8. Human Rights Diplomacy From A UN Perspective: A Complement To Advocacy

Abstract

At the United Nations (UN) level, the expert human rights mechanisms are human rights treaty bodies and the special procedures mandate-holders and working groups established by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC). This chapter addresses some of the key challenges of engaging in human rights diplomacy and discusses opportunities hidden in relying on diplomatic means for the promotion and protection of human rights. In laying out the case for a pro-active approach to human rights diplomacy, it relies on selected examples and recent milestones such as the Durban Review Conference that took place in Geneva in April 2009, the ongoing process of strengthening the UN human rights treaty body system. The chapter sheds more light on the role of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Author stresses that public advocacy and human rights diplomacy should always go hand in hand as both approaches complement and mutually reinforce each other. Keywords: advocacy; Durban Review Conference; Human Rights Council (HRC); human rights diplomacy; protection of human rights; treaty bodies; UN High Commissioner; United Nations (UN)