LibGuides: Human Rights and Humanitarian Law: UN:s Work for Human Rights

The International Bill of Human Rights

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
THE General Assembly proclaims this universal declartion of human rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty

The Core International Human Rights Instruments and Their Monitoring Bodies

There are nine core international human rights treaties. Each of these treaties has established a committee of experts to monitor implementation of the treaty provisions by its States parties.

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)
Adopted and opened for signature and ratification by General Assembly resolution 2106 (XX) of 21 December 1965 entry into force 4 January 1969, in accordance with Article 19.
Monitored by
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI)
of 16 December 1966
entry into force 23 March 1976, in accordance with Article 49.
Monitored by
The Human Rights Committee (OHCHR)
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 2200A (XXI)
of 16 December 1966
entry into force 3 January 1976, in accordance with article 27. Monitored by
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
On 18 December 1979, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It entered into force as an international treaty on 3 September 1981 after the twentieth country had ratified it. By the tenth anniversary of the Convention in 1989, almost one hundred nations have agreed to be bound by its provisions.
Monitored by
The Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 39/46
of 10 December 1984
entry into force 26 June 1987, in accordance with article 27 (1).
Monitored by
Committee against Torture
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989
Entry into force 2 September 1990, in accordance with article 49.
Monitored by
Committee on the Rights of the Child
International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families
Adopted by General Assembly resolution 45/158 of 18 December 1990.
Monitored by
Committee on Migrant Workers
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
Monitored by
Committee on Enforced Disappearances
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Monitored by
Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Optional Protocols

Some of the treaties are supplemented by optional protocols dealing with specific concerns.

ICESCR - OP	Optional Protocol of the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights	10 Dec 2008	CESCR
ICCPR-OP1	Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights	16 Dec 1966	HRC
ICCPR-OP2	Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty	15 Dec 1989	HRC
OP-CEDAW	Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women	10 Dec 1999	CEDAW
OP-CRC-AC	Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict	25 May 2000	CRC
OP-CRC-SC	Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography	25 May 2000	CRC
OP-CAT	Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment	18 Dec 2002	SPT
OP-CRPD	Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities	12 Dec 2006	CRPD

United Nations Website about Human Rights

Main Site
General Assembly of the United Nations Social, Humanitarian & Cultural - Third Committee
The Social, Humanitarian Cultural Affairs Commitee (Third Committee) of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly, is chaired by H.E. Mr. Hussein Haniff of Malaysia.

The General Assembly allocates to its Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs Committee, commonly referred to as the "Third Committee", agenda items relating to a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues that affect people all over the world.

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Main Site
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. We have a unique mandate from the international community to promote and protect all human rights.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights is the principal human rights official of the United Nations. The High Commissioner heads OHCHR and spearheads the United Nations' human rights efforts. We offer leadership, work objectively, educate and take action to empower individuals and assist States in upholding human rights. We are a part of the United Nations Secretariat with our headquarters in Geneva.
Publications
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) produces an extensive range of publications on a variety of topics related to human rights, which provides information of interest to Governments, national institutions, civil society, the general public and the media. The goal of OHCHR's publications programme is to increase knowledge and raise awareness about human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to publicize ways of promoting and protecting them worldwide. OHCHR publications also aim to encourage debate on human rights issues under discussion at the United Nations.
Database
The updated Universal Human Rights Index (UHRI) database is “one of the most important human rights research tools that has been created in the past twenty years,” according to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. This comprehensive database is the only online tool, which brings together human rights recommendations from all parts of the UN system.
What is Human Rights
according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Databases

Official Documents and Bibliographic Databases
Official Document System
A/RES/73/338

Treaty Body Database

Information retrieval on human rights

Official Document Search

The Official Document System of the UN is a massive database of UN documents. It includes:

1. Official UN Documents from 1993 onwards (with older documents being added gradually). The documents include:

Documents relating UN meetings
Documents from commissions
Reports
Resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards

A good introduction: Research Guide http://research.un.org/en/docs/symbols

2. UN Sales Publications, Treaties and Press Releases are not included in the database. To find UN Sales Publications use UNBISNET. To find Treaties use the UN Treaties database

3. Task: Open ODS Official Document Search (ODS) https://documents.un.org/prod/ods.nsf/home.xsp

Find S/RES/2438 (2018)

What is the Resolution about and what countries are addressed?

Recalling-what does that means?

4. Find: A/RES/74/9
What is the resolution about?

The system for voting
Look for the voting result
How did the states vote? How many yes and how many no?

Human Rights - The system for Human Rights protection
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

All Human Rights Bodies
Charter Based Body Database
Treaty Bodies Database
Status of Ratifications