Kathmandu School of Law Review

P-ISSN : 2091-2110, E-ISSN : 2773-8159, DOI : 10.46985, Publisher : Kathmandu School of Law, Nepal
Annual flagship journal of Kathmandu School of Law, Nepal

Volume 3, Issue Special, May 2013
Articles

Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council and Protection and Promotion of the Human Rights: Fact or Myth

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  • Bineet Kedia
Bineet Kedia
Law College Durgapur
Bio

Published 2013-05-31

How to Cite

Kedia, B. (2013). Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council and Protection and Promotion of the Human Rights: Fact or Myth. Kathmandu School of Law Review, 3(Special), 90–104. Retrieved from https://kslreview.org/index.php/kslr/article/view/1002

Abstract

The article deals with the special procedure of UN human rights council in the first part where it discusses the origin and development of the special procedure and its nexus with UN Commission on Human Rights. Similarly, the article outlays the special procedure in Human Rights Council discusses its origin and development as well. The article also deals with the work and status of the special procedures experts and also discusses institution building process and review mandate. Then the article investigated the code of conduct that is to be followed by the special procedures mandate holder. After this the article looks into the merit and limitation of the special procedure. The article concludes with the analysis of the special procedure and its impact.

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References

  1. ‘United Nations Special Procedures: Key Features’ <http://www.amnesty.org/en/united nations/ special-procedures> accessed 10 February 2013.
  2. Ibid.
  3. ‘Human Rights Council and Special Provision Division’ <http://www2.ohchr.org/english/ohchrreport2011/web_version/ohchr_report2011_web/allegati/30_ Human_Rights_Council_and_Special_Procedures.pdf> accessed 1 May 2013.
  4. Ibid.
  5. UNGA Res. 60/251 GOAR 56th Session (3 April 2006), UN Doc. A/RES/60/25.
  6. N. Rodley, ‘United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights – Complementarily or Competition?’ (2003) 25 Human Rights Quarterly 882, 82-908.
  7. P. Alston, The United Nations and human rights: a critical appraisal (Oxford University Press 1992)126-210.
  8. UNGA, Special Committee on Policies of the Apartheid of the Government of Republic of South Africa, Communication of 3 February 1967 in Commission on Human Rights, Res 2(XXII) (1967).
  9. Alston (n 8) 164.
  10. United Nations, Address at the Closing of the 60th CHR by the Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights, (Press Release, 23 April 2004).
  11. Commission on Human Rights, Res 20 (XXXVI) (29 February 1980).
  12. R. Coomaraswamy, ‘Special Rapporteurs must be made part of mainstream’ Human Rights Features (14 – 20 April 2003).
  13. UNGA Res GA/10449 ((15 March 2006), UN Doc A/RES/60/251.
  14. Ibid.
  15. Ibid.
  16. Ibid res 7. See also ‘Membership of the UN Council’ < http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/Membership.aspx> accessed 1 May 2013.
  17. Ibid res 8.
  18. Ibid res 9.
  19. Ibid res10.
  20. Ibid res11.
  21. Ibid res 12.
  22. A.F. Bayefsky, ‘How to Complain about Human Rights Treaty Violations: Choosing a Forum’ accessed 28 April 2013 24 M.F. Ize-Charrin, ‘1503: A Serious Procedure’ in G. Alfredsson and others (eds), International Human Rights Monitoring Mechanisms (Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 2001) 297.
  23. For example UN Human Rights Council resolution on human rights defenders calls for an end to impunity and the protection of dissent, which obligated the states to proactively disclose information on human rights abuses pertaining to human rights defenders. See Human Rights Council, Res 7/8 (2008); Res 16/5 (2001).
  24. Icelandic Human Rights Center, ‘International Supervisory Mechanism for Human Rights’ <http://www.humanrights.is/the-human-rights project> accessed 1 May 2013.
  25. Oliver Hoehne, ‘Special Procedures and the New Human Rights Council - A Need for Strategic Positioning’, (2007) 4 (1) Essex Human Rights Review 1, 4.
  26. ‘Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council’ < http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/special/index.htm> accessed 28 April 2013 29 Ibid.
  27. See (for detailed discussion on the activities of the Council as regards its special procedures) ‘Seminar Report’ (Seminar on Addressing the economic, social and cultural root causes of violence through the UN Special Procedures System, Geneva, 29 June- July 2009).
  28. Membership of the UN Council (n 17).
  29. OHCHR, ‘Urgent Appeals and Letters of Allegation on Human Rights Violation’ (Leaflet Communications on HR Bodies) UN Doc CHR/NONE/2004/310 <http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/SP/LeafletCommunications_en.pdf> accessed 28 April 2013.
  30. Ibid.
  31. Ibid.
  32. It also identifies a set of broad guidelines including that mandates should offer a clear prospect of an increased level of human rights protection and coherence within the system; equal attention should be given to all rights; unnecessary duplication should be avoided; thematic gaps will be identified and addressed including by means other than the creation of special procedure mandates; any consideration of merging mandates should have regard to the content and predominant functions of each mandate and the mandate holders’ workloads; efforts should be made to identify which structure (expert, rapporteur or working group) is the most effective in terms of increasing human rights protection; and new mandates should be as clear and specific as possible to avoid ambiguity.
  33. See Human Rights Council, Institution-building of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Res 5/1 (16 March 2006) UN Doc A/HRC/5/21 para 60-62.
  34. Ibid.
  35. On an exceptional basis, current mandate holders who have served more than six years may have their terms of office renewed till the review of their mandate and the selection process for the new mandate holders are completed. Ibid para 62.
  36. Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine and United Kingdom.
  37. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) ‘Determined Efforts to Undermine Special Procedures’ < accessed 1 May 2013.
  38. Human Rights Council Draft Code of Conduct for Special Procedures Mandate Holders of the Human Rights Council (2007), 1.
  39. Ibid art 2(1).
  40. Ibid art 3(a).
  41. Ibid art 3(f).
  42. Ibid art 3(g).
  43. Ibid art 3(i).
  44. Ibid art 3(j).
  45. Ibid art 4(1).
  46. Ibid art 4(2).
  47. Ibid art 4(3).
  48. Ibid art 7.
  49. Ibid art 6(b).
  50. Ibid art 8(b).
  51. Ibid art 8(c).
  52. Ibid art 14.
  53. A. Clapham, ‘Peace, the Security Council and Human Rights’ in Y. Danieli (ed) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights fifty years and beyond (Amityville 1999) 382.
  54. C. Douzinas, The end of human rights: critical legal thought at the turn of the century (Oxford 2000) 145.
  55. OHCHR, 17 Special Bulletin (April-June 2010)
  56. < http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/SP/Bulletin17.pdf> accessed 1 May 2013.
  57. Draft Code of Conduct (n 50) art 42.
  58. Ibid art14.