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Summary: In addition to information about Special Procedures and the mandates that exist, this page includes details of upcoming visits, child rights extract reports and analysis of individual Special Procedures.
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- What are UN Special Procedures?
- A guide to Special Procedure mandate-holders
- LATEST NEWS
- Country / Thematic mandates
- Special Procedure visits
- Press Releases
- New mandates / extensions
- How NGOs can engage with Special Procedures
- Analysis of the work of Special Procedures
- Children's rights extracts from reports
- Special Procedure discussions in the HRC Review
- Further Information
- Mandate-holder 2014 appointments - find out what you can do
- NGOs urge UN experts to do more to encourage State cooperation
- North Korea: UN Commission of Inquiry begins operations
- Expert on cultural rights to hold discussion on teaching of history
- View the full list of visits for 2013
Country / Thematic Mandate-Holders
Special Procedures are currently appointed on an ad hoc basis by a Human Rights Council resolution, when the need arises. They will be appointed by the Chairperson of the Human Rights Council after consultation with the five regional groups, which consist of Member States of the Council.Mandate-holders are appointed to specific posts (read more on the appointments).
- Click here for the list of country focused mandate-holders
- Click here for the list of thematic focused mandate-holders
The Mandate-Holders (often referred to as Special Rapporteurs or Independent Experts) conduct field visits as part of their fact-finding missions. They then produce a report and present their findings to the Human Rights Council at one of the regular sessions.
- Click here for a list of 2013 Special Procedure Visits
- Click here for a list of 2012 Special Procedure Visits
- Click here for a list of past Special Procedure Visits
In 2014, 23 special procedure mandates will be up for grabs, presenting the children’s rights community with an opportunity to nominate - and lobby their governments to vote for - candidates with a background and interest in children’s rights.
Children are human beings too, which means that they have the same human rights as adults. But so often UN human rights discussions (apart from those specifically dedicated to children, like the Committee on the Rights of the Child or the HRC’s annual day) ignore children’s rights issues or merely pay them lip service. So it is really important that the people in the top jobs in human rights, including those holding UN special procedure mandates, understand and care about children’s rights. As part of our efforts to position children’s rights on the broader human rights agenda, CRIN monitors the appointment processes (the election of treaty body Committee members and Special Procedure mandate-holders being two good examples). For instance, you can see how we monitored the candidates for the Working Group on business and human rights, here. Below are some of the key vacancies concerning children’s rights coming up in 2014:
- Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
- Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children
- Special Rapporteur on the situation on human rights defenders
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
What you can do!
Anyone can nominate candidates to fill the vacant posts. Further information concerning the deadline and the application process is set to be announced by OHCHR in September, and we will include details in our UN CRINmail that month.
In the meantime, to find out more about how the appointment process works, visit OHCHR’s website. You can also contact us at info@crin.org.
How to engage with Special Procedures
- Contact the the appropriate Special Rapporteur
:Country mandates / thematic mandates - Submit information on violations / make a complaint.
:Follow guidelines, here.
Analysis of the work of Special Procedures
CRIN has begun to analyse the work of individual Special Procedures, to further understand which issues are being raised and which are being neglected (focusing on children's rights).
By understanding which particular children's rights issues are being neglected in the work of Special Rapporteurs on given issues, NGOs will be in a position to approach these experts to push for their inclusion.
Read CRIN's first report below:
CRIN will be conducting further analysis on the above report and other reports in due course, including:
- Report on the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Report on the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Children's rights references in Special Procedure reports
CRIN has extracted references to children's rights from the country and thematic focused reports by Special Procedure mandate-holders. Click on the individual reports below to access these references.
