Preface

This Guide is written for the development practitioner - in particular the non-human rights expert. It aims to provide an overview on how to strengthen engagement with the international human rights machinery, specifically with UN Treaty Bodies and UN Special Procedures. The guide was developed in response to calls from development practitioners for practical guidance in this area, following an online e-discussion on held on the UN Human Rights Policy Network- HuriTalk - in 2007. The information provided in the Guide is based upon the views and experiences that UN practitioners shared in the course of the e-discussion.

The 7 week e-discussion on “How to Strengthen Engagement with the International Human Rights Machinery” focused on two of the main pillars of the international human rights machinery: Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures. Participants in the e-discussion explored how development actors (primarily, practitioners from UN agencies and UNCTs) could benefit from the work of the human rights machinery for country programming and development activities. They also looked at how they could better support national actors to engage with these mechanisms. Participants from various UN agencies, countries and regions took part in the discussion.

The examples and case studies shared during the course of the e-discussion illustrate the importance of these mechanisms as tools for addressing national development challenges. They also illustrate a number of practical strategies for translating this framework into concrete action at the national level. These examples, suggestions and insights form the basis of this practitioner’s guide.

For UN staff members wishing to review in detail the structure of the UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, a detailed handbook is available from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).