United Nations treaty body reform : human rights are not optional

Abstract

This in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of the UN system has generated four main thematic areas requiring major reforms: (1) budgetary, (2) procedural limitation, (3) inherent weaknesses and (4) difficulty with implementation and enforcement. Issues under discussion herein, to name a few are: the political will of States, the reservation system, the individual complaints system, the non-binding nature of the decisions and inaccessibility of the system to those most vulnerable. Recommendations for reforms in these areas as well as additional ones are proposed. The four thematic areas are interconnected.