International human rights mechanisms

International human rights mechanisms are essential advocacy tools. They provide avenues for civil society to influence governments, push for legal reform, and document violations.

Key international mechanisms for women’s rights 

Among the ten existing human rights treaty-based bodies, the following are most relevant to women’s and girls’ rights:

• Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
• Committee against Torture (CAT)
• Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 
• Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
• Human Rights Committee (CCPR)
• Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)

UN Treaty Bodies: How they work

Treaties are legally binding agreements between countries. Treaty-based bodies are accountability mechanisms for these treaties, consisting of committees of independent experts who monitor the implementation of the core international human rights treaties. To do this, they review reports submitted periodically by State parties as well as alternative or “shadow” reports from civil society.

Most treaty bodies are also competent to receive and consider individual complaints (provided that the State has agreed to be subject to such procedures), and several may conduct broader specific inquiries relating to systemic and widespread abuse. 

Other UN Mechanisms

As well as treaty-based bodies, there are charter-based bodies, special procedures, and other opportunities for advocacy: 

• Universal Periodic Review (UPR) –  Every 4-5 years, each UN Member State’s human rights situation is reviewed. The UPR is a peer-review mechanism whereby UN Member States and observer States can make recommendations to the State under review on any human rights issue.
• UN Special Procedures – including the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and its consequences (SR VAW) and the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective.
• Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – The Commission on the Status of Women is the “principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women” and is considered instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s rights around the world, and defining global standards on gender equality.
• United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development – The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), which generally takes place every year in July, is the main platform on sustainable development at the UN with the mandate to follow-up and review the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and implementation and status of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the world.

How civil society can engage

To ensure that UN mechanisms have a realistic and accurate picture of the human rights situation in a particular country, civil society organizations and other entities, such as academic institutions, professional groups, and intergovernmental organizations, are encouraged to engage in human rights monitoring and reporting. Civil society can engage through: 

• Submitting Shadow Reports: Provide independent data and information to highlight legal gaps on government compliance.
• Bringing Individual Complaints: Where optional protocols allow.
• Participating in State Reviews: Offer input during country dialogues.