All states which have ratified the Covenant must submit a report to the Human Rights Committee every four years. These state reports are public documents and are available, for example, on the website of the Human Rights Committee. The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of "concluding observations”. This examination takes places in public meetings.
Before it makes its decisions, however, the Committee specifically invites non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other national human rights institutions to provide their own reports regarding the human rights situation in their country. When making its “concluding observations”, the Committee takes into account the information it receives from governments as well as the information it receives from NGOs. States are encouraged to make their reports fully public and available to national NGOs well in advance of the Committee’s examination so that NGOs have a chance to use this procedure.
Schematic Representation: How the state reporting procedure works
Last change: 21.02.12 - 15:00