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Summary: On 22 June, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Pillay, published her long awaited report on the strengthening of the human rights treaty body system.
Background In 2009, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navanethem Pillay, appealed to States Parties to human rights treaties, Treaty Body members and other stakeholders, such as civil society organisations and National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), to reflect on proposals which would enable the Treaty Body system to be more coherent, coordinated and effective. Report launch After a series of consultations, Ms Pillay published her report on 22 June. The report provides recommendations to enhance the visibility of the human rights treaty system and its accessibility to individuals and communities throughout the world who need it the most. Ms Pillay's report focuses on strengthening the system rather than reforming it. “Lessons learned from previous reform initiatives have led me to base this process on the premise that the legal parameters of the treaties should not be altered,” Pillay said. According to her report, the treaty body system has nearly doubled in size since 2000. The system has seen a growth in treaty bodies and its members, as well as an increase in the amount of reports submitted by States and individuals, although only 16% of States parties report strictly on time. The system also features several new tools to promote human rights. Resourcing a key issue Unfortunately, the resources needed to sustain this complex system have stayed the same. “In doubling the size of the human rights treaty body system under these new instruments, there has been chronically insufficient attention given to properly resource this fundamental human rights mechanism,” Pillay said. “At a time when human rights claims are increasing in all parts of the world, it is unacceptable that the system can only function because of State’s non-compliance to their reporting obligations,” she said. The report presented key recommendations to create a more efficient and streamlined approach to the treaty body system. Pillay proposed the use of a reporting calendar, so that every report is reviewed on time. Pillay hopes that this will result in equal treatment of all States. Her report also recommended the utilization of new technologies, including webcasting and videoconferencing to increase visibility and accessibility to these treaty bodies. “Technology can and should serve human rights,” Pillay said. “The ultimate objective of this process was to take stock of the challenges and improve the impact of treaty bodies on States parties and individuals or groups of individuals at the national level by strengthening their work while fully respecting their independence,” Pillay said. She added that it was absolutely made clear through the process that “the approach of absorbing new mandates within existing resources is not sustainable.”