A/HRC/25/22 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 17 January 2014 Original: English Human Rights Council Twenty-fifth session Agenda item 2 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General Report of the Secretary-General on measures taken to implement resolution 9/8 and obstacles to its implementation, including recommendations for further improving the effectiveness, harmonization and reform of the treaty body system* Summary In its resolution 9/8 on the effective implementation of international human rights instruments, the Human Rights Council requested the Secretary-General to report annually on measures taken to implement the resolution and on obstacles to its implementation, including recommendations for further improving the effectiveness, harmonization and reform of the treaty body system. The present report is submitted in response to this request and covers the period from 1 January to 1 December 2013. Chapter II of the report contains an overview of developments in the intergovernmental process during 2013, and announces anticipated next steps. Chapter III focuses on the twenty-fifth annual meeting of chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies, for which the main topics on the agenda were treaty body strengthening and harmonization of working methods. Finally, chapter IV provides an update on other developments relevant to Human Rights Council resolution 9/8 in 2013, including the status of treaty ratifications or accessions; communications and field visits; information on treaty bodies’ meetings with States parties; cooperation among committees and with other mechanisms; action taken by the committees to ensure followup by States to their concluding observations; treaty body engagement with civil society; support provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to treaty bodies and harmonization among the secretariats of the respective treaty bodies; technical assistance; and visibility and accessibility of treaty bodies, including the use of modern technologies. * Late submission. GE.14-10366 *1410366*