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The UN Human Rights Committee

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International Human Rights Institutions, Tribunals, and Courts

Part of the book series: International Human Rights ((IHR))

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Abstract

The UN Human Rights Committee, which is recognized for its legal expertise in human rights law, belongs to the most prominent institutions for the oversight of international human rights. The Committee was the first universal body with a mandate to examine individual communications. Among the international treaty bodies it continues to receive the highest number of individual petitions. Through the course of its four decades of existence, the Committee has developed a considerable body of jurisprudence affecting the interpretation of human rights by domestic and international institutions, including the International Court of Justice. The present chapter introduces readers to the work of this quasi-judicial expert body from the perspective of a former Committee member. It locates the Committee’s institutional place in the overall structure of the human rights system and describes current challenges and developments. The author offers an in-depth assessment of the Committee’s legacy and makes proposals on how the Committee can refine its procedures and methodology.

The author was a member of the Human Rights Committee from 2013 to 2018. The views expressed in this chapter are solely those of the author and do not claim to represent the position of the Committee.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Anja Seibert-Fohr

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  1. Anja Seibert-Fohr
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst für Völkerreicht & Int'l Beziehung, Karl Franzens Universität Graz Inst für Völkerreicht & Int'l Beziehung, Graz, Austria

    Gerd Oberleitner

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Seibert-Fohr, A. (2018). The UN Human Rights Committee. In: Oberleitner, G. (eds) International Human Rights Institutions, Tribunals, and Courts. International Human Rights. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4516-5_6-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4516-5_6-2

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    The UN Human Rights Committee
    Published:
    20 June 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4516-5_6-2

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    The UN Human Rights Committee
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    21 March 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4516-5_6-1

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