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Glossary

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Please look through this glossary before reading the rest of this guide. It will help you get to grips with the jargon you need in order to operate effectively within the UN. If you see a word in the explanation column with which you are unfamiliar, you should find it explained elsewhere in the glossary itself.

term explanation examples
adoption The process of agreeing to be bound by a human rights instrument that falls short of ratifying a treaty. The Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers have been adopted by the UK.
article The term used to describe the various clauses that make up Conventions and Covenants. Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights protects the right to a fair trial.
the committees The six bodies that oversee the implementation of the six human rights treaties: the Human Rights Committee, the Committee against Torture, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights. The Human Rights Committee is considered by many to be the most important of the committees, although it is not the oldest committee. The Committees are serviced by six Secretaries in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
the commission The UN Commission on Human Rights. The Special Rapporteur on Torture reports to the Commission.
consultative status Large NGOs who regularly work with the UN can apply for recognition as an NGO that the UN will consult about human rights matters. Some UN bodies, such as the Commission and Sub-Commission, only allow NGOs with consultative status to have access to them. See Appendix A for a list of NGOs in Britain and Ireland with consultative status. In Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties is a member of the International Federation of Human Rights, an NGO with consultative status at the UN. Their counterpart in Northern Ireland is the Committee on the Administration of Justice.
country rapporteur Someone appointed by a human rights body to report on the human rights situation in a given country, either because that country’s human rights record is giving cause for concern, or because that country’s record is due for examination after submitting a periodic report. The Country Rapporteur is normally a member of the body itself. Confusingly, Special Rapporteurs of the Commission can also be appointed to oversee the human rights situation in a particular country. Committee member Professor Peter Burns was one of two Country Rapporteurs on the UK when the Committee against Torture met in November 1995.
Covenants The two human rights treaties made to expand upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One is the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the other is the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The right to self-determination appears in both Covenants.
conventions The human rights treaties that spell out detailed rights. The four conventions covered by this guide are those against torture, racial discrimination, and discrimination against women and for the protection of the rights of the child. In November 1995 the Committee against Torture considered the UK’s second periodic report on its observance of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment.
declarations These are policy statements adopted by the various UN bodies. They are essentially statements of intent. They lay down human rights standards and they frequently lead to the drawing up of basic principles or rules and/or the appointment of a Special Rapporteur. The best known of the declarations is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
delegations The term used to refer to those representing the government before UN bodies. NGOs may think of themselves as delegates, but are usually referred to as representatives. UK delegations are usually made up of civil servants, whereas Ireland sometimes sends the relevant government minister.
fundamental freedoms These are human rights which involve basic freedoms that are held to be inherent, such as freedom from torture, freedom of expression, and freedom of association. The right to join a trade union is a fundamental freedom arising from the right to freedom of association. · The Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects human rights and fundamental freedoms.
human rights The rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. These rights include what are commonly called civil liberties (i.e. civil and political rights such as the right to vote), as well as economic and social rights and fundamental freedoms. Freedom from torture, the right to a fair trial, and the right to adequate health care are all human rights.
human rights defenders People who protect the human rights of others or campaign on human rights issues. Both British Irish Rights Watch and the members of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission are human rights defenders.
implementation Put into practice, applied. The implementation of human rights instruments such as the Convention against Torture are the responsibility of governments.
inter-sessional The term used to describe meetings that take place between sessions. · The Working Group on Minorities has an annual inter-sessional meeting between Sub-Commission meetings.
instruments The term that covers all the different documents that embody human rights standards: Declarations, Covenants, Conventions, Basic Principles, etc. The various types of human rights instruments are explained in the human rights machinery of the un.
mandate The remit and authority given to a body or officer to carry out their functions. The mandate is usually specified in a resolution passed by the authorising body. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women was created by a resolution of the Commission passed in 1994.
member states The governments who belong to the UN. Uzbekistan became a Member State in 1992.
