The Human Rights Committee

The Committee consists of 18 independent experts elected by the States Parties to the treaty who monitor the implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) and its two Optional Protocols. The Committee normally meets three times a year, for two sessions in Geneva and one in New York.

Main rights protected by the CCPR

Individual complaints

Schematic representaton of individual complaints procedure

Selected decisions by the Committee regarding African states

State reporting and NGOs

Schematic representation of state reporting procedure

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

The CCPR was adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by General Assembly resolution 2200 A (XXI) of 16 December 1966. It entered into force on 23 March 1976, in accordance with Article 49.

Text of the CCPR (Website of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights)

African States Parties to the ICCPR

As of February 2012, the following African states have ratified the Covenant: