REPORTING TO THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS TREATY BODIES TRAINING GUIDE: Part I — Manual 3. The Benefits of Treaty Body Reporting This Chapter explains how the State parties can benefit from reporting to the Treaty Bodies. It discusses how reporting can help State parties evaluate compliance with international human rights treaties, through self-assessment, promotion of national dialogue and acquisition of access to international expert advice and experience from other countries. Reporting to the Treaty Bodies is not a one-off event or simply an administrative duty that has to be done merely to fulfil an international obligation under the treaty. It is rather a fundamental part of the whole human rights treaty implementation process and of the engagement of a State with the Treaty Bodies. Keeping in mind that the ultimate goal of reporting is to improve the situation of right-holders at national level, State parties can greatly benefit from it as the whole reporting process, from preparing the national report to the constructive dialogue with the Treaty Bodies and follow-up of recommendations, enables them to conduct a self-assessment of their compliance with their human rights treaties obligations, promotes national dialogue, and allows States to benefit from international expert advice and experience from other countries. 3.1. Self-assessment of compliance with a treaty The national process of preparing a treaty report allows States to take stock of and critically assess their own human rights situation, thus offering State parties an occasion for: ¡¡ conducting a comprehensive review of the measures it has taken to harmonize national laws, policies, programmes and practices with the provisions of a relevant international human rights treaty; ¡¡ monitoring progress made in promoting the enjoyment of the rights set forth in the treaties in the context of the promotion of human rights norms in general, including through human rights-based data collection and analysis; ¡¡ identifying problems and gaps as well as achievements in implementation; ¡¡ planning, drafting and adopting appropriate laws, policies and programmes to increase compliance with the treaties. The State party report is the main document in the reporting process and it should provide focused information and analysis of the status of implementation of human rights under the respective treaty, including shortcomings and challenges in that regard. 26