9. The United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies As Diplomatic Actors

Abstract

The United Nations (UN) human rights treaty bodies play a central role in the international framework for the supervision of implementation by states of their treaty obligations. The diplomatic aspect of treaty body work has been brought into new prominence by the extent to which treaty body findings play a role in the application of the Human Rights Council's (HRC) new procedure of universal periodic review (UPR). This chapter explores this dimension of treaty body work and reflects on how they might be strengthened in their important diplomatic function. Ten treaties are generally considered to comprise the core of the UN human rights treaty system. Treaty bodies play a distinct role in the promotion of human rights. Their specialised and detailed function is integral to the implementation of the treaty system. Keywords: diplomatic; human rights; Human Rights Council (HRC); treaty bodies; United Nations (UN); universal periodic review (UPR)