UN human rights mechanisms dealing with torture UN human rights mechanisms can be broadly divided into two groups: charterbased (political) and treaty-based (expert) bodies. In the political bodies, the main actors are the member States of the UN; while in the expert bodies, they are private individuals who are expected to be independent of any government and experts in the issues addressed by the respective body (see Figure 1). While these are interconnected, they have distinctly different mandates and working methods, which are important to know when thinking about possible engagement with them. Political bodies The main political mechanisms are the UN General Assembly’s 3rd Committee and the Human Rights Council. Their main function is elaboration of international human rights standards and promotion of their General Assembly (3rd Committee) Special Procedures Charter-based bodies (political bodies) Treaty-based bodies (expert bodies) Human Rights Council UPR Standard Setting CAT, CCPR, CESCR, CRC, CRPD, CED, CEDAW, CERD, CMW, Others Regular reviews of States’ treaty compliance SPT Country visits Individual complaints Treaty interpretation NPM Figure 1 - The UN Human Rights System Acronyms: CAT - Committee against Torture CCPR - Human Rights Committee CESCR - Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights CRC - Committee on the Rights of the Child CRPD - Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities CED - Committee on Enforced Disappearances 6 CEDAW - Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women CERD - Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination CMW - Committee on Migrant Workers UPR - Universal Periodic Review SPT - Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture NPM - Supervision of establishment of National Preventative Mechanisms Engaging with UN Human Rights Mechanisms: An Introduction