2. Treaty Bodies: Going Deeper

Since 1988, the UN has undertaken several major initiatives to enhance the effectiveness of the treaty body system. The last major Treaty Body strengthening process concluded in April 2014, with a review that took place in 2020 and 2022.

In the years since, efforts to strengthen the treaty body system have continued, with the aim to improve efficiency, accessibility, and effectiveness. The growth of the Treaty Bodies over the last 50 years has resulted in significant enhancement of human rights protection, but has also generated major challenges for all stakeholders, including:

• growing backlog of State reports, individual communications, and urgent actions;
• lack of predictability of state review schedules;
• poor State compliance with reporting and implementation obligations;
• low visibility of Treaty Bodies and their recommendations (notably at the national level);
• multiplicity and complexity of working procedures among Treaty Bodies;
• lack of digital tools to carry out the Treaty Bodies’ work more efficiently; and
• limited coordination or complementarity with other UN human rights bodies, especially the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

During the annual meeting of chairpersons, the coordination of their activities and how to enhance the work of the Treaty Bodies individually and collectively is discussed. Informal consultations with States and civil society are also held in parallel.

Where are we at now?

• Gradual shift towards the adoption of predictable cycles of reviews by all treaty bodies (June 2022)
• In 2023 the OHCHR published a working paper entitled ‘Options and Guiding Questions for the Development of an Implementation Plan for the Conclusions of the Treaty Chairs’. At the 35th meeting of Treaty Body Chairs the Chairs published a report setting out their conclusions in respect of the working paper. The most recent biennial resolution of the General Assembly Third Committee on the treaty body strengthening process, was adopted in late 2024, in practice did not take things forward substantially but reaffirmed the key principles of resolution 68/268.

The OHCHR webpage on Treaty Body strengthening also provides a summary of the process.

How can you engage?

• You can participate directly during the annual meeting of the Treaty Body chairs as there is usually space in the agenda for interaction with NGOs. Details on the annual meeting of Treaty Body chairs, including agenda and OHCHR contact details are available on the OHCHR webpage.
• You can also get in touch with dedicated NGOs which have a special working relationship with each Treaty Body. See ISHR Academy: NGO coalitions and others actors
• Other opportunities for NGO engagement with the Treaty Body strengthening are mentioned on the dedicated OHCHR webpage and in updates in the OHCHR weekly newsletter.

In the next section, you will learn what you can do to push your government to ratify a treaty.