Annex 1: Table of UN Instruments and International Law

Charter of the United Nations

The International Bill of Human Rights

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966

Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty

The ten core international human rights instruments and their monitoring bodies

There are nine core international human rights treaties, one of which – on enforced disappearances – has not entered into force. Each has established an independent committee of experts to monitor implementation of the treaty provisions by its States parties. Some of the treaties are supplemented by optional protocols dealing with specific concerns or are establishing individual complaints procedures.

ICERD: International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination 21 Dec 1965

ICCPR: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 16 Dec 1966

ICESCR: International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 16 Dec 1966

CEDAW: Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 18 Dec 1979

CAT: Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 10 Dec 1984

CRC: Convention on the Rights of the Child 20 Nov 1989

ICRMW: International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families 18 Dec 1990

International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 20 Dec 2006

CRPD: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 13 Dec 2006

ICESCR - OP Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 10 Dec 2008

ICCPR-OP1: Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 16 Dec 1966

ICCPR-OP2: Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty 15 Dec 1989

OP-CEDAW: Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women 10 Dec 1999

OP-CRC-AC: Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict 25 May 2000

OP-CRC-SC: Optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography 25 May 2000

OP-CAT Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 18 Dec 2002

OP-CRPD: Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 12 Dec 2006

Universal Human Rights Instruments

In addition to the International Bill of Rights and the core human rights treaties, there are many other universal instruments relating to human rights. A non-exhaustive selection is listed below. The legal status of these instruments varies: declarations, principles, guidelines, standard rules and recommendations have no binding legal effect, but such instruments have an undeniable moral force and provide practical guidance to States in their conduct; covenants, statutes, protocols and conventions are legally-binding for those States that ratify or accede to them. Information on the status of ratification of selected instruments is available here.

World Conference on Human Rights and Millennium Assembly

Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action

United Nations Millennium Declaration

The right of self-determination

United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples

General Assembly resolution 1803 (XVII) of 14 December 1962, “Permanent sovereignty over natural resources”

International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries

Rights of indigenous peoples and minorities

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)

Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities

Prevention of discrimination

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)

International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)

Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice

Convention against Discrimination in Education

Protocol Instituting a Conciliation and Good Offices Commission to be responsible for seeking a settlement of any disputes which may arise between States Parties to the Convention against Discrimination in Education

Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief

World Conference against Racism, 2001 (Durban Declaration and Programme of Action)

Rights of women

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW-OP)

Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict

Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women

Rights of the child

Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (CRC-OPSC)

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (CRC-OPAC)

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)

Rights of older persons

United Nations Principles for Older Persons

Rights of persons with disabilities

Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons

Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons

Principles for the protection of persons with mental illness and the improvement of mental health care

Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

Human rights in the administration of justice: protection of persons subjected to detention or imprisonment

Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners

Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners

Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment

United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty

Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)

Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT)

Principles of Medical Ethics relevant to the Role of Health Personnel, particularly Physicians, in the Protection of Prisoners and Detainees against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Principles on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty

Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials

Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials

United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (The Tokyo Rules)

United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (The Beijing Rules)

Guidelines for Action on Children in the Criminal Justice System

United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines)

Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power

Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary

Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers

Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors

Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions

Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation

International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

Social welfare, progress and development

Declaration on Social Progress and Development

Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition

Declaration on the Use of Scientific and Technological Progress in the Interests of Peace and for the Benefit of Mankind

Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace

Declaration on the Right to Development

Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights

Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity

Promotion and protection of human rights

Principles relating to the status of national institutions (The Paris Principles)

Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

Marriage

Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages

Recommendation on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages

Right to health

Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS

Right to work and to fair conditions of employment

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122)

Freedom of association

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87)

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98)

Slavery, slavery-like practices and forced labour

Slavery Convention

Protocol amending the Slavery Convention signed at Geneva on 25 September 1926

Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)

Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)

Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others

Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

Rights of migrants

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICPMW)

Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

Nationality, statelessness, asylum and refugees

Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness

Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons

Convention relating to the Status of Refugees

Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees

Declaration on the Human Rights of Individuals who are not Nationals of the Country in which they live

Also available:

Ratifications and Reservations

Status of ratifications of human rights treaties

Conventions, Declarations and Other Instruments Found in General Assembly Resolutions (since 1946)