As co-facilitators of the UN human rights treaty body review process, the Permanent Missions of Switzerland and Morocco to the UN are calling for written contributions, open to all relevant stakeholders.
Although there are no restrictions to the inputs, some issues may guide the submissions:
  1. The functioning of the treaty body system and suggestions for its further improvement;
  2. Implementation of UNGA resolution 68/268 and views on biennial report of the UN Secretary-General on the status of the treaty body system;
  3. Good practices and methodologies in relation to working methods and procedural matters, including harmonization and alignment of working methods;
  4. Coordination and predictability in review cycles and reporting;
  5. Current reporting system, including common core document, and ways to further improve and simplify reporting for States parties whilst ensuring the substantive quality of the national reports;
  6. Dialogue between States and treaty bodies both in preparation for and during States reviews as well as in follow-up to the review;
  7. Assessment of the concluding observations and recommendations;
  8. Strengthening the engagement with civil society and other relevant stakeholders;
  9. The capacity-building programme, experiences and impact, in terms of reporting and in terms of national implementation of recommendations;
  10. Use of new information and communications technologies and its potential to further increase efficiency and accessibility;
  11. Opportunity of reviews in countries or in regions;
  12. Preserve and strengthen the independence and impartiality of treaty body members and ensure diversity;
  13. Enhancement of the coordinating role of treaty bodies Chairpersons;
  14. Overall coherence of the treaty body system and the collaboration among treaty bodies as well as within the UN system and with regional monitoring bodies;
  15. Funding of the treaty body system and ensuring that treaty bodies have an adequate allocation of financial and human resources for all their mandated activities;
  16. Current system of processing individual communications, inter-State communications and urgent actions and suggestions for its further improvement;
  17. Accessibility for persons with disabilities and wider accessibility and visibility of the work of the treaty bodies;
  18. Efficient and effective use of the meetings of States parties.

All submissions should be sent in English to treatybodies@gmail.com by 7 July 2020 and will be published on the OHCHR webpage.

TB-Net is engaging and preparing a submission – stay tuned!