Resources

International Human Rights Treaties and Declarations  

United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders

The Declaration on human rights defenders was adopted by consensus by the General Assembly in 1998, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, after 14 year of negotiations. (See General Assembly Resolution A/RES/53/144 adopting the Declaration on human rights defenders).

A collective effort by a number of human rights non-governmental organizations and some State delegations helped to ensure a strong, useful and pragmatic final text.

Whereas the Declaration is not a legally binding instrument, it contains principles and rights that are based on human rights standards enshrined in other legally binding international instruments that are legally binding. Moreover, the adoption of the Declaration by the General Assembly by consensus represents a very strong commitment by States to its implementation. 

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is an international human rights treaty adopted in 1966. The ICCPR is a key international human rights treaty, providing a range of protections for civil and political rights.

The ICCPR, together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, are considered the International Bill of Human Rights.

The ICCPR obligates countries that have ratified the treaty to protect and preserve basic human rights, such as: the right to life and human dignity; equality before the law; freedom of speech, assembly, and association; religious freedom and privacy; freedom from torture, ill-treatment, and arbitrary detention; gender equality; the right to a fair trial; right family life and family unity; and minority rights.

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), together with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966 by consensus, with no abstentions (General Assembly resolution 2200 A (XXI) of 16 December 1966).

The ICESCR entered into force in general on 3 January 1976 and the ICCPR on 24 March 1976. Both treaties and the Optional Protocol to ICCPR resulted from some eighteen years of debates and negotiations in the new institutional context provided by the United Nations.

Convention Against Torture 

The Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 10 December 1984 (resolution 39/46). The Convention entered into force on 26 June 1987 after it had been ratified by 20 States.

The CAT was the result of many years’ work, initiated soon after the adoption of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the “Torture Declaration”) by the General Assembly on 9 December 1975 (resolution 3452).

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women.  Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.

Convention on the Rights of the Child

In 1989, world leaders made a historic commitment to the world’s children by adopting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) – an international agreement on childhood. 

It’s become the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and has helped transform children’s lives around the world. 

Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and its Optional Protocol (A/RES/61/106) was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.There were 82 signatories to the Convention, 44 signatories to the Optional Protocol, and 1 ratification of the Convention.

This is the highest number of signatories in history to a UN Convention on its opening day.  The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development dimension. It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

It clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights must be reinforced.

International Covenant on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is the centerpiece of the international regime for the protection and enforcement of the right against racial discrimination. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was adopted in the 1965 and entered into force in 1969. It remains the principal international human rights instrument defining and prohibiting racial discrimination in all sectors of private and public life.

By becoming a party to ICERD, States have declared that racial discrimination should be outlawed and have pledged themselves to abide by the terms of the Convention. ICERD authorizes the establishment of an international committee of experts to oversee Member State compliance with the treaty, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICMWR) was signed in 1990 and entered into force in 2003. It is a comprehensive international treaty that deals with the protection of migrant workers’ rights. The Convention text is available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish.

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, provides a global framework for efforts to advance indigenous peoples’ rights. Together with other human rights instruments and growing human rights jurisprudence concerning indigenous peoples, the Declaration contains crucial guidance for building societies that ensure full equality and rights of indigenous peoples.

United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (UNGPs) on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises. The Special Representative annexed the Guiding Principles to his final report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/17/31), which also includes an introduction to the Guiding Principles and an overview of the process that led to their development. The Human Rights Council endorsed the Guiding Principles in its resolution 17/4 of 16 June 2011.

United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training

The United Nations Human Rights Council on 23 March adopted a declaration on human rights education and training. The declaration is not a legal instrument and does not contain any new rights but is important in signifying the international community’s commitment to making people aware of their fundamental rights. 

The declaration consists of 14 articles that cover a range of practical education and training activities which aim to help people to understand their fundamental rights and liberties better.

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.

Indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals

Global indicator framework and respective metadata for the Sustainable Development Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

List of SDG Indicators

SDG Indicators' Metadata