OHCHR - Human Rights Committee

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The Covenant and its Optional Protocols

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The Committee and its work

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others Annual Reports
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E-F-R-S-C-A
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Reporting to the Committee

Optional Reporting Procedure (LOIPR)
Revised Reporting Guidelines
E-F-S
Guidelines on Core document (Word)
A compilation of HRC concluding observations for Latin American and Caribbean countries (PDF)

Elections

32nd meeting
31st meeting
30th meeting
29th meeting
28th meeting
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Follow-up to views

Interim follow-up reports

Treaty bodies database
Universal Human Rights Index
Publications

Feature stories

Freedom of expression and new media

Winds of Change in Tunisia

Human rights chief calls for accountability on her mission to Russia

Human rights at the heart of political change in Tunisia

Human Rights Committee celebrates 100 sessions

Using numbers to achieve human rights goals

Related UN Links

SC Counter-terrorism Committee
CAT
UNVFVT
UNHCR

External links

Amnesty International
CCPR Centre
FIACAT
FIDH
INTERIGHTS
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights First
OMCT
International Disability Alliance (IDA)

Note: OHCHR is not responsible for the content of external links.

Human Rights Committee

Monitoring civil and political rights

The Human Rights Committee is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by its State parties.

All States parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented. States must report initially one year after acceding to the Covenant and then whenever the Committee requests (usually every four years). The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of "concluding observations”.

In addition to the reporting procedure, article 41 of the Covenant provides for the Committee to consider inter-state complaints. Furthermore, the First Optional Protocol to the Covenant gives the Committee competence to examine individual complaints with regard to alleged violations of the Covenant by States parties to the Protocol.

The full competence of the Committee extends to the Second Optional Protocol to the Covenant on the abolition of the death penalty with regard to States who have accepted the Protocol.

The Committee meets in Geneva or New York and normally holds three sessions per year.

The Committee also publishes its interpretation of the content of human rights provisions, known as general comments on thematic issues or its methods of work.

For more information about the work of the Human Rights Committee, read the Civil and Political Rights: The Human Rights Committee fact sheet. (PDF)

Forthcoming Events

The 30th meeting of States parties, 17 January 2012 in New York

104th session of the Human Rights Committee: 12 - 30 March 2012 in New York

The 31st meeting of States parties, 6 September 2012 in New York

Recent Developments and Events

Adoption of NEW General Comment on article 19 (freedom of opinion and expression)

During the 101st session, the Human Rights Committee adopted a Statement on Pakistan's reservation to article 40.

Celebration of the 100th session of the Human Rights Committee: Public meeting on Friday 29 October from 10 am to 6 pm, Palais des Nations, room XIX. Please see provisional agenda
E F

Human Rights Committee deplores executions in Belarus

A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO PUBLIC RELATIONS, INCLUDING RELATIONS WITH THE MEDIA

Latest report to the General Assembly

Report to the GA - A/64/40(VOL. I)
A C E F R S

Twenty-seventh Meeting of States Parties to the ICCPR, New York, 4 September 2008

Recent signatures, ratifications and accessions

On 26 September 2009, Lao People's Democratic Republic became the 165th State party to the Covenant

On 25 September 2009, Brazil acceded to the 1st Optional Protocol as well as to the second optional protocol aiming at the abolition of the death penalty

Note: entry into force occurs 3 months after date of deposit of instrument of ratification or accession.

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