UN Human Rights Special Procedures - Manual - Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts

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Introduction

Mandates

Country mandates

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Enhancing the effectiveness of Special Procedures

Seminar on "Enhancing the effectiveness of special procedures of the CHR" 12-13 October 2005

Reform agenda

Strengthening Special Procedures: the way forward

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Commission on Human Rights

Manual of the United Nations Human Rights Special Procedures

This Manual aims to provide guidance to the mandate-holders appointed under the various United Nations human rights Special Procedures. It also seeks to facilitate a better understanding of their work by all other stakeholders in the process. The Manual endeavours to reflect good practices and to assist the mandate-holders in their efforts to promote and protect human rights. It does so in light of the relevant mandates by which the various Special Procedures have been established and of the overall mandate given to the Human Rights Council in General Assembly resolution 60/251.

This Manual was originally adopted at the 6 th Annual Meeting of Special Procedures mandate-holders in 1999. Since that time it has been revised to reflect the changing structure of the United Nations human rights machinery, new developments in relation to mandates, and the evolving working methods of the mandate-holders. It is subject to periodic review and updating by the mandate-holders. They are responsible for its content and for its revision.

At their 13th Annual Meeting, in June 2006, the mandate-holders reaffirmed the importance of working in a consultative and transparent way and agreed to invite comments on the draft from Governments, civil society organizations, independent experts and all other stake holders.

Comments may be sent to the following e-mail address spmanual@ohchr.org by 31 December 2006. Comments will be posted on this web-site.

The Coordination Committee of Special Procedures will revise the Manual in light of the comments received, consult further with all mandate-holders, and present a final draft for consideration and approval by the mandate-holders at their 14th annual meeting, which is tentatively scheduled to take place in June 2007.

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http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/special/index.htm

Important: Please click website Link to access subsite references.

Special Procedures assumed by the Human Rights Council

NEW: Manual of the United Nations Human Rights Special Procedures
English -| Français - | Español -

NEW: Report of the 13th Annual Meeting of Special Procedures,
19-23 June 2006 (advanced unedited version)

“Special procedures” is the general name given to the mechanisms established by the Commission on Human Rights to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Currently, there are 28 thematic and 13 country mandates in place. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights provides these mechanisms with personnel and logistical assistance to aid them in the discharge of their mandates.

Although the mandates given to special procedure mechanisms vary, they usually are to examine, monitor, advise, and publicly report on human rights situations in specific countries or territories, known as country mandates, or on major phenomena of human rights violations worldwide, known as thematic mandates. Various activities can be undertaken by special procedures, including responding to individual complaints, conducting studies, providing advice on technical cooperation, and engaging in general promotional activities.

Special procedures are either an individual (called “Special Rapporteur”, “Special Representative of the Secretary-General”, “Representative of the Secretary-General”, “Representative of the Commission on Human Rights” or “Independent Expert”) or a working group usually composed of five members. The mandates of the special procedures are established and defined by the resolution creating them. Mandate-holders of the special procedures serve in their personal capacity, and do not receive salaries or any other financial retribution for their work. The independent status of the mandate-holders is crucial in order to be able to fulfill their functions in all impartiality. (See Fact sheet N.27)

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See website Link for Full UN Press Release.

Human Rights Council Suspends Second Session Until 27 November

http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/hrc/index.htm

Excerpt from Full Release.

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Over the past three weeks, the Council addressed a wide range of issues, hearing from the thematic Special Procedures on the following topics: racism and racial discrimination, people of African descent, migrants, internally displaced persons, minorities, indigenous peoples, extrajudicial and summary executions, enforced disappearances, children in armed conflict, gender issues and the status of women, violence against women, trafficking in persons, torture, arbitrary detention, the independence of judges, freedom of religion and belief, freedom of expression, human rights defenders, the right to health, toxic and dangerous products and waste, housing, food, poverty, sale of children, economic and structural reform, mercenaries, education, transnational corporations, and human rights and counter-terrorism measures.

The Council also considered the reports of country-specific Special Rapporteurs and Experts, including on Belarus, Somalia, Cuba, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Cambodia, Haiti, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Sudan and Liberia.

The Council heard a presentation of the joint report by the Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and on adequate housing, and of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally-displaced persons, on their mission to Lebanon and Israel. This was accompanied by a report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food on his mission to Lebanon.

After the Experts presented their reports, the Council held an interactive dialogue with each of them, with the participation of Member States, observer States and non-governmental organizations.

A series of reports were presented to the Council by the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Colombia, Guatemala, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Uganda. The report of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights was also considered by Member States in the context of a debate with the Chairman of the Sub-Commission.

The follow-up of decisions and resolutions taken at the first session and during the first and second special sessions were discussed during the session, and a follow-up report by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 was also presented.

The Council also heard the progress report of the intersessional open-ended intergovernmental Working Group which it established to develop the modalities of the Universal Periodic Review mechanism; and the progress report of the Working Group on the implementation of operative paragraph 6 of General Assembly resolution A/60/251 to review, and where necessary improve and rationalize, all mandates of its Special Procedures, expert advice, and a complaint procedure inherited from the former Commission on Human Rights, and this within one year. In this regard, the Council adopted a generic text on mechanisms and mandates.

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Full Release: http://www.ohchr.org/english/press/hrc/index.htm