oral presentation made to the members of the Committee, the final General Comment number 20, adopted in May 2009, was much stronger than the draft version and is now consistent with the CRPD.
Other Treaty Bodies
The Human Rights Treaty Bodies are committees of independent experts that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties. They are created in accordance with the provisions of the treaty that they monitor.
When a country ratifies one of the treaties, it assumes a legal obligation to implement the rights recognized in that treaty and commits to submit regular reports to the monitoring committee set up under that treaty on how the rights are being implemented. To meet their reporting obligation, States must submit an initial report usually one year after joining (two years in the case of the CRC and CRPD) and then periodically in accordance with the provisions of the treaty (usually every four or five years).
While the reporting process might vary slightly from one Committee to the other, the most frequent features of the process are as follows:
Mainstreaming the rights of persons with disabilities in the work of all United Nations treaty bodies is a priority of the International Disability Alliance. To this end, IDA (CRPD Forum) frequently contributes to the efforts of treaty bodies besides the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
An example of such an instance was an IDA (CRPD Forum) contribution submitted to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) in order to influence a draft general comment on non-discrimination which this Committee was finalizing. A number of disability-related elements in the draft general comment were either weak or inconsistent with the provisions of the CRPD. Thanks to the written contribution and oral presentation made to the members of the Committee, the final General Comment number 20, adopted in May 2009, was much stronger than the draft version and is now consistent with the CRPD.
NEW: Calendar of UPR meetings in 2010 and Calendar of UPR meetings in 2010 (Accessible version)
For more detailed information on IDA’s work with individual treaty bodies, please click on a link below:
Committee Against Torture (CAT)
Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT)
Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
Human Rights Committee (ICCPR)