What are the treaty bodies?

The human rights treaty bodies are committees of independent experts that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties. They are created in accordance with the provisions of the treaty that they monitor.

There are seven human rights treaty bodies:

The Human Rights Committee

(CCPR) monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966 and its optional protocols.

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

(CESCR) monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

(CERD) monitors implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 1965.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women

(CEDAW) monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 1979.

The Committee Against Torture

(CAT) monitors implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child

(CRC) monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 and its optional protocols.

The Committee on Migrant Workers

(CMW) monitors implementation of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families 1990.

 

What do the treaty bodies do?

The treaty bodies perform a number of functions in accordance with the provisions of the treaties that created them. These include:

• Consideration of State parties' reports
• Consideration of individual complaints or communications

They also publish general comments on the treaties and organize discussions on related themes.

The Treaty Reference Guide seeks to provide a basic - but not an exhaustive - overview of the key terms employed in the United Nations Treaty Collection to refer to international instruments binding at international law: treaties, agreements, conventions, charters, protocols, declarations, memoranda of understanding, modus vivendi and exchange of notes. The purpose is to facilitate a general understanding of their scope and function. Treaty Reference Guide