Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms - Brookings

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International Mechanisms | UN Bodies
OHCHR Fact Sheet No.7/Rev.1: Complaints Procedures (available at: www.ohchr.org/english/
about/publications/docs/fs7.htm).
Human Rights Protection for Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Internally Displaced Persons: A Guide to
International Mechanisms and Procedures ( Joan Fitzpatrick, ed., Transnational Publishers, Inc.,
2002), 227-32.
Guide to International Human Rights Practice (4 th ed., Hurst Hannum, ed., Transnational Publishers,
Inc., 2004), 69-74.
PerioDic revieW
Resolution 60/251 also created a new method for the Council to address human rights violations,
a periodic review “based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfillment of each State of its
human rights obligations and commitments.” This means that the Council, unlike the Commission,
will examine the human rights records of all states. How this new procedure will operate has not
yet been decided upon, but it is probable that this “periodic review” will be an additional avenue for
advocacy by IDPs and their advocates.
suB-commission on The PromoTion anD ProTecTion of human righTs
Background The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (formerly
known as the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities)
was created as a subsidiary of the Commission on Human Rights, now replaced by the Human
Rights Council. The Sub-Commission was made up of 26 experts who were elected to serve in their
individual capacities for four-year terms. It served as a sort of “think tank” for the Commission,
carrying out studies and suggesting topics, new standards, and actions for the Commission’s
consideration. It will presumably play the same role for the Council, perhaps with a new title. The
Sub-Commission has several working groups, including the Working Group on Communications,
which assists with the 1503 procedure (page 51), the Working Group on Minorities, the Working
Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, and the Working Group on Indigenous Populations.
The Sub-Commission meets annually (usually in August) and its Working Groups also meet once
per year between sessions of the full body. This schedule may change according to the different
schedule of the Council. The procedures described below may also be subject to change.
What you can Do You can provide input to the Sub-Commission and its Working Groups on
relevant studies under development and suggest the creation of new standards. If you represent an
Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms
for Internally Displaced Persons and their Advocates