Optimizing UN Treaty Bodies: Wide Support to the Recommendations Emanating from our Academic Platform

Photo of the publication Photo of the publication

18 June 2019

Reports submitted by states in the context of the upcoming review of United Nations (UN) Treaty Bodies (TBs) by the UN General Assembly highlight wide support to the recommendations emanating from the Academic Platform on Treaty Body Review 2020 and presented in our publication Optimizing the UN Treaty Bodies System.

‘An analysis of the 54 states’ submissions highlights large support across all continents and regional groups to our main recommendations to improve the work of UN TBs ’ underlines Felix Kirchmeier, Coordinator of the Geneva Human Rights Platform.

From Clustered Reviews to a more Coordinated Set of Working Methods

‘We were very pleased to see that four states – Costa Rica, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland – explicitly welcomed and supported the analysis and proposed solutions described in our publication’ explains Felix Kirchmeier.

Besides this explicit support, key recommendations of the academic platform are present in a number of state submissions:

  • 20 states consider worthwhile to further explore the possibility for clustered reviews as a means to enhance the effectiveness of state party reporting
  • 35 States encourage all treaty bodies to continue their efforts towards a more coordinated set of working methods
  • 26 states support the development by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of a master calendar coordinated across all TBs
  • 21 states recommend improving the use of information technology throughout the TB system
  • 26 states propose stronger synergies with the wider UN human rights system as well as with regional human rights mechanisms.

‘Overall, such a large endorsement of our recommendations is very encouraging as this review constitutes a historical opportunity to make the work of TBs more efficient’ underlines Domenico Zipoli, Associate Researcher at the Geneva Academy.

‘This is also very encouraging for our recent publication on TBs’ individual communication procedures, Treaty Bodies’ Individual Communication Procedures: Providing Redress and Reparation to Victims of Human Rights Violations, which outlines a series of key recommendations to improve the system’ adds Kamelia Kemileva, one of the authors of this report.

About the Publication

Optimizing the UN Treaty Bodies System outlines a series of detailed and innovative solutions for optimizing the UN TBs system.

This work is the outcome of a three-year consultative process coordinated by the Geneva Academy – The Academic Platform on Treaty Body Review 2020 – to collect academic inputs and ideas for the 2020 review via the creation of an academic network of independent researchers, a call for papers, a series of regional consultations, annual and expert conferences, as well as ongoing interactions with key stakeholders: states, treaty bodies, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other parts of the UN.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

GHRP Diplomat Training News

Strengthening Diplomacy: GHRP Training Course Enhances Engagement with UN Human Rights

5 February 2025

The GHRP’s annual training equipped 19 diplomats with key insights into the UN Human Rights Council’s mechanisms and multilateral processes.

Read more

disops News

Impact of digital disinformation unpacked in new research brief series

9 April 2025

Our new series of Research Briefs examine the impact of digital disinformation and potential solutions for its regulation

Read more

Open dump Training

Protecting Human Rights and the Environment

15-19 September 2025

Participants in this training course will gain practical insights into UN human rights mechanisms and their role in environmental protection and learn about how to address the interplay between international human rights and environmental law, and explore environmental litigation paths.

Read more

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Booklet Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

7-11 July 2025

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

Read more

Un plate with Rapporteur Spécial written on it Project

Support to UN Special Procedures

Started in June 2020

Read more

Sign: National Human Rights Commission of Nepal Project

Local Implementation of Global Human Rights

Started in May 2020

The Geneva Human Rights Platform collaborates with a series of actors to reflect on the implementation of international human rights norms at the local level and propose solutions to improve uptake of recommendations and decisions taken by Geneva-based human rights bodies at the local level.

Read more

Cover of the publication Publication

Briefing N° 25: Localizing Multilateralism

published on March 2025

Domenico Zipoli, Ludovica Chiussi Curzi, Kamelia Kemileva

Read more