A New Tool to Optimize the Planning of Treaty Bodies Sessions

Print screen of the treaty bodies scheduler Print screen of the treaty bodies scheduler

1 October 2018

Our publication ‘Optimizing the UN Treaty Bodies System’ outlines a series of recommendations related to the functioning of UN treaty bodies (TBs) and provides detailed and innovative solutions for optimizing the system, including the consolidated reporting model and clustered dialogue.

‘Instead of writing separate reports to each TBs, states could do this in one document which they could discuss in clustered dialogues with the various TBs, going to one TB to the next in a door-to-door review’ underlines Felix Kirchmeier, Coordinator of the Geneva Human Rights Platform.

The ‘Treaty Body Scheduler’

The Geneva Academy developed a new tool, the ‘Treaty Body Scheduler’, which allows planning, in the context of a consolidated report and clustered dialogue, the best schedules for TBs sessions.

While the duration of TBs sessions would remain approximately the same, the schedules developed by this tool would allow delegations to reduce their travels to Geneva. This type of organization would also promote greater interactions between Committees’ members as they would be in session simultaneously.

‘It is important for us to show that our recommendations can be implemented and stand up the reality check of an IT-simulation’ stresses Felix Kirchmeier. ‘All our recommendations can be implemented by TBs and states without any change to the existing legal framework’ he adds.

Consultations with Stakeholders

This new tool has already been presented to states, treaty body members, as well as to the staff of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

‘This IT programme would allow changing all the parameters regarding sessions, time and combination of committees and to adapt it to different scenarios. At the moment, as resources did not allow to develop a user interface, we cannot yet put it online’ explains Felix Kirchmeier.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

Training course on the UPR News

A Successful First Year for the GHRP Training Hub

16 December 2022

In 2022, the new Training Hub of the Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP) conducted seven training courses – two regular courses and five customized courses – in Geneva, online and in the field.

Read more

Special Rapporteur name plate at the UN Human Rights Council News

Research Provides Critical Insights to Understand the Impact of Interventions by UN Special Procedures

16 January 2023

Our new working paper Assessment Tool for Special Procedures' Impact Evaluation – Developing an Initial Framework examines how to further develop methodologies to appraise the impact of UN Special Procedures.

Read more

View of a session of the UN Human Rights Committee Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

3-7 July 2023

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

Read more

Open dump Training

Protecting Human Rights and the Environment

11-15 September 2023

This training course will explore the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as with their implementation and enforcement mechanisms; and provide practical insights into the different UN human rights mechanisms pertinent to advancing environmental issues and protecting environmental human rights defenders.

Read more

Panel Discussion: Project

Treaty Body Members’ Platform

Started in January 2014

The Treaty Body Members’ Platform connects experts in UN treaty bodies with each other as well as with Geneva-based practitioners, academics and diplomats to share expertise, exchange views on topical questions and develop synergies.

Read more

View of a session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

Human Rights Conversations

Started in January 2020

A series of events aimed at discussing contemporary issues and challenges related to the promotion and protection of human rights in Geneva and beyond.

Read more

Cover of the publication Publication

The Emergence of Digital Human Rights Tracking Tools and Databases

published on March 2023

Domenico Zipoli

Read more