PADM 5888. International Human Rights

4. Enforcement mechanisms, pro and contra including the role of secretariats and NGOs

 12, 14 February 2024

This session will look at the range of enforcement mechanisms for human rights, includng broad intergovernmental bodies like the Human Rights Council and the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, the human rights treaty bodies, the function of Special Rapporteurs, the role of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and his office as well as specialized secretariats like the International Labour Office. It will pay attention to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Amnesty International and Human Right Watch.

Questions covered	Why were non-state actors included in the human rights enforcement bodies? What is the role of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights? What were the issues of the two International Covenants?
Lectures	Enforcement lecture
Required readings	McFarland, Chapters 15, 17 and 19 "Who we are" from the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Annual Report of the Human Rights Council 2023 (A/78/53) Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights including his 2018 Report Material on the most recent Universal Periodic Reviews of China, Norway, Saudi Arabia and the United States found in the course Canvas
Recommended readings	51st session of the Human Rights Council (12 September to 7 October 2022), especially the agenda and program of work. Look at the website of Amnesty International Look at the website of Human Rights Watch Richard K. Ghere, NGO Leadership and Human Rights, Introduction and Chapter 1
Discussion questions	What are the main NGOs dealing with human rights enforcement? What does the staff of the OHCHR do? What is a Special Rapporteur?
Recording	Recordings of 12 and 14 February 2024 will be in the course Canvas

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Revised: January 23, 2024 .