MISSION A visit to a Member State by a UN official. The word is also used to describe the offices maintained by member states in Geneva and New York. The Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers undertook a mission to the UK in 1997.
ngo Non-governmental organisation. This includes voluntary groups, community groups, pressure groups, campaigns, charities, trade unions, and virtually any other group that is not part of the government. It does not include commercial organisations, although a group representing, for example, small businesses would be recognised as an NGO. It also probably does not include quangos appointed by the government, such as the Commission for Racial Equality. French and Spanish speakers refer to NGOs as ONGs. NGOs are the best source of independent information concerning the human rights situation in a country. · Irresponsible NGOs can get others a bad name. · British Irish rights watch is an NGO but the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is not.
office of the high commissioner for human rights The office within the UN in Geneva that deals with human rights. The Secretaries to the Committees and Working Groups and the Assistants to the Rapporteurs all work in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. · Mary Robinson is the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
optional protocol An addition to a human rights instrument that States Party can ratify if they wish to, but do not have to do so. The term usually applies to the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which allows individuals to complain to the Human Rights Committee about their government’s failure to respect or implement the Covenant, but optional protocols to other treaties also exist. Ireland has ratified the Optional Protocol, but the UK has not. · The Commission is discussing a draft optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights.
periodic report A report made by a government to one of the Committees that monitor human rights treaties explaining how it has implemented the relevant Convention or Covenant. Such reports are made at regular intervals, usually every 2, 4 or 5 years. tates Party must make a periodic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination every 2 years.
pre-sessional A term used to describe a meeting that takes place before the start of a session. The Human Rights Committee has a pre-sessional meeting to discuss the questions it will put to governments appearing before it at the next-but-one session.
1503 procedure The confidential procedure for complaining about consistent patterns of gross human rights violations - see making a complaint under the 1503 procedure. The 1503 procedure has been invoked against many countries.
rapporteur Reporter. A rapporteur is usually a member of a Committee or Working Group who has been delegated to report to that body on a particular matter. See also Special Rapporteur and Country Rapporteur. The Human Rights Committee appoints one of its members to act as its Rapporteur on complaints under the Optional Protocol.
ratification The process whereby a government agrees to be bound by a human rights treaty. Ireland ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992.
realisation Translation into reality. When a human right is implemented so that people can actually enjoy it, it has been realised. Some countries are more advanced than others in achieving the realisation of economic and social rights.
session Meeting. Usually used to describe the whole period of days or weeks during which a particular committee, working group, or other UN body meets. Sessions are often described numerically, to indicate how often the particular body has met since it was set up. Confusingly, the three-hour long sittings of such bodies each morning and afternoon are also often referred to as sessions. The fifty-seventh session of the Commission on Human Rights took place between 19 March and 27 April 1999. · The press release for the morning session of the Human Rights Committee will be available at the afternoon session.
special rapporteur Someone appointed to report to a human rights body, usually the Commission and sometimes the Sub-Commission, on a particular issue or country. The Special Rapporteur will usually be a human rights expert who either serves on the body itself or is appointed by the body. Special Rapporteurs are serviced by Assistants in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
special representative A Special Representative is very like a Special Rapporteur, but is appointed by the Secretary-General to the UN rather than by the Commission or Sub-Commission. Hina Jilani is the Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders.
state(s) party A government that has become a party to (agreed to be bound by) a UN treaty. Ireland is a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
the sub-commission The UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights - see table. The Sub-Commission is composed of 26 human rights experts and it reports to the Commission.
submission A written report from an NGO describing human rights violations. British Irish rights watch has made many submissions to the UN concerning human rights violations in Northern Ireland.
thematic Some of the UN working groups and rapporteurs investigate particular themes or topics within human rights, such as the disposal of toxic waste or the rights of minorities. Their mandate is described as thematic, as opposed to country-specific. Some have an investigative role, which means that they not only report to their parent body within the UN, but that they can actively examine complaints by raising them with the government against which the complaint is made. The Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance has a thematic mandate, but the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Racism is confined to submitting a report.
treaties The six instruments which have the status of international treaties. They include the two Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, and the four Conventions against torture, racial discrimination, discrimination against women, and on children’s rights. The Committees that monitor these treaties are often referred to as being treaty-based or treaty-monitoring bodies, or simply as treaty bodies. · The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most recent of the treaties (1990).
UK United Kingdom
UN United Nations
Violation Breach, contravention, infraction, infringement. Any failure to uphold a human right, or any denial of that right, is called a violation. The human rights machinery of the UN is designed to deal with human rights violations.
working groups Working parties made up of five or more members of a human rights body, appointed to investigate or study a particular country or human rights issue, or to draw up new sets of standards. Some report to the Commission and some to the Sub-Commission. The Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery reports to the Sub-Commission.
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