The UN Human Rights System

Refworld documents related to human rights, including legal, policy and background information. Most of the documents included in the Refworld Country Information collection in fact relate to human rights, or violations thereof, in countries all over the world.

This "Special Feature" on human rights, however, deals specifically with the human rights mechanisms within the United Nations, and with UNHCR's involvement with the issue. It is regularly maintained and contains legal, policy and operational material.

Legal Documents Related to Human Rights

• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (21 December 1965; Entry into force 4 January 1969)
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (16 December 1966; Entry into force 3 January 1976), Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (10 December 2008; not yet entered into force)
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (16 December 1966; Entry into force 23 March 1976), Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (16 December 1966; Entry into force 23 March 1976), and Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty (15 December 1989; Entry into force 11 July 1991)
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (18 December 1979; Entry into force 3 September 1981), and Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (10 December 1999; Entry into force 22 December 2000)
• Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (10 December 1984; Entry into force 26 June 1987), and Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (18 December 2002; Entry into force 22 June 2006)
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (20 November 1989; Entry into force 2 September 1990), Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography (25 May 2000; Entry into force 18 January 2002), and Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (25 May 2000 ; Entry into force 12 February 2002)
• International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (18 December 1990; Entry into force 1 July 2003)
• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (13 December 2006; Entry into force 3 May 2008), and Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (13 December 2006; not yet entered into force)
• International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (12 January 2007; not yet entered into force)

Declarations and Resolutions Related to Human Rights

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 217 A(III) of 10 December 1948.
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 61/295 of 2 October 2007
• Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 60/147 of 21 March 2006
• Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 53/144 of 8 March 1999
• Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, as contained in the Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Francis M. Deng, submitted pursuant to Commission resolution 1997/39 (E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.2), dated 11 February 1998
• Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 48/104 of 20 December 1993
• United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of Their Liberty, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 45/113 of 14 December 1990
• United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency ("The Riyadh Guidelines"), adopted by General Assembly Resolution 45/112 of 14 December 1990
• Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988
• Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 41/128 of 4 December 1986
• Declaration on the Human Rights of Individuals Who Are Not Nationals of the Country in Which They Live, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 40/144 of 13 December 1985
• Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 40/34 of 29 November 1985
• United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice ("The Beijing Rules"), adopted by General Assembly Resolution 40/33 of 29 November 1985
• Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 36/55 of 25 November 1981
• Declaration on Territorial Asylum, adopted by General Assembly Resolution 2312 (XXII) of 14 December 1967
• Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, adopted by the First United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders on 30 August 1955

UNHCR Policy Documents Related to Human Rights

• Note on International Protection, EC/59/SC/CRP.10, 11 June 2008
• UNHCR and Human Rights (policy paper resulting from deliberations in the Policy Committee on the basis of a paper prepared by the Division of International Protection), 6 August 1997
• Briefing Note: UNHCR, Human Rights and Refugee Protection, 1 July 1997

UNHCR ExCom and Standing Committee

• Thematic Compilation of Executive Committee Conclusions [chapter on "Human Rights"], Fourth edition, August 2009

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

The Human Rights Council was mandated, through General Assembly resolution 60/251, to "undertake a universal periodic review, based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all States; the review shall be a cooperative mechanism, based on an interactive dialogue, with the full involvement of the country concerned and with consideration given to its capacity-building needs; such a mechanism shall complement and not duplicate the work of treaty bodies."

• All UNHCR Submissions under the "Universal Periodic Review"
• All National Reports, submitted under the "Universal Periodic Review"
• All Compilation Reports of UN information, prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, submitted under the "Universal Periodic Review"
• All Summary Reports of stakeholders' information, prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, submitted under the "Universal Periodic Review"
• All Final Reports, adopted by the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review

United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies

These bodies have been created under the relevant international human rights treaties and are made up of independent experts mandated to monitor State parties' compliance with their treaty obligations.

• UN Committee Against Torture (CAT)
• UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
• UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
• UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
• UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW)
• UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
• UN Human Rights Committee (HRC)

Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council

"Special Procedures" is the general name given to the mechanisms established by the Commission on Human Rights and assumed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures are either an individual -a special rapporteur or representative, or independent expert- or a working group. They are prominent, independent experts working on a voluntary basis, appointed by the Human Rights Council.

• All reports from the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons
• All reports from the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
• All reports from the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants
• All reports from the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
• All reports from the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children
• All reports from the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
• All reports from the Independent Expert on minority issues
• All reports from the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

Documents Related to Human Rights

• All documents relating to "Civil and political rights" by all sources
• All documents relating to "Economic, social and cultural rights" by all sources
• All documents relating to "Human rights / Human rights and fundamental freedoms" by all sources
• All documents from the UN Human Rights Council
• All documents from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights