the United Nations Secretariat, who manage the agenda of the committee
and coordinate its programme of work. The secretariats of all treaty bodies
are based in Geneva at OHCHR.
Specialized agencies, funds and programmes
The various specialized agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations system that carry out much of the work of the United Nations, including
promoting and protecting human rights. All treaty bodies permit United Nations agencies to provide additional country information in the context of the
consideration of a particular State report. Some specialized agencies also
provide technical assistance to States, both in the implementation of treaty
obligations and in the writing of reports for the treaty bodies. Some of the
United Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes involved in
the human rights treaty system are: the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations, the International Labour Organization, the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Joint United Nations Programme
on HIV/AIDS, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations
Population Fund, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United
Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and
the Empowerment of Women, and the World Health Organization. United
Nations country teams also participate increasingly in the work of human
rights treaty bodies.
State party report
The report that each State party to a human rights treaty is required, under
the provisions of that treaty, to submit regularly to the treaty body, indicating
the measures it has adopted to implement the treaty and the difficulties it has
encountered. All treaties require a comprehensive initial report within a fixed
time after ratification and, with the exception of the International Convention
for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, also subsequent periodic reports at regular intervals.
Targeted or focused report
See “treaty-specific report”.
Treaty, convention, covenant or instrument
Legally, there is no difference between a treaty, a convention or a covenant.
All are international legal instruments which, in international law, legally
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