Outlining principles of the mandate: report

Background

This report of the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order is submitted to the Human Rights Council in compliance with its resolution 36/4, requesting the Independent Expert to prepare a final report on his studies conducted during the last six years of his mandate, and to share it with the Council at its thirty-seventh session.

Summary

In the report, the Independent Expert surveys his six previous reports to the Council and his six reports to the General Assembly and makes recommendations on issues addressed by the mandate, such as the models of democracy, the right of self-determination, the social responsibility of business enterprises, bilateral investment treaties, free trade agreements, military expenditure, tax evasion, reform of the United Nations system and the obligations of intergovernmental organizations.

During the first six years of the mandate, the Independent Expert wrote 12 reports addressing cross-cutting human rights issues pertinent to the realization of a democratic and equitable international order, including various models of democracy, the right of self-determination, the social responsibility of business enterprises, bilateral investment treaties, free trade agreements, military expenditure, tax evasion, tax havens, tax competition, enhanced coordination with international financial institutions, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), national and international protection of human rights defenders, including whistle-blowers, and the reform of the United Nations system.