Less is more: Proposals for how UN human rights treaty bodies can be more selective

Abstract

The UN human rights treaty body system will again be under scrutiny for reform in 2020, after more than a decade of fruitless attempts to strengthen it. This column explores some proposals for how the treaty bodies and the process of State reporting can become more effective. The central idea is that treaty bodies need to be more selective and avoid duplication to stop the current negative vicious circle and evaluation fatigue. To make the dialogue more constructive, the number of issues discussed should be limited to a handful and treaty bodies should consider smaller review panels and face to face seating.