UN Human Rights Bodies : The

UN Human Rights Bodies : The United Nations human rights bodies are of two types; those which derive their
existence from relevant provisions of the UN Charter and those which derive their existence from UN Human
Rights treaties.
THECHARTER BASED BODIES ARE : the Commission on Human Rights and its Sub-commission on Prevention of
Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. They are the main UN bodies with a general and broad
mandate to cover all areas of human rights. There is also the Commission on the Status of Women which
focuses on issues related to the human rights of women.
KEY TREATY-BASED BODIES DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO HIV/AIDS ARE: the Human Rights Committee established by the
provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights, established by the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights; the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, established by the
provisions of the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and the
Committee on the Rights of Child, established by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights : This covenant elaborates the political and civil
rights identified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which include mainly: the rights to life, privacy, fair
trial, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom from torture and equality before the law. (Also see UN
Human Rights Bodies)
UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights : The rights recognised by the
covenant include mainly : the rights to work, form and join trade unions, social security, protection of the family,
the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, education and participation in cultural life.(Also see
UN Human Rights Bodies)