New Paper Delves into Reporting Practices under International Treaties

13 November 2023

First introduced in 1919 by the League of Nations and the International Labour Organization (ILO), state reporting procedures have been developed to assist state parties in complying with their obligations under many international and regional treaties. This new working paper by our Geneva Human Rights Platform International Treaty-Based Reporting Practices Review Report provides an overview of more than 30 reporting practices, their specificities and good practices in this ever-growing field.

Written by Claire Callejon, Felix Kirchmeier and Domenico Zipoli, the paper digs into the current international and regional reporting systems in the fields of human rights, labour, environment, education, culture, health and crime/security.

‘This paper was produced in the context of our cooperation with the ILO secretariat and as a follow-up to our involvement in the 2020 Review of the UN treaty body system, This review is still underway at the UN General Assembly where states, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN treaty bodies struggle to implement its recommendations, including those related to reporting’ explains Felix Kirchmeier, Executive Director of the Geneva Human Right Platform.

Key Findings

The paper highlights that most reporting systems do face similar problems like under-reporting, backlog, as well as lack of visibility and consistency. Some enjoy excellent compliance, but this seems to come at the cost of lowered expert scrutiny.

The paper also identifies some good practices like combined reviews in the field of human rights reporting, regional approaches and prioritization at UNESCO and most notably the use of electronic systems to facilitate the flow of information both ways. These include enhanced visibility of review mechanisms’ outputs that encourage good practices, and diligence in reporting and facilitate engagement of stakeholders, as well as simplified online submission of information via secure portals.

‘State representatives in Geneva and New York are struggling to find the best ways to implement the recommendations of the 2020 TB Review report’ says Felix Kirchmeier

‘Our findings – which do not provide specific recommendations for any particular reporting system – allow for very valuable comparisons and to identify replicable good practices. They can thus help diplomats and staff of these reporting systems’ secretariats to look beyond the human rights field, see how and why other mechanisms function better and recognize shared shortcomings’ he adds.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

SIDS Training GHRP News

Practical Training on Human Rights Council Procedures Strengthens SIDS/LDCs Engagement

21 July 2025

Sixteen diplomats from fifteen Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries participated in a two-day Practical Training on Human Rights Council Procedures.

Read more

GHRP Ai for Good Workshop News

Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Human Rights Monitoring: Key Takeaways from the AI for Good Workshop

22 July 2025

Our event brought together human rights practitioners, data scientists, and AI experts to explore how artificial intelligence can support efforts to monitor human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Read more

Town Hall Meeting Training

Localizing International Human Rights

8-10 October 2025

This training course, specifically designed for staff of city and regional governments, will explore the means and mechanisms through which local and regional governments can interact with and integrate the recommendations of international human rights bodies in their concrete work at the local level.

Read more

Open dump Training

Protecting Human Rights and the Environment

15-19 September 2025

Participants in this training course will gain practical insights into UN human rights mechanisms and their role in environmental protection and learn about how to address the interplay between international human rights and environmental law, and explore environmental litigation paths.

Read more

surveillance image of people Project

Human Rights in a Digitalized World: Mapping Risk, Strengthening Regulation and Promoting the Development of International Human Rights Law

Started in August 2023

To unpack the challenges raised by artificial intelligence, this project will target two emerging and under-researched areas: digital military technologies and neurotechnology.

Read more

George Floyd protest in Washington D.C. Project

Promoting and Protecting the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association and Civic Space Worldwide

Started in June 2020

This project aims at providing support to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Clément Voulé by addressing emerging issues affecting civic space and eveloping tools and materials allowing various stakeholders to promote and defend civic space.

Read more

Cover of the publication Publication

Briefing N° 25: Localizing Multilateralism

published on March 2025

Domenico Zipoli, Ludovica Chiussi Curzi, Kamelia Kemileva

Read more

Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

Read more