International Law Review

International Law Review

The Role and Status of the Special Rapporteurs of The United Nations Human Rights Council

Document Type : academic

Authors
Farnaz Ghiabi 1
Amirhossein Ranjbarian 2
1 Gratuated in Master of Public International Law - Department of Public International Law - Faculty of Law and Political Science - University of Tehran
2 Associate Professor - Department of Public and International Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran
10.22066/cilamag.2023.706168
Abstract
“Special rapporteurs” of the Human Rights Council as part of the special procedures are tasked with monitoring Human Rights situations of the countries on the country and thematic levels. Through time, these activities have played a significant role in informing and documenting the human rights situation of a country and norm-setting concerning emerging concepts. It is noteworthy that the result of the rapporteurs' evaluations is not focused and limited to the responsibilities assigned to them by the Human Rights Council; Rather, their reports are widely used and exploited as a reliable source by other institutions and organizations, including human rights treaty bodies, the United Nations General Assembly, the International Court of Justice and other national and international tribunals. In addition, they have been used by many international organizations and human rights defenders. Therefore, considering the extent of the use of special rapporteurs' reports by other mechanisms, it is necessary to know how and to what extent national, regional and international institutions, apart from the Human Rights Council, have used the activities of the rapporteurs and what challenges do special rapporteurs encounter in performing their responsibilities.
Keywords
Human Rights
Special Procedures
Human Rights Council
Thematic Rapporteur
Country Rapporteur

Subjects

  1. - Books

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    2. Gutter, Jeroen, Thematic Procedures of the United Nations Commission on the Human Rights and International law: in search of a sense of community, intersentia, 2006.
    3. James Flood, Patrick, the Effectiveness of UN Human Rights Institution, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998.
    4. Keller, Helen, Uifstein, Geir, UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies: Law and Legitimacy, Cambridge University Press, 2012.
    5. Lynch, Phill, Ending Reprisal: the role and responsibility of the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council, the United Nations Special Procedure System, Brill Nijhoff, 2017.
    6. subedi, the Effectiveness of the UN Human Rights System Reform and Jurisdiction of Human Rights, Routledge, 2017.
    7. Piconne, Ted, Catalysts for change: How the UN’s Independent Expert promote Human Rights, Brooking Institution Press, 2012.
    8. Ramcharan, Bertrand, “The Concept and Present Status of the International Protection of Human Rights: Forty Years after the Universal Declaration, 13. BRILL, 2021.

     

    - Articles

    1. Bartholomeusz, Lance, “The Amicus Curiae before International courts and tribunals”, Non-State Actors and International Law Journal, Vol. 5, No. 3, 2005, pp. 209-286.
    2. D. Gaer, Felice, “Picking and Choosing? Country Visit by Thematic Special Procedures, the United Nations Special Procedures System”, in The United Nations Special Procedures System, Routledge, Volume 6, 2017, pp. 87-130.
    3. M Smith, Rhona, “the possibilities of an independent special rapporteur scheme”, the International Journal of Human Rights, Vol. 15, No., 2, February 2011, pp. 172-186.
    4. Rodley, Nigel, “United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights: Complementarily or Competition”, Human Rights Quarterly, No.4, Vol.25, 2003, pp. 890-900.
    5. Sunga, Lyal, “Introduction to the Lund Statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Human Rights Special Procedures”, Nordic Journal of International Law, No76, 2007, pp. 281-300.
    6. Sunga, Lyal,” How can UN human rights special procedures sharpen ICC fact-finding?”, The International Journal of Human Rights, Vol. 15, No.2, February 2011, pp. 187-205.
    7. Van den Eynde, Laura. "An empirical look at the amicus curiae practice of human rights NGOs before the European Court of Human Rights." Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights, Vol. 31, No. 3, 2013, pp. 271-313.

     

    - Cases

    1. Case Concerning Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda) 19 December 2005.
    2. Case 13.641 “Comunidades y Rondas Campesinas de Cajamarca y sus líderes v. Peru”, Inter- American Commission on Human Rights, March 2022.
    3. Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Chiara Sacchi al. v. Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany and Turkey, Nos. 104–108/2019, 2019.
    4. ICC-02/04-01/15A, “Amicus Curiae Observation pursuant to Rule 103(1) of the Rule of Procedures and Evidence”, The Appeal Chambers, 23 December 2021.
    5. ICC—02/04- 01/15 A A2- “Observation On the crimes of sexual slavery, enslavement and trafficking in persons, and on the ground for excluding criminal responsibility: defences of duress, mental defect or disease and non-punishment principle, 21 January2022.

     

    - Documents

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    5. General Assembly Resolution, A/RES/76/148, Rights of Indigenous People, 16 December 2022.
    6. General Assembly Resolution, A/RES/76/166, Right to Food, 16 December 2021.
    7. General Assembly Resolution, A/RES/76/172, Protection of Migrants, 16 December 2021.
    8. General Assembly Resolution, A/RES/76/177, Situation of Human rights in the Democratic Republic of Korea, 16 December 2021.
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    15. International Human Rights Service, Guide for the Third-Party Interventions Before UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies, 2022.
    16. Israel Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Including East Jerusalem, A/RES / 77/247, 9 January 2023.
    17. Manual of Operations of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, August 2008.
    18. “Our Common Agenda”, Report of the Secretary General, United Nations 2021.
    19. Boyed, David; H. Knox, John; Amicus Curiae Brief of Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights and the Environment in Support of Admissibility, Before the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, N.104/2019, N.105/2019, N.106/2019, N.107/2019, and N.108/2019, 2019.
    20. United Nation Human Rights Report, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2019.
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    - Websites

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  • Receive Date 30 October 2022
  • Revise Date 20 April 2023
  • Accept Date 14 May 2023