Reports to be presented at the Human Rights Council's 24th session (9 - 27 September)
Selected reports relating to children's rights include:
- Question of the death penalty - Report of the Secretary-General
- Summary of information from States Members of the United Nations and other relevant stakeholders on best practices
in the application of traditional values while promoting and protecting human rights and upholding human dignity
- Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Latest developments, challenges and good practices in human rights in the administration of justice
- Report of the Secretary-General (report yet to be released) - Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
(report yet to be released) - Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and its consequences
- Thematic report on challenges and lessons in combating contemporary forms of slavery (report to be released). - Updated report on the work of the Commission of Inquiry on the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic
(report yet to be released) - Access to justice in the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples
- Study of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - Attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism
- Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (report to be released)
- View the full set of reports
Reports to be presented at the Human Rights Council's 23rd session (27 May - 14 June)
Below is a selection of reports that are likely to feature children's rights:
- Summary of the Human Rights Council full-day meeting on the rights of the child
- Report on discrimination against women on nationality-related matters, including the impact on children -
- Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Report on creating and/or strengthening synergies and linkages on violence against women and girls
- Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education - Justiciability of the right to education
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
For the full set of reports, click here.
Reports to be presented at the 22nd Session (25 February - 22 March 2013)
Below is a selection of reports that are likely to feature children's rights:
Thematic reports:
- Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the
highest attainable standard of health
- Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
(only available at the moment in Spanish) - Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment - Activities to support efforts by States to strengthen their judiciary system and administration
of justice - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Report of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Summary of the Human Rights Council panel discussion on the issue of intimidation or reprisal
against individuals and groups who cooperate or have cooperated with the United Nations, its
representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights - Effective measures and best practices to ensure the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests
- Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
- Independent Expert on minority issues
- Thematic study on the work and employment of persons with disabilities
- Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Country-focused reports:
Updated report on the work of the Commission of Inquiry on the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic
- For the full list of reports, click here.
Reports to be presented at the 21st HRC Session (10 - 28 September 2012)
- Joint report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children on prevention of and responses to violence against children within the juvenile justice system
- Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the protection of human rights of juveniles deprived of their liberty
- Question of the death penalty - Report of the Secretary-General
- Summary of the full-day meeting on the rights of the child - Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
- Summary of the Human Rights Council panel discussion on the promotion and protection of freedom of expression on the Internet - Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Right
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences - Thematic report on servile marriage
- Summary of the Human Rights Council panel discussion on the theme of remedies for women subjected to violence - Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
For the full list of reports, click here.
Reports to be presented at the 20th HRC Session (18 June - 6 July 2012)
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Special Rapporteur on the right to health
- Working Group on Business and Human Rights
- Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Thematic study on the issue of violence against women and girls and disability
- Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
To view the full list of reports, click here.
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Reports to be presented at the 19th HRC Session (27 Feb - 23 March 2012)
- Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders
(focuses on youth and student defenders) - Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
(focuses on protecting children after humanitarian crisis) - Special Rapporteur on torture
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
- Report of the High Commissioer - "Study on challenges, lessons learned and best practices in a holistic, child rights and gender-based approach to protect and promote the rights of children working and/or living on the street"
- Report of the High Commissioner - "Study documenting discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity"
- Independent Expert on minority issues
- Report of the HC on the protection of human rights in the context of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)
*Reports not yet available.
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Reports to be presented at the 18th Session (Sept 12 - 30 2011)
- Report of the Independent Expert on Sudan
- Report of the SR on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Report of the SRSG for Children and Armed Conflict - yet to be released
- Report of the Independent Expert on Cambodia
- Report of the SG on the question of death penalty
- Report of the HC on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Report of the IE on access to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Report of the SR on indigenous people
The original reports can be found, here.
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Reports to be presented at the 17th Session (May 30 - June 17 2011)
The full list of reports has been published on the OHCHR website, click here.
CRIN will be compiling children's rights extracts reports from key reports. Coming soon! In the meantime, look at the following reports where children are likely to feature:
- Report of the SR on right to education
- Report of the SR on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Summary of the HC on the full-day meeting on the rights of the child
- Report of the open-ended Working Group on the Optional Protocol to the CRC on its second session (complaints mechanism)
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Reports to be presented at the 16th Session (28 February - 25 March 2011)
- Report of the RSG on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Report of the IE on minority issues
- Report of the SRSG on violence against children
- Report of the HC - Summary of the full-day meeting on the rights of the child
- Joint report of the SR on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the SRSG on violence against children*
- Report of the SR on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
- Report of the SG - Analytical study on the steps taken to promote and implement programmes to address HIV/AIDS-related human rights
- Report of the HC on the question of human rights in Cyprus
- Report of the HC on the situation of human rights in Colombia*
- Report of the HC on the human rights situation and the activities of her office, including technical cooperation, in Nepal*
- Report of the SG on human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan
- Report of the HC on the OHCHR activities in the Republic of Guinea*
- Report of the HC on the OHCHR activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo*
- Report of the SR on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea*
- Progress report of the SR on the situation of human rights in Myanmar*
- Report of the HC on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan and on the achievements of technical assistance in the field of human rights
- Report of the SR on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967
- Report of the HC on the assistance to Sierra Leone in the field of human rights*
- Report of the HC on the abuses and violations of human rights in Côte d'Ivoire in relation to the conclusion of the 2010 presidential election*
* Report not yet available
To access all the original reports due to be presented at the 16th Session, click here.
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Reports presented at the 15th Session (13th September - 1st October 2010)
- Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent - Mission to the United States of America
- Report of the Secretary-General on the question of death penalty
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the proceedings of the seminar aimed at identifying opportunities and challenges in the development of rights-based responses to trafficking in persons
- Study of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on challenges and best practices in the implementation of the international framework for the protection of the rights of the child in the context of migration
- Report of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee - Draft set of principles and guidelines for the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members
- Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Progress report of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on the indigenous peoples and the right to participate in decision-making
- Report of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples on its third session
- Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the practical implications of a change in mandate of the Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations
- Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the promotion of and respect for the provisions of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia
- Report of the Secretary-General on the role and achievements of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in assisting the Government and the people of Cambodia in the promotion and protection of human rights
- Report of the Independent expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia
- Report of the independent expert on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, Mr. Mohammed Chande Othman
- Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Click here to access all the original Special Procedure reports presented at the 15th Session
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Reports from the 14th Session (31st May - 18th June 2010)
- Report of the SR on the right to health
- Report of the SR on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Report of the SR on the right to education
- Report of the SR on the human rights of migrants
- Report of the IE on the question of human rights and extreme poverty
- Report of the SR on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
- Report of the HC on human rights in the administration of justice, in particular juvenile justice
- Report of the IE on the situation of human rights in the Sudan
Click here to access all the original Special Procedure reports presented at the 14th Session
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Reports from the 13th Session (1st - 26th March 2010)
- Report of SG on Internally Displaced Persons
- Report of SG on Arbitary Detention
- Report of SG on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
- Report of SG on Torture
- Report of the Secretary-General on the right to nationality
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
- Progress report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
- Report of the Secretary-General on human rights in the occupied Syrian Golan
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967
- Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the question of human rights in Cyprus
- Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent - Visit to Ecuador
- Second joint report of seven United Nations experts on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Report of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia
- Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Colombia
- Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation and the activities of her office, including technical cooperation, in Nepal
Click here to access all the original Special Procedure reports presented at the 13th Session
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Reports from the 12th Session (14th September - 2nd October 2009)
Click here to access all the original Special Procedure reports presented at the 12th Session
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Reports from the 11th Session (2nd - 19th June 2009)
Click here to access all the original Special Procedure reports presented at the 11th Session
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Reports from the 10th Session (2nd - 27th March 2009)
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Mr. Olivier De Schutter*
- Report of the independent expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque*
- Report of the independent expert on minority issues, Gay McDougall*
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya*
- Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Walter Kälin*
- Report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo*
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak*
Click here to access all the original Special Procedure reports presented at the 10th Session
Special Procedures in the Human Rights Council Review
After many months of discussions and negotiations, the Council adopted a text on the review of the work and functioning of the Human Rights Council.
- Read the final text (outcome document)
- Read the full report of the review process (including the views of individual States)
The text is limited in terms of the number of changes that have taken place: