Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms - Brookings

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International Mechanisms | UN Bodies
NGO with consultative status with ECOSOC, you may attend Sub-Commission and Working
Group meetings to lobby for resolutions and standards relevant to IDP issues and to make written
and/or oral statements.
evaluation The Sub-Commission does not handle individual complaints, but can act as a
springboard for the consideration of issues, new human rights standards, and country situations
and may be able to influence the Human Rights Council to act. The Sub-Commission has passed
numerous resolutions of interest to IDPs, such as the right not to be arbitrarily displaced 5 or forcibly
evicted, 6 the right to housing, 7 and property restitution for refugees and IDPs. 8 It has also worked
to generate new guidelines, such as on property restitution. 9
While the Human Rights Council will likely consider internal displacement as a general topic at each
of its sessions (as the Commission did previously), the Sub-Commission might be used to introduce
elements that have not yet been addressed, such as particular rights issues for development or naturaldisaster
induced displacement. As a starting point, it is sufficient to interest one of the members in an
issue, something often easier to accomplish than influencing states parties to the Commission.
competence The Sub-Commission is not limited in the issues it may address, however, its power
to address specific countries was limited by the Commission in previous years.
Potential result The Sub-Commission may produce relevant studies, pass resolutions, and induce
the Council to take up consideration of a particular issue or proposed human rights standard.
send information and applications to:
Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights
Treaties and Commission Branch
OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 90 11
To apply for consultative status, send a letter of intent on the organization’s letterhead and signed
by its secretary-general or president to:
DESA NGO Section
One UN Plaza, Room DC1-1480
New York, NY 10017
USA
5 Res. 1996/9, 1994/24.
6 Res.1997/6.
7 Res. 1991/26, 1993/36, 1994/8, 1995/27.
8 Res. 1998/26, 2002/7.
9 U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/22.
Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms
for Internally Displaced Persons and their Advocates