the output generated by the treaty bodies
will have a more detailed and technical
nature. Because the output comes from
individual experts, its legitimacy with the
States that are responsible for its implementation depends on its quality and the
process through which it came about. If
output is of a high quality, relevant and
produced in a process where States can
feel that their views have been considered,
States are, generally speaking, more likely
to have a positive attitude towards national
implementation.
Determining if and
how to engage with UN
mechanisms
UN human rights mechanisms have the potential to make an important contribution
to advancing human rights for rights holders on the ground — if they are adequately
informed about the national context, and
if national stakeholders, including NGOs,
are actively using the outputs from the UN
mechanisms in the promotion of human
rights in their respective countries.
However, with limited human and financial
resources available to NGOs, it is important
that these are focused on the interventions
that generate the best outcome for the time
and money invested. It is therefore important for torture rehabilitation organisations
and other civil society organisations to consider a number of factors before deciding if
and how to engage with UN human rights
mechanisms. This will help to determine
whether the expected outcome is proportional to the investment that will have to be
made and how outcome can be maximised.
8
Engaging with UN Human Rights Mechanisms: An Introduction
In addition, engagement with UN human
rights mechanisms may result in other
less obvious results, notably a change in
the relationships between the different
national stakeholders. The sections below
will present some general considerations
that can be used for an initial self-assessment in relation to expected outcomes,
the necessary investment and possible effects on the relationship between national
stakeholders. For a full assessment of the
relevance of engaging with UN human
rights mechanisms, the IRCT is available
for input and further discussion.
Expected outcomes
The following factors are elements for
consideration in an assessment of what
outcomes at the national level can be expected from engagement with UN human
rights mechanisms and how to maximise
these outcomes. In other words, it needs to