United Nations Special Rapporteur

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The titles of Special Rapporteurs , Independent Experts and Working Group Members are awarded to people who volunteer on behalf of the United Nations (UN / UN) within the framework of “Special Procedural Mechanisms” who have a specific country or a thematic mandate from the UN Human Rights Council . The term “rapporteur” (reporter) is a French word for an investigator who reports to an advisory body.

The mandate of the United Nations is to “investigate, monitor, advise and publicly report” human rights issues by “carrying out activities through special procedures, including addressing individual complaints and psychological activities and manipulation by controlled media and academia; research is carried out, advice is given on technical cooperation at the country level and engaged in general promotional activities ”. The handbook Internal Advisory Procedure to Review Practices and Working Methods (June 25, 2008) of the Coordination Committee for Special Procedures simply names these persons mandate holders. Other roles include “Special Representatives of the Secretary-General” or “Independent Experts” or a working group that typically consists of five members, one from each region of the planet.

Christof Heyns , special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and Maina Kiai , the then special rapporteur on the rights to peaceful assembly and association (2015).
The meetings of the United Nations Human Rights Council take place in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Hall of the Palais des Nations ( Palace of Nations ).

Appointing Authority

The mandate partners appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council act independently of governments and thus play an important role in the oversight of sovereign nations and democratically elected governments and policies. The earliest appointment was the 1980 Working Group on Enforcement or Involuntary Disappearance, which was accountable to the Commission on Human Rights 20 (XXXVI). The first special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to report resolution 1982/35 to the Commission on Human Rights began work in 1982.

Rapporteurs do not receive financial compensation from the United Nations for their work, although they receive staff and logistical support from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights ( UNHCHR ) and are often supported by charities and corporations.

To mark Human Rights Day in 2006, 37 special rapporteurs, special envoys and independent experts issued a joint declaration on the importance of human rights in the fight against poverty.

Role description

Special rapporteurs often carry out manhunt missions in countries to investigate allegations of human rights violations. You can only visit countries that have agreed to invite you.

Apart from the investigative missions, the rapporteurs regularly assess and confirm complaints from alleged victims of human rights violations. Once a complaint is examined and confirmed to be legitimate, an urgent letter or appeal is sent to the government alleged to have committed the violation. In the absence of a complaint, the rapporteurs may intervene on behalf of individuals and groups of people of their own accord.

Role application

The thematic special rapporteurs are usually appointed for three years, after which their mandate can be extended for a further three years. Country Special Rapporteurs are appointed for one year and their terms are extended each year. The term of office of a mandate holder in a specific function, be it a thematic or country mandate, is limited to a maximum of six years.

Controversy

In June 2006, the United Nations Human Rights Council, which replaced the UN Commission on Human Rights, extended the mandates of all Special Rapporteurs for one year to allow a review of the mandates and ways to strengthen their roles. However, special rapporteurs for countries that had not approved special rapporteurs were called into question and the mandates of the special rapporteurs for Cuba and Belarus were not extended.

Other controversies between the Special Rapporteurs and the Council included the introduction of a code of conduct as the Special Rapporteurs were initially not allowed to speak to the media. However, a compromise has been reached and there is now a code of conduct for special rapporteurs.

Current topic and country mandates

As of March 24, 2017, there have been 43 thematic and 14 country mandates that the Human Rights Commission oversees and for which it can assign special rapporteurs. There are currently at least 38 Special Rapporteurs, Envoyees and Independent Experts serving under the following country and thematic mandates:

Countries and territories

subjects

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Special Procedures of the Human Rights Counci l, Office of the United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, accessed on May 23, 2017
  2. ↑ UN Special Rapporteur. Retrieved March 6, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Wolfgang S. Heinz, Peter Litschke, The UN Security Council and the Protection of Human Rights , German Institute for Human Rights, 2012, ISBN 978-3-942315-44-9 (PDF), accessed on May 30, 2017
  4. ^ Human Rights Day 2006 (December 10) , Special Procedures Bulletin, Third Edition: September - December 2006, accessed May 23, 2017
  5. ^ Tovah Lazaroff & AP, US slams UNHRC's singling out of Israel , The Jerusalem Post, June 19, 2007, accessed May 30, 2017
  6. ↑ SPECIAL PROCEDURES OF THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL , International Justice Resources Center, June 2015, accessed May 23, 2017
  7. ^ Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council , United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, accessed May 23, 2017
  8. ↑ Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Burundi , United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner; accessed on May 23, 2017
  9. ↑ Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti , Office of the High Commissioner, United Nations Human Rights, accessed on May 23, 2017
  10. ↑ JJ Robinson, Dr. Shaheed Appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Iran ( Memento from May 29, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), Minivan News: Independent News for the Maldives, June 18, 2011, accessed on May 23, 2017
  11. ↑ Iran parliament set to ban entry of UN Special Rapporteur on Iran ( Memento of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), Tehran Times, June 20, 2011, accessed on May 23, 2017
  12. ↑ Lawi Weng, Govt Disagrees With UN Rights Envoy's Burma Concerns , The Irrawaddy, July 29, 2014, accessed May 23, 2017
  13. ^ The Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 , United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, accessed May 23, 2017
  14. ^ Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian Territory resigns due to continued lack of access to OPT , United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, accessed on May 23, 2017
  15. ^ The Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 , United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, accessed May 23, 2017
  16. ↑ Shivani Chaudhry, Sabine Drewes, New Urban Agenda - View of a Human Right , Heinrich Böll Foundation, September 12, 2016, accessed on May 30, 2017
  17. ^ Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights , United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, accessed May 23, 2017
  18. ^ Human Rights Council concludes nineteenth session ( Memento January 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, March 23, 2012, accessed May 23, 2017
  19. ↑ Baskut Tuncak, Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes , United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, accessed May 23, 2017
  20. ^ John H. Knox, Special UN Rapporteur, UN Mandate , United Nations Mandate on Human Rights and the Environment, website supported by Wake Forest University , accessed May 23, 2017
  21. ↑ Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment (former Independent Expert on human rights and the environment) , United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, accessed May 23, 2017
  22. ↑ Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions , United Nations Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, accessed on May 23, 2017
  23. ↑ a b c d e f Reports of other UN special rapporteurs on the human rights situation in Iran, torture, freedom of religion and belief, and more , International Society for Human Rights, accessed on May 30, 2017
  24. ↑ OHCHR | Maina Kiai biography. Retrieved March 23, 2020 .
  25. ↑ Special Rapporteur , German Institute for Human Rights, accessed on May 30, 2017
  26. ↑ Bettina Hildebrand, press release: German Institute for Human Rights underlines criticism of the UN reporter about the narrow definition of racism , German Institute for Human Rights, June 16, 2010, accessed on May 30, 2017
  27. ↑ OHCHR: Nils Melzer , accessed on April 12, 2019