RESOURCES: HUMAN RIGHTS DOCUMENTS
This section contains links to a variety of important human rights documents. In the Primary Documents section, you will find the Charter of the United Nations, and a variety of other core international human rights instruments. There is also a selection of regional human rights instruments from Africa, Europe and the Americas.
The Document Archives section contains links to some of the most comprehensive online archives, including the UN treaty collection in the