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Special Procedures of the Commission on Human Rights

“The achievements of these procedures are, in many cases, remarkable, and should be built on.”

Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General
Address to the 59th session of the Commission on Human Rights

What Are Special Procedures?

“Special procedures” is the general name given to the mechanisms established by the Commission on Human Rights to address either specific country situations or thematic issues. The special procedures are a way for the Commission to be constantly engaged on an issue of concern throughout the year.

Although they may be constituted in any manner, special procedures commonly are either an individual, called a special rapporteur or representative or an independent expert, or a group of individuals, called a working group.

An individual who serves as a special rapporteur, representative, independent expert or member of a working group is appointed by the Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights after consultation with the five regional groups, which consist of Member States of the Commission. The special procedures are independent, are not paid and serve in a personal capacity for a maximum of 6 years. Currently there are over 30 special procedures mechanisms. The Commission on Human Rights requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide these mechanisms with personnel and logistical assistance to aid them in the discharge of their mandates.

Although the mandates given to special procedure mechanisms vary, they are usually are to examine, monitor, advise, and publicly report on human rights situations in specific countries or territories, known as country mandates, or on major phenomena of human rights violations worldwide, known as thematic mandates. Various activities can be undertaken by special procedures, including conducting studies, providing advice on technical cooperation, responding to individual complaints, and engaging in general promotional activities.

In carrying out their mandates, special rapporteurs and other mandate-holders undertake country missions (sometimes referred to as fact-finding missions) and report back to the Commission on Human Rights. These missions take place at the request of the relevant special procedure or at the invitation of the country concerned. Many countries have extended standing invitations to all thematic special procedures of the Commission.

In order to guide Governments on the conduct of these missions, in 1997 the fourth annual meeting of special procedures adopted standard terms of reference for fact-finding missions. They can be found in Appendix 5 to the report of the fourth meeting (E/CN.4/1998/45).

The activities which can be undertaken, along wih the scope and length of the mandate of each special procedure, are set out in the Commission on Human Rights resolutions on the specific mandate. All special procedures are required to report on their activities to the annual session of the Commission on Human Rights, which takes place in March-April each year.