Based on a symposium held in Istanbul, Turkey.

The UN Human Rights Treaty System: Law and Procedure examines the core UN human rights treaties that form the framework of international human rights law. This book describes the development of each treaty, along with the substantive rights enshrined in them, and analyses the nature and functions of their respective monitoring bodies. Topics discussed include periodic reporting procedures, investigative procedures and individual complaint procedures, with supporting case law analysed in great detail. This practical and indispensable reference resource: - Guides you through the structure of each of the core UN human rights treaties, explaining both the substance of the rights and the various procedures which may be drawn upon to implement those rights - Explains in detail how each of these procedures may be accessed, as well as critiquing their operation in practice - Covers a wide number of areas including civil and political rights generally, racial and gender-based discrimination and the prohibition against torture - Discusses proposals for reform of the UN human rights treaty monitoring system and the implications of these reforms The UN Human Rights Treaty System: Law and Procedure has been written for practitioners and students of human rights law in the UK, Ireland and abroad. Government bodies, non-governmental organisations, national human rights institutions and charities will also find this a great resource.

Equipping students so they can act as change agents who encourage ethical transformation in corporations, small businesses, government, social service agencies, religious groups, the military and other organizations, this text blends theory and practice as it introduces readers to important ethics theories, concepts and skills (tools) drawn from a variety of academic disciplines and outlines implementation strategies (tactics). Self-assessments, case studies and chapter end exercises foster skill development, discussion and analysis.

The very concept of human rights implies governmental accountability. To ensure that governments are indeed held accountable for their treatment of citizens and others the United Nations has established a wide range of mechanisms to monitor compliance, and to seek to prevent as well as respond to violations. The panoply of implementation measures that the UN has taken since 1945 has resulted in a diverse and complex set of institutional arrangements, the effectiveness of which varies widely. Indeed, there is much doubt as to the effectiveness of much of the UN's human rights efforts but also about what direction it should take. Inevitable instances of politicization and the hostile, or at best ambivalent, attitude of most governments, has at times endangered the fragile progress made on the more technical fronts. At the same time, technical efforts cannot dispense with the complex politics of actualizing the promise of human rights at and through the UN. In addition to significant actual and potential problems of duplication, overlapping and inconsistent approaches, there are major problems of under-funding and insufficient expertise. The complexity of these arrangements and the difficulty in evaluating their impact makes a comprehensive guide of the type provided here all the more indispensable. These essays critically examine the functions, procedures, and performance of each of the major UN organs dealing with human rights, including the Security Council and the International Court of Justice as well as the more specialized bodies monitoring the implementation of human rights treaties. Significant attention is devoted to the considerable efforts at reforming the UN's human rights machinery, as illustrated most notably by the creation of the Human Rights Council to replace the Commission on Human Rights. The book also looks at the relationship between the various bodies and the potential for major reforms and restructuring.

This volume celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). In so doing, it offers a comprehensive and systematic treatment of the rights and duties contained in the UDHR, in the light of its history, the intentions of its drafters ant the standard-setting activities and monitoring efforts which have grown out of its existence. Each article of the UDHR is treated in a separate chapter; each chapter is written by different authors, all scholars from or associated with the Nordic countries, all active in human rights work, either academically or in the field. A consolidated bibliography completes the collection. The subtitle of this volume is "A Common Standard of Achievement", a phrase drawn from the Preamble of the UDHR. In many ways, this collection is intended to demonstrate that this phrase has, to a considerable extent, come true.