Catalysts for Change: How the U.N.'s Independent Experts Promote Human Rights by Theodore J. Piccone & Ted Piccone

Author:Theodore J. Piccone & Ted Piccone [Piccone, Theodore J. & Piccone, Ted]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Diplomacy, Political Science, World, General, Human Rights
ISBN: 9780815721932
Google: KtkSA-FQ8S8C
Goodreads: 17472417
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Published: 2012-06-13T00:00:00+00:00

6

Working with the

Independent Sector

I have made seventeen country visits. NGO reports were fundamental to each one.

—Manfred Nowak, former special rapporteur on torture

As a creature of states, the UN's special rapporteurs on human rights move in the turbulent waters of international politics as they navigate the intersection of global human rights norms and national sovereignty. These waters are roiled by the tensions that arise from the duality of soft international law and hard national power. As a result, it is fair to say that special procedures, by themselves, would have little to show from governments despite their best efforts. Yet they do not work alone. Civil society—in the form of local and international human rights organizations, victims' groups, academics, lawyers, unions, and philanthropists—play an indispensable role in helping the UN's independent experts translate global standards into practical results. Throughout the life cycle of a mandate, from its creation to the appointment of a mandate holder to country visits and follow-up advocacy, civil society groups have become the lifeblood of the mechanism.

In a similar vein, an attentive and independent media sector can spell the difference between success and failure in fulfilling a rapporteur's mandate. In the fishbowl of Geneva, important work by the rapporteurs often gets lost in the noise of diplomatic debates. But in the field, at least in most countries, their actions generate widespread and, at times, intense attention from the local press, offering an attractive platform for communicating fundamental human rights principles to the general public. While the quality of the media's coverage varies widely, it usually favors special procedures, whose title as UN experts confers authority on the speaker, much to the consternation of government officials who feel compelled to respond (in both positive and negative ways).

A third actor of growing importance to the effectiveness of the special procedures is national human rights institutions (NHRIs). These hybrid quasi-independent bodies, created by national laws or presidential decrees to monitor, investigate, and report on human rights situations and to provide advisory services and technical assistance, serve an important function as intermediaries between the UN mechanisms and other national authorities. The Paris Principles, endorsed by the UN General Assembly as international guidelines for the work of the NHRIs, have helped to distinguish between bodies that are genuinely independent of government and those that serve more as mouthpieces of official policy.1 Their role in assisting the work of the special procedures is underdeveloped but could potentially serve as the backbone of support for coordinating follow-up to special procedures' visits and communications.

Civil Society: The Crucial Ingredient

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.