A/HRC/39/58 Standard setting 13. Although court decisions, by establishing legal precedents, constitute a form of strong standard-setting, regional arrangements are also successful at diffusing and reinforcing human rights norms and standards in their regions in cooperation with member States. The European human rights regime has contributed to human rights advancements within European countries and serves as a reference model worldwide. The creation of and high compliance with human rights norms has been possible due to strong pre-existing norms within Europe, but the European Convention on Human Rights has also helped to develop human rights standards in new member States, particularly with the accession of many eastern and south-eastern member States after 1990. Montenegro, which acceded to the Council of Europe in 2007, exemplifies the way in which a regional human rights mechanism can assist standard-setting in a collaborative fashion, not only through court rulings. According to the Government of Montenegro, the country has adopted numerous strategic documents and action plans, including on displaced people, improvement of the status of Roma and Egyptians, human trafficking, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights and the protection of children and the elderly. In terms of legal changes, Montenegro has amended the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination, the Law on Gender Equality, the Law on the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms and adopted a Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities. In line with recommendations from the Council of Europe, Montenegro also included a comprehensive definition of hate speech in the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination. 19 14. This collaborative approach is evident in Africa as well. At its fifth session, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights resolved that States parties should incorporate the teaching of human rights into their educational curricula and establish committees on human rights at national, subnational and regional levels. Some African countries, such as Nigeria, have incorporated the provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights into their domestic law. The Commission has also sponsored a number of seminars and international conferences covering a broad spectrum of issues, such as community work, economic, social and cultural rights, HIV and AIDS in Africa, prisons and women’s rights.20 Publication of country reports, on-site observation and country visits 15. Regional arrangements also play a crucial role in collecting and disseminating information about human rights conditions in the region, which allows cross-country comparisons and the development of best practices. In 2014, the press unit of the European Court launched six new factsheets on the case law concerning elderly people, persons with disabilities, political parties and associations, hunger strikes in detention, migrants in detention and domestic violence. It has now prepared a total of 59 factsheets in English and French, many of which have also been translated into German, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian and Turkish with the support of the Governments concerned. The press unit has also prepared country profiles covering each of the 47 member States. In addition to general and statistical information on each State, the country profiles provide information on the most noteworthy cases concerning that State.21 16. Between 1970 and 1980 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights put pressure on repressive Governments. Its reporting on Chile and Argentina under military law had particular significance for internal and international human rights advocates. In the early 1990s, the Commission began to closely monitor countries with fragile democratic institutions that were still experiencing political violence. It published four reports on the human rights situation in Haiti between 1990 and 1995 and three reports on Guatemala between 1993 and 2001. In 1998, the Commission visited Peru and prepared a 19 20 21 Survey response by the Government of Montenegro. Timothy F. Yerima, “Over two decades of African Commission on Human and People’s Rights: flying or fledgeling”, Global Journal of Human Social Science Arts and Humanities, vol. 12, No. 12 (2012). See, for example, European Court of Human Rights, annual report 2014. 7