In Highlight: ICCPR Follow-up World Maps

The ICCPR Follow-up World Maps offer an effective and user-friendly tool for tracking how countries respond to the United Nations Human Rights Committee’s recommendations selected for the follow-up procedure. Here is what makes this tool special:

1. Clear and Simple Scoring: Countries are evaluated on their efforts to implement recommendations, using a grading scale from A to E that is officially used and assigned by the UN Human Rights Committee in the context of the follow-up procedure. This intuitive visual scoring system provides an at-a-glance view of where each country stands on its human rights commitments.
2. Timely and Accurate Data: The tool features only the most recent information, ensuring an up-to-date and accurate reflection of current human rights practices. Users can rely on the data to stay informed on the latest developments.
3. Empowering Advocacy: Specifically designed to support civil society, this tool equips individuals and organizations with clear visuals and reliable data on human rights progress that allows them to hold governments accountable.

The ICCPR Follow-up World Maps is a practical tool for tracking how countries turn international human rights commitments into measurable actions. Here’s how the maps work in practice:

In a hypothetical case in which a country receives recommendations from the UN Human Rights Committee to strengthen freedom of expression laws and combat discrimination against minority groups, the users can employ the ICCPR Follow-up World Maps to:

1. Track Responses: check if the country has submitted follow-up information outlining the steps it is taking to address these recommendations.\
2. Assess Implementation: Review the grade the country receives (ranging from A to E) based on its actual implementation efforts, which indicates the effectiveness of changes made to protect freedom of expression or minority rights.
3. Compare Performance: compare this country’s efforts with others in the region or globally to identify whether it’s leading or falling behind in meeting international standards.
4. Identify Areas for Advocacy: If the country is graded poorly, civil society organizations can use the information to advocate for stronger actions and policies to uphold these human rights commitments.

By providing clear, visual summaries of progress and areas for improvement, the ICCPR Follow-up World Maps functions as a helpful tool for anyone advocating for stronger human rights protections at the national level.

The ICCPR Follow-up World Maps finds its main users in human rights advocates, researchers, policymakers, and the general public. It is designed to make it easy for everyone to stay informed and involved in global human rights efforts.