THE CONVENTION

• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

  • Adopted by General Assembly in 1966 and entered into force in 1976
• As of June 2022, the Covenant has 173 state parties and six more signatories without ratification, most notably, China and Cuba
• As a piece of international law, the ICCPR obligates countries that have ratified the treaty to protect and preserve basic human rights.
• Aim of the ICCPR

  ensure the protection  of civil and political rights
• article 2 of ICCPR


  Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to respect and to ensure to all individuals within its territory...the rights recognized in the present Covenant, without distinction of any kind
• ENFORCEMENT: Human Rights Committee

  • established to monitor implementation of the ICCPR. 
  • 18 experts with recognized competence in human rights. 
  • states that have ratified the ICCPR are obliged to report to the Committee every four years on how rights are being implemented. 
  • as the committee is not a court, it has no power of enforcement or binding decisions. 
• The Human Rights Committee has played a crucial role in guiding States in implementing and interpreting the Covenant through its observations, general comments and findings. It consistently assisted the State parties in implementing the Covenant and recommended specific measures to ensure compliance.
• Many NGO's submit information and provide Committee Members with areas of concern regarding the country report. This information is relied on by the Committee to counter information submitted by the government.