Full Description
The human rights movement strives to develop a universal culture of human rights in all societies, as well as to confront gross violations. This book, the first ever of its kind, is a veritable State of the World Report on Human Rights. It reproduces summaries by UN High Commissioners for Human Rights on the state of the national human rights protection systems of each UN Member State. These summaries were sent following each state's passage through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process of the UN Human Rights Council. The summaries identify each state's constitutional, legal, judicial and institutional architecture, international conventions not yet ratified, areas of progress, problem areas, and problems affecting different parts of the population. The High Commissioners' summaries reproduced here are preceded by insightful reflections on the concept of a national human rights protection system, and by regional outlines of national human rights protection systems in the Americas and the Caribbean, Europe Africa, Asia and the Pacific. The book also contains some case studies of the national human rights protection systems of sample states such as Australia, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guyana, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, and South Africa.
Contents
Foreword
Preface
List of Figures and Tables
Notes on Contributors
1 Introduction
Part 1
Reflections on National Human Rights Protection Systems
2 The Universal Periodic Review and National Protection Systems
Gianni Magazzeni
3 The Role of Civil Society in National Human Rights Protection Systems Some Dynamic Examples
Valeria Reyes Menéndez
4 Leveraging International Mechanisms for Human Rights Impact at the National Level A Case Study of Protecting the Right to Conscientious Objection to Military Service in the Republic of Korea
Ann Harrison, Anna-Karin Holmlund and Tom Rainey-Smith
5 National Human Rights Protection Systems The Dynamic Role of Courts in the Protection of International Human Rights
Francesca Restifo
6 National Parliaments and the Protection of Human Rights Resolution Adopted by the Human Rights Council on 23 June 2017
7 The Paris Principles Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions (The Paris Principles) Adopted by General Assembly Resolution 48/134, 20 December 1993
Part 2
Outlines of National Human Rights Protection Systems
8 National Human Rights Protection Systems in Europe
Inès French and Karim Leu
9 National Human Rights Protection Systems in the Americas and the Caribbean
Bertrand Ramcharan
10 National Human Rights Protection Systems in Africa
A The African Architecture of Protection
Bertrand Ramcharan
B Overview of Human Rights Situation and National Protection Systems in Africa
Mona M'Bikay
C The South African National Human Rights Protection System
Damian Etone
D The National Human Rights Protection System of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Elysée Sindayigaya
11 National Human Rights Protection Systems in Asia and the Pacific
Robin Ramcharan
B The Australian National Human Rights System: an Overview
Domenico Zipoli
C The National Human Rights Protection System of Bhutan
Sunita Giri
Conclusion
Part 3
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' Letters to UN Member States on the Strengthening of Their National Protection Systems
Annexes
Bibliography
Index
