By Ursula Siegfried Coordinator NGO Welcome Desk

1. The United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms IARF Workshop By Ursula Siegfried Coordinator NGO Welcome Desk

2. Independent Experts vs. State representatives • Treaty Bodies vs. Charter-based bodies • Treaty Bodies: Human Rights treaties and Committees • Charter-based bodies: Human Rights Council, ECOSOC, UN General Assembly

3. Independent Experts vs. State representatives • Independent Experts • Examples: Treaty-bodies, Special Procedures • State representatives • Examples: HR Council, General Assembly

4. Treaty bodies vs. Charter-based bodies • Treaty-bodies • Established by a human rights treaty • Competence for rights covered by the treaty • Obligations for State parties to the treaty • Examples: Human Rights Committee, Committee for the Rights of the Child • Charter-based bodies : • Mechanisms derive from the UN Charter • Competence according to resolution creating the mechanism • Potentially obligations for all UN member States • Examples: Human Rights Council, Special Procedures

5. Treaty bodies

6. Treaty bodies - Functioning • Composed of independent experts • Reporting procedure & NGO shadow reports • General comments • Individual complaints / Communications procedure • Country Visits (CEDAW-OP, CAT, SPT, CRPD)

7. Treaty bodies - Issues • Ratification (treaty and OPs) • Reservations • Delays in submitting reports • Independence of Committee members • Harmonisation of treaty-body system

8. Treaty bodies – Useful contacts

9. Charter-based Bodies • Human Rights Council • Special Procedures (in separate presentation) • Universal Periodic Review (in separate presentation) • Expert Mechanism on Indigenous Peoples • Forum on Minority Issues • Social Forum • Advisory Committee • Complaints Procedure • Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) • Committee on NGOs • Commission on the Status of Women • Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues • UN General Assembly • Third Committee • Human Rights Council

10. Human Rights Council • Sessions • Regular Sessions: 3 x per year • Special Sessions: on request of 1/3 of HRC members • Members • 47 member stats • Elected by General Assembly for 3 years • Seats allocated by regional group • Agenda • 10 standing agenda items

11. HR Council – Subsidiary bodies • Expert Mechanism on Indigenous Peoples • 5 independent experts appointed by HRC • Thematic advise & studies; proposals • One annual session in July • Funding for participation through Voluntary Fund • Forum on Minority Issues • Chaired by Independent Expert on Minority Issues • Implementation of Declaration on rights of minorities • One annual session in November/December • Social Forum • Open to large range of actors • Social justice, equity, solidarity, globalisation

12. HR Council – Subsidiary bodies • Advisory Committee (formerly Sub-commission) • “Think-tank” composed of 18 experts: studies & research • Complaints Procedure (formerly 1503) • Confidential! • Addresses gross and systematic violations of all human rights • WG on Communications -> WG on Situations -> HR Council

13. Human Rights Council – Useful contacts • NGO Welcome Desk • www.welcomedesk.org, welcome@mandint.org • Civil Society Section of OHCHR • civilsociety@ohchr.org • DoCip(on indigenous peoples) • www.docip.org • Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (on women’s rights) • www.wilpfinternational.org, inforequest@wilpf.org • UPR Info (on UPR) • www.upr-info.org • Forum Asia (on South-East Asia) • www.forum-asia.org, info@forum-asia.org

14. ECOSOC • Committee on NGOs • ECOSOC consultative status • Commission on the Status of Women • 45 member states elected by ECOSOC • Reports, recommendations, policy and standard setting • Follow-up to 1995 World Conference on Women • Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues • Composed of 16 experts • Advises ECOSOC and UN programmes, funds and agencies • Topics: economic and social development, environment, health, human rights, culture, and education • Coordination of indigenous issues within UN • One session per year

15. UN General Assembly & Third Committee • Topics: • women, children, indigenous peoples, refugees, racial discrimination, self-determination, youth, family, ageing, disabilities, crime prevention, criminal justice, control • Report of Human Rights Council • Reports of Special Procedures mandate holders • Reports of Chairpersons of HRC Working Groups • Resolutions • Mostly thematic, some country-specific • Examples: HR defenders, torture; Syria, Myanmar, DPRK

16. Other UN mechanisms – Useful contacts • Conference of NGOs in consultative status (CoNGO) • Thematic Committees: • Committee on Human Rights • Sub-Committee on Freedom of Religion and Belief • Committee on the Status of Women • Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns • Committee on Youth • ww.ngocongo.org • Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) • www.un-ngls.org

17. Questions ? Practical info for NGOs www.mandint.org Info on HR Council www.welcomedesk.org Database of treaties www.whatconvention.org Database of UN docs www.universalhumanrightsindex.org For HR Defenders www.ishr.ch