United Nations Special Rapporteur
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- This article is about United Nations Special Rapporteurs. For a general list of special rapporteurs, see Special Rapporteur.
Special Rapporteur is a title given to individuals working on behalf of the United Nations who bear a specific mandate from the UN Human Rights Council (or the former UN Commission on Human Rights, UNCHR), to investigate, monitor and recommend solutions to human rights problems. They are also called "Special Procedures".
Appointed by the UN Secretary General, these experts are "of high moral character and recognized competence in the field of human rights." They act independently of governments. They do not receive any financial compensation for their work, but they receive personnel and logistical support from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Some of these experts are called Special Representatives or Independent Experts.
Special Rapporteurs often conduct fact-finding missions to countries to investigate allegations of human rights violations. They can only visit countries that have agreed to invite them.
Aside from fact-finding missions, Rapporteurs regularly assess and verify complaints from alleged victims of human rights violations. Once a complaint is verified as legitimate, an urgent letter or appeal is sent to the government that has allegedly committed the violation.
Special Rapporteurs are typically appointed to serve for 3 years, after which their mandate can be extended for another 3 years.
In June 2006, the United Nations Human Rights Council, which replaced the UN Commission on Human Rights, extended the mandates of all Special Rapporteurs by one year to enable it to conduct a review of the mandates and seek ways of strengthening their roles.
To mark Human Rights Day in 2006, the 37 Special Rapporteurs, Special Representatives and Independent Experts issued a joint statement on the importance of human rights in the fight against poverty.
[edit] Thematic and Country Mandates
Currently, there are 36 Special Rapporteurs, Special Representatives and Independent Experts who serve under the following country and thematic mandates:
Countries
- Burundi - Akich Okola, Independent Expert on Human Rights (2005- )
- Cambodia - Yash Ghai, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Human Rights (2005- )
- Democratic Republic of the Congo - Titinga Frédéric Pacere, Independent Expert on human rights (2005- )
- Haiti - Louis Joinet, Independent Expert on human rights (1995- )
- Myanmar - Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur on human rights (2005- )
- Liberia - Charlotte Abaka, Independent Expert on human rights (2003- )
- North Korea - Vitit Muntarbhorn, Special Rapporteur on human rights (2005- )
- Palestinian Territories - John Dugard, Special Rapporteur on human rights (1993- )
- Somalia - Ghanim Alnajjar, Independent Expert on human rights (2005- )
- Sudan - Sima Samar, Special Rapporteur on human rights (2005- )
Themes
- Adequate Housing - Raquel Rolnik (2000- )
- Education - Vernor Munoz Villalobos (2004- )
- Effects of Economic Reform Policies and Foreign Debt on Human Rights - Cephas Lumina (2000- )
- Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary executions - Philip Alston (2004- )
- Right to Food - Olivier De Schutter (2008- )
- Freedom of Opinion and Expression - Ambeyi Ligabo (2002- )
- Freedom of Religion or Belief - Asma Jahangir (2004- )
- Human Rights Defenders - Hina Jilani (2003- )
- Independence of Judges and Lawyers - Leandro Despouy (2003- )
- Minority Issues - Gay McDougall (2005- )
- Physical and Mental Health - Paul Hunt (2005- )
- Protecting Human Rights while Countering Terrorism - Martin Scheinin (2005- )
- Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance - Doudou Diène (2005- )
- Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography - Juan Miguel Petit (2004- )
- Torture - Manfred Nowak (2004- )
- Trafficking in Persons - Sigma Huda (2004- )
- Use of Mercenaries to Impede the Right of Peoples to Self-Determination - Shaista Shameem (2004- )
- Violence against Women - Yakin Urturk (2003- )
- Human Rights and Bioethics (Human Genome) - Iulia-Antoanella Motoc (2003 - )
- Human Rights and Extreme Poverty - Magdalena Sepulveda (2004- )
- Human Rights and International Solidarity - Rudi Muhammad Rizki (2005- )
- Human Rights and the Illicit Movement of Toxic Waste - Okechukwu Ibeanu (2004- )
- Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises - John Ruggie (2005- )
- Human Rights of Indigenous People - James Anaya (2008- )
- Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons - Walter Kälin (2004- )
- Human Rights of Migrants - Jorge Bustamente (2005- )
[edit] See also
- Special Rapporteur
- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- United Nations Commission on Human Rights
- Human Rights Committee
