What are the (Treaty Bodies)

Assurance systems: Committees of the United Nations


Along with the enunciation of rights, the UN has established enforcement mechanisms control for each treaty in the field of human rights, the so-called Committees, or bodies of Treaties (Treaty Bodies), whose main function is to monitor the implementation, in the contracting country, the standards set at the international level.
These enforcement mechanisms are composed of a number of members ranging from 10 to 18 independent experts from governments who appointed them, selected on the basis of their recognized experience in the field of human rights.

Committees perform different functions in accordance with the provisions of the treaties that created them.

First, examine the periodic reports that States have the obligation to submit: a first report of usually one year after their membership (two years in the case of the Committee on the Rights of the Child) and periodically thereafter in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty (usually every 4 or 5 years). In addition to the government report, the Committees may receive information on the situation of human rights in a country other sources, such as NGOs, UN agencies, other intergovernmental organizations, academic institutions and the press. In the light of the information available, the Committee discusses the relationship with the government representatives. On the basis of this discussion, the Committee publishes its recommendations, under the name of "concluding observations".

In addition to this procedure, some committees may perform additional monitoring functions through three mechanisms:

the survey process;
examination of interstate communications;
the examination of individual communications.
The Committees also publish their interpretation of the content of human rights provisions, known as the General Comment.

Currently, they operate the following committees:

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
Human Rights Committee (civil and political rights);
Committee against Torture;
Committee against Racial Discrimination;
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women;
Committee on the Rights of the Child;
Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers;
Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
Committee on Enforced Disappearances., whose main function is to monitor the implementation, in the contracting country, the standards set at the international level.
These enforcement mechanisms are composed of a number of members ranging from 10 to 18 independent experts from governments who appointed them, selected on the basis of their recognized experience in the field of human rights.