High Commissioner Treaty Body Strengthening Process

The High Commissioner’s consultation process for strengthening the treaty body system (2009-2012) was open to all relevant stakeholders, including treaty body members, National Human Rights Institutions, non-governmental organizations, academics and States parties who could contribute to this process both through formal and informal channels. The consultation process was multi-channeled and flexible and was composed of the following tracks:

• Formal meetings, including the annual inter-committee meetings of human rights treaty bodies and meetings of chairpersons
• Consultations within the treaty bodies , including the consultations in Avenières and Bossey for different treaty bodies while in session in Geneva (five Saturday retreats) and an Expert Meeting on Petitions for treaty body members (October 2011)
• Stakeholders’ written submissions by States parties, treaty bodies, academics, National Human Rights Institutions, and civil society organizations.

Informal meetings and consultations among the following stakeholders:

States parties

• New York, United States of America Consultation for States parties on treaty body strengthening (April 2012)
• Geneva, Switzerland: Consultation for States parties on treaty body strengthening (February 2012)
• Sion, Switzerland: Informal Technical Consultation with States parties on treaty body strengthening (May 2011)

Treaty body members

• Expert Meeting on Petitions for treaty body members (October 2011)
• International Seminar of Experts, Poznan (October 2010)
• Dublin I Meeting on the Strengthening of the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body System (November 2009)

National Human Rights Institutions

• Meeting of National Human Rights Institutions, Marrakesh (June 2010)

Civil society organisations

• Civil Society Consultation, Seoul, (April 2011)
• Civil Society Consultation, Pretoria, (June 2011)

Academics

• Lucerne Academic Consultation (October 2011)

UN entities and specialized agencies

• Consultation with UN Entities and Specialized Agencies (November 2011)

Multi-stakeholders consultations

• Implementation of UN Treaty Body Concluding Observations: The Role of National and Regional Mechanisms in Europe, High Level Seminar, Bristol (September 2011)
• Dublin II Meeting on the Strengthening of the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body System (November 2011)
• The Universal Periodic Review Process and the Treaty Bodies: Constructive Cooperation or Deepening Divisions, Seminar, Maastricht (November 2011)

Access all outcome documents, reports, and statements here.