SUBMITTING
HUMAN RIGHTS INFORMATION
TO THE UN SPECIAL PROCEDURES
This is a brief guide to sending human rights information to the Special Procedures
(country and thematic mechanisms/ mandates) of the Commission on Human Rights.
Those listed below all report to the Commission on Human Rights, while some
report also to the General Assembly or other bodies. The reports are public,
inform the debate at the GA and Commission and influence the resolutions on
country human rights situations.
Urgent Action communications.
If a situation requires urgent action (e.g. if someone has been
arrested/disappeared whom you think is at immediate risk of torture or
execution, and you want the UN to send an urgent communication to the
government), put "FOR URGENT ACTION" at the head of the
correspondence and address it to urgent-action@ohchr.org
(this is also the general address for Special Procedures)
Deadlines for submitting information
Since the material received is sent to governments, which take time to
answer (if they answer at all), the deadline for material to be considered for
the reports to the General Assembly is end
May-early June. In the case of the Commission on Human Rights, the deadline
is mid-November. Material arriving
late will be considered for the next report.
Guidelines for submitting information
To find out what kind of material the different
procedures use, go to their web-pages (see below). Some have questionnaires or
specific sets of guidelines on submission of information. Otherwise, look at
some of their recent reports (under Documents on their web-pages). If you
have questions about confidentiality, ask.
Where to send information
Material (hard copy, fax or email) should be sent to the destinations given
below, addressed to the Special Rapporteur(s), Representative(s) or Working
Groups in question. If you think the material may be of interest to more than
one procedure, put: "to the Special Rapporteur on XXXX, on YYYY and the
Special Representative on ZZZZ" etc. at the head of the submission.
(by mail)
c/o
OHCHR-UNOG,
1211,
(or by fax) to
(+41-22) 917 9012
(or by email) to
urgent-action@ohchr.org
PROCEDURES MOST RELEVANT TO BURMA/MYANMAR
Special Rapporteur Mr. Paulo Sergio PINHEIRO (
Reports to the Commission and General Assembly
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/countries/mm/mandate/index.htm
ADEQUATE HOUSING
Special Rapporteur Mr. Miloon KOTHARI (India)
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/housing/index.htm
ARBITRARY DETENTION
Working Group
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/detention/index.htm
ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, ITS CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES
Special Rapporteur Ms. Yakin Ertürk (Turkey)
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/women/rapporteur
ENFORCED OR INVOLUNTARY DISAPPEARANCES
Working Group,
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/disappear/index.htm
Contact
wgeid@ohchr.org
Independent Expert Mr.Manfred NOWAK (Austria)
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/disappear/expert.htm
EXTRAJUDICIAL, SUMMARY AND ARBITRARY EXECUTIONS
Special Rapporteur Mr. Philip ALSTON (
Reports to the Commission and General Assembly
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/executions/index.htm
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF
Special Rapporteur Ms Asma JAHANGIR (
Reports to the Commission and General Assembly
Web-page: http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/religion/index.htm
HUMAN RIGHTS AND EXTREME POVERTY
Independent Expert Mr. Arjun SENGUPTA (
India )
Reports to the Commission, the Commission on the
Status of Women, the Commission on Sustainable Development
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/poverty/expert/index.htm
HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Special Rapporteur Mr. Rodolfo STAVENHAGEN (Mexico)
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/rapporteur
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS
Special Representative Ms. Hina JILANI (
Reports to the Commission and the General Assembly
Web-page: http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/defenders/index.htm
HUMAN
RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS
Special
Rapporteur Mr. J.A. BUSTAMANTE (
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/migration/rapporteur
IMPACT
OF ARMED
Special
Representative of the Secretary General Mr. Olara OTUNNU (
Reports to the General Assembly, copy to the Commission
Web-pages:
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/b/mchildsre.htm
http://www.un.org/special-rep/children-armed-conflict
Special
Rapporteur Rapporteur Mr. Leandro
DESPOUY (
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/judiciary/index.htm
INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
Special Representative of the Secretary General Mr. Walter Kälin (
Reports
to the Commission and General Assembly
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/idp/index.htm
RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE
Special Rapporteur Mr. Doudou DIENE (
Reports to the General Assembly and the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/racism/rapporteur/index.htm
RIGHT TO EDUCATION
Special Rapporteur Mr. Vernor MUÑOZ VILLALOBOS
(Costa Rica)
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/education/rapporteur/index.htm
RIGHT TO FOOD
Special Rapporteur Mr. Jean ZEIGLER (Switzerland)
Reports to the Commission and General Assembly
For this mandate, send information to the UN (see above) and also to:
Sally-Anne Way, Senior Researcher, Research Unit on the Right to Food For the
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food,
Institut Universitaire d'Etudes du Développement
24 Rue Rothschild
Case Postale 136,
CH-1211 Genève 21,
Switzerland
Fax (+41-22) 906 5994
Email specialrapporteur@righttofood.org
Web-pages:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/food/index.htm
http://www.righttofood.org
[Since this is a fairly new mandate, and there are only a few
reports to look at, I will point out that the Special Rapporteur is looking at
situations where actions by government agents restrict people's access to food
(e.g. by destroying food crops or stores, by forcibly relocating farmers away
from their land, by forcing people to do forced labour, thus reducing the time
they have for their own farming, etc.). In addition, he is looking at
situations where governments do not carry out their obligations to protect or fulfil the right to food.]
RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF OPINION AND EXPRESSION
Special Rapporteur Mr Ambeyi LIGABO (
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/opinion/index.htm
RIGHT TO EVERYONE TO THE ENJOYMENT OF THE HIGHEST ATTAINABLE STANDARD OF
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH
Special Rapporteur Mr. Paul HUNT (New Zealand)
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/health/right/index.htm
SALE OF CHILDREN, CHILD PROSTITUTION AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
Special Rapporteur Mr. Juan Miguel PETIT (Uruguay)
Reports to the Commission
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/children/rapporteur/index.htm
TORTURE
Special Rapporteur Mr. Manfred NOWAK (
Reports to the Commission and General Assembly
Web-page http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/torture/rapporteur
Updated October 2005