The Role of National Human Rights Systems in the Implementation of International Human Rights Standards and Recommendations

Completed in December 2021

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The proliferation of United Nations (UN) and regional human rights mechanisms demands a systemic study of their national dynamics and effects, as states struggle to keep up with their reporting obligations and the implementation of a growing number of recommendations. In addition, UN and regional human rights systems often overlap in scope, whilst not prescribing strict measures of implementation. This entails that all domestic actors (governmental actors, independent state actors, and non-state actors) have multiple roles to play in relation to the implementation of international human rights norms and recommendations.

Improving the system at the international level constitutes therefore only one side of the coin. We also need to understand whether the international human rights system may benefit from improved coordination and leveraging of synergies at the national level.

This project – coordinated by Dr Domenico Zipoli – analysed the role of national human rights systems (NHRSs) in implementing international human rights standards and recommendations.

Partners

Consultation partners for this project included the Defensoria de Los Habitantes de Costa Rica, the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia, the National Human Rights Council of Morocco, the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

This research project was supported by the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Office of the United Nations and to the other International Organizations in Geneva.

NEWS

Dr Domenico Zipoli News

Our Research Fellow Dr Domenico Zipoli Successfully Defended his PhD Thesis

16 April 2021

Our Research Fellow Dr Domenico Zipoli just defended with success his PhD thesis The Power of Engagement: Assessing the Effectiveness of Cooperation between UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies and National Human Rights Institutions.

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Members of Parliament from the Hirshabelle State of Somalia, following proceedings during a courtesy visit to the Machakos County Assembly, Kenya News

National Strategies for Human Rights Monitoring and Implementation

12 February 2021

Our new publication analyses institutional cooperation initiatives at the domestic level designed to strengthen human rights implementation.

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Entrance of the Defensoria Publica News

Experts Discuss Strategies for more Effective National Human Rights Systems

17 December 2020

Experts from Geneva-based human rights mechanisms and representatives from more than 20 different national human rights systems discussed in an online meeting the implementation of human rights standards through national human rights systems.

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OUTPUT

Publication Clarifies the Role of National Human Rights Systems in the Implementation of International Human Rights Standards

Launched in January 2021, the Briefing National Human Rights Strategies: The Role of National Human Rights Systems in the Implementation of International Human Rights Standards analyses institutional cooperation initiatives at the domestic level designed to strengthen human rights implementation.

Based on collected evidence from three national contexts – Costa Rica, Mongolia, Morocco and Paraguay – it provides a classification of national monitoring and implementation strategies and consolidates into one publication the most recent efforts at systematizing the role and functions of NHRSs from both an academic and policy perspective. It represents a concrete and useful tool to further streamline the uptake of recommendations from the UN human rights system at the national level, notably by identifying best practices and formulating a series of key recommendations.

This publication was informed by a series of online workshops and an international conference that helped identify the best national practices that are most effective in the monitoring and implementation of international human rights recommendations.

Publications

Cover page of the Briefing

Briefing No°18: National Human Rights Strategies: The Role of National Human Rights Systems in the Implementation of International Human Rights Standards

January 2021

Domenico Zipoli

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights; The International Land Coalition

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Cover page of the publication

Treaty Bodies’ Individual Communication Procedures: Providing Redress and Reparation to Victims of Human Rights Violations

May 2019

Claire Callejon, Kamelia Kemileva, Felix Kirchmeier

Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Cover page of the publication

Optimizing the UN Treaty Body System

May 2018

Domenico Zipoli, Felix Kirchmeier, Kamelia Kemileva, Claire Callejon

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

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Cover of the publication Publication

Briefing N° 25: Localizing Multilateralism

published on March 2025

Domenico Zipoli, Ludovica Chiussi Curzi, Kamelia Kemileva

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