New joint NGO submissions provide a range of suggestions in relation to the 2020 review of the UN Treaty Body system. The submissions are made pursuant to a questionnaire issued by Morocco and Switzerland, the co-facilitators of the review.
Twenty-eight NGOs from all regions submitted a joint contribution in response to the 18 questions proposed by Morocco and Switzerland. The submission reiterates many of the suggestions and proposals formulated by NGOs in preparation for the review, notably the need for Member States of the UN General Assembly to implement GA resolution 68/268 and provide adequate funding to the UNTBs.
Another joint submission was initiated by members of the TB-net coalition with ISHR inputs. It focuses on five of the questions proposed by the co-facilitators. The submission reiterates the suggestions put forward in a proposed “model” for UN Treaty Body reviews with enhanced predictability and coordination throughout the system.
Contact:
New York – Madeleine Sinclair: [email protected]
Geneva – Vincent Ploton: [email protected]
Background
General Assembly resolution 68/268, entitled, ‘Strengthening and enhancing the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system’, decided to consider the state of the human rights treaty body system no later than six years from the date of its adoption (9 April 2014), to review the effectiveness of the measures taken in order to ensure their sustainability, and, if appropriate, to decide on further action to strengthen and enhance the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system.
On 8 April 2020, the President of the General Assembly launched the review process and appointed the Ambassadors of Morocco and Switzerland to co-facilitate it.
The co-facilitators have been tasked with ‘undertaking informal consultations with Member States with contributions, as appropriate, from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, from the treaty bodies, and from other relevant stakeholders’, including NGOs. The co-facilitators have been asked to submit a report to the PGA before the end of the current session of the General Assembly (16 September 2020), outlining recommendations for consideration, so as to assess and decide, if appropriate, on further action to strengthen and enhance the effective functioning of the human rights treaty body system.
Photo: UN Photo/Evan Schneider
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