List of useful abbreviations vii
Diagram: UN human rights structure ix
Foreword by the High Commissioner for Human Rights xi
INTRODUCTION
1. United Nations Programme for Reform 1
2. The scope of this handbook 2
3. What are human rights? 2
4. International human rights law 3
5. State responsibility for human rights 5
6. What is humanitarian law? 6
7. International human rights instruments 8
PART 1:
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT
1.1 The International Bill of Human Rights 9
a. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 10
b. International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights 11
c. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 12
1.2 International Convention on the Elimination of  all Forms
of Racial Discrimination 13
1.3 Convention on the Elimination of  All Forms of Discrimination
against Women 14
1.4 Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment 15
1.5 Convention on the Rights of the Child 16
1.6 International Convention on the Protection of  the Rights of  all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families 17
1.7 Declaration on the Right to Development 18
1.8 Landmark Human Rights Conferences 21
a. Teheran World Conference on Human Rights – 1968 21
b. Vienna World Conference on Human Rights – 1993 22
PART 2:
UNITED NATIONS ORGANS
2.1 What is a charter-based organ? 24
2.2 The General Assembly 25
a. Powers and functions 25
b. Sessions 25
2.3 The Economic and Social Council 26
a. Powers and functions 26
b. Consultations with non-governmental organizations 26
c. Sessions 27
d. Commissions of  the Economic and Social Council 27
1. Commission on Human Rights 27
1(a) The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (formerly Sub-Commission on Prevention of
Discrimination and Protection of Minorities) 29
2. Commission on the Status of Women 30
2.4 The Security Council 31
a. Powers and functions powers 31
b. Human rights 32
c. International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia 32
d. International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda 33
e. International Criminal Court 33
2.5 The International Court of Justice 34
2.6 The Secretariat of  the United Nations 34
a. Organization 35
b. Powers and functions 36
c. “Good Offices” 36
PART 3:
HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS
A. CONVENTIONAL MECHANISMS 38
3.1 Treaty-Monitoring Bodies 38
a. Overview of  the conventional mechanisms 38
b. Reporting procedure 39
c. Communications procedure for individual complaints 40
d. How to contact the committees 40
3.2 Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 41
3.3 Human Rights Committee 42
3.4 Committee on the Elimination of  all Forms of
Racial Discrimination 43
3.5 Committee against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and
Degrading Treatment or Punishment 45
3.6 Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women 46
3.7 Committee on the Rights of the Child 48
B. EXTRA-CONVENTIONAL MECHANISMS 49
3.8 Special procedures 49
a. Thematic and country mandates 49
b. The 1503 procedure 52
PART 4:
UNITED NATIONS STRATEGIES AND ACTION TO PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS
4.1 Integrating Human Rights into the work of  the United Nations 55
a. Prevention action and early warning 55
b. Human rights and humanitarian operations 56
c. Human rights and peacekeeping 57
d. Integration of  human rights into development 58
4.2 United Nations Technical Cooperation Programme. 59
a. Technical cooperation in the field of human rights 59
b. How to access assistance 60
c. Various technical cooperation activities 60
4.3 Human Rights Education and Campaigns 66
a. World Public Information Campaign on Human Rights 66
b. Decade for Human Rights Education 67
c. Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination. 68
4.4 Human Rights Monitoring 69
4.5 Working with civil society 70
a. NGOs and ECOSOC 70
b. Indigenous Peoples 71
c. Minorities 73
d. Support for victims of torture 74
e. Support for victims of  contemporary forms of slavery 75
f. Private sector 75
4.6 United Nations Human Rights Publications 76
a. OHCHR Human Rights Fact Sheets 77
b. Professional Training Series 79
c. Human Rights Studies Series 79
d. OHCHR ad hoc publications 80
e. Publications for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of  Human Rights: Basic information kits 82
f. Reference material 82
PART 5:
OHCHR AND PARTNERS
5.1 The Office of  the High Commissioner for Human Rights 83
a. The High Commissioner 83
b. OHCHR in Geneva 85
c. The New York Office 88
d. Field Presence 88
5.2 United Nations Partners 90
ANNEXES:
I List of  International Human Rights Instruments 91
II Universal Declaration of Human Rights 97
III Human rights field operations contacts 103
IV Model Communication to Human Rights Committee 110
V List of thematic mandates 112
VI List of country mandates 114
VII Useful internet sites for United Nations information 116