PARLIAMENTS AND THE UNITED NATIONS TREATY BODIES - How can parliamentarians turn international human rights commitments into reality?

Nine committees are entrusted with monitoring how a State implements the core UN human rights  treaties it has ratified, on the basis of periodic State reports. There are nine core treaty bodies, each comprised of 10 to 25 independent experts who are elected by UN Member States for their expertise.

Following an interactive review with State representatives, the treaty body issues concluding observations — authoritative recommendations that pinpoint the gap between international commitments and reality, and the means to close it. Many treaty bodies also allow for an individual complaints procedure if the State in question consents to it.

The treaty bodies also provide detailed guidance on the application of the treaty to specific themes, such as the right to housing as a component of the right to a decent standard of living. This review is separate from the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which is a political process led by UN Member States within the UN Human Rights Council - but the two reinforce each other.