UN Rights Monitoring

Treaty-based Monitoring

• The UK’s compliance with UN human rights treaties is regularly checked by the UN’s monitoring bodies. There is a different monitoring body for each UN treaty body.
• Usually the government submits reports to the treaty monitoring bodies on the human rights situation in their country. Civil society organisations are encouraged to provide their input via submissions to the treaty bodies.
• You can submit so-called ‘shadow reports’ to the respective treaty body. These reports aim to:
  • examine the Government’s performance regarding the human rights situation in the respective country
  • offer an alternative to the government’s official report.

Detailed information on the different treaty bodies and the monitoring mechanism for each can be found below (by clicking on the treaty’s name):

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)
• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
• Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CAT)
• Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT)
• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

Monitoring via the Universal Periodic Review

• The Universal Period Review (UPR) is a report card by the UN Human Council every five years. It reviews the human rights situation in every UN Member State. Read more about how to get involved in the UPR here.