More transparency in the selection of members of the UN Special Procedures system

Institutions call for diversity and transparency in the selection of members of the UN Special Procedures system

37ª Sessão do Conselho de Direitos Humanos, Palais des Nation. 23 de março de 2018. Foto de Violaine Martin

Civil society organisations asked the UN Human Rights Council Consultative Group for greater stringency in the selection of candidates for mandates of the organisation’s Special Procedures system. Appointments will be made during the 38th, 39th and 40th sessions of the Human Rights Council when specialists will be selected from around the world to report human rights violations.

Institutions see the choice of people for the post who are impartial, competent and possess integrity, as fundamental to the efficacy of the mandates and good functioning of the Special Procedures system. In addition they called for transparency in the selection process and cite the issue of a diversity of specialists from different legal and social systems as a criteria to be considered in choosing names. Currently 44% of mandate holders are women and Eastern Europe is the geographical region with the lowest representation.

Those signing the letter believe that “a truly diverse composition would bring unique experiences and understanding that would strengthen individual mandates and the capacity of the system to handle multiple forms of discrimination.”

The letter was signed by Conectas and a further eleven organisations, including Amnesty International, The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and Human Rights Watch.

• Click here to read the full letter.