A/HRC/19/28
protection system, marked by the increase in the number of human rights instruments and
corresponding monitoring bodies, together with greater compliance by States parties with
reporting obligations, posed greater demands on the treaty bodies and her Office. Noting
that this success was most welcome and encouraging, the High Commissioner called on
States parties to human rights treaties and other stakeholders to initiate a process of
reflection on how to streamline and strengthen the treaty body system to achieve better
coordination among these mechanisms and their interaction with special procedures and the
universal periodic review. The High Commissioner made a similar appeal before the
General Assembly on 21 October 2009.
16.
A number of consultations organized by stakeholders in direct response to the High
Commissioner's call have taken place and resulted in the adoption of statements which
include various proposals to strengthen and streamline the treaty body system. Meetings
were organized for treaty body members in Dublin in November 2009, at the initiative of
the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; for
National Human Rights Institutions in Marrakesh, Morocco, in June 2010, at the initiative
of the Advisory Council on Human Rights of Morocco; and for the Chairpersons of treaty
bodies in Poznan, Poland, in September 2010, hosted by the University of Poznan and
attended by five Chairs. Furthermore, 21 NGOs made a written submission to the High
Commissioner in November 2010, which included several proposals to strengthen the treaty
body system.
17.
In May 2011, the Chairpersons of the treaty bodies and the High Commissioner for
Human Rights co-organized an informal technical consultation for States parties. The
consultation was aimed at gathering suggestions on ways and means to strengthen the
preparation of States party reports, enhance the dialogue between States parties and treaty
bodies and reinforce the implementation of treaty body recommendations at the national
level. In April and June 2011, NGOs put forward proposals in the Seoul and Pretoria
Statements, respectively. In October 2011, a consultation gathering academics was
organized in Luzern, Switzerland, and an expert meeting on individual communications
was held in Geneva. Furthermore, a meeting, organized by the University of Nottingham
and held in Dublin at the beginning of November 2011, adopted the Dublin Outcome
Document, which contains the most significant proposals stemming from the process so far.
The meeting brought together the conveners of the seven consultations held so far, namely
Dublin I, Marrakesh, Poznan, Seoul, Sion, Pretoria and Luzern, as well as representatives of
the NGO Coalition. The Chairpersons of seven treaty bodies participated in the meeting,
representing the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Committee on
the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women, the Committee against Torture, the Committee on Migrant
Workers, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Subcommittee
on Prevention of Torture, respectively. Other participants included treaty body members,
representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ireland, a representative of a national
human rights institution, two academics and three NGOs. In November 2011, OHCHR
organized a consultation with United Nations entities and specialized agencies in the
context of the treaty body strengthening process.
18.
The purpose of all these consultations, most of which were organized by external
partners and facilitated by OHCHR, was to gather suggestions from different groups of
stakeholders on how to strengthen the treaty body system and make it more efficient and
effective at the country level, in order to increase the protection of rights holders
worldwide. Two additional consultations with States parties will be organized during the
first months of 2012 in Geneva and New York, respectively. The treaty body strengthening
process will culminate in a compilation of proposals stemming from this exercise, which
the High Commissioner will present in a coherent framework in 2012.
6
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