Part III Organs Monitoring Treaty Compliance, 18 Reform of the UN Human Rights Treaty Body System

Subject(s):

Human rights

This chapter studies the initiatives mounted over the years by the United Nations to reform the operation of the treaty body system to respond to persistent difficulties. These have proceeded through a series of distinct initiatives which include the expert reports produced by Professor Philip Alston between 1989 and 1997; the ‘Unified Standing Treaty Body’ proposal championed by the former UNHCHR, Louise Arbour; and the so-called ‘Dublin process’ spearheaded by her successor to the post, Navanethem Pillay, which itself prompted the initiation of an inter-governmental process on treaty body reform. The chapter then traces the outcomes of the reform agenda as it has unfolded over the years, highlighting the nature of the processes adopted and culminating in a cautious prognosis for the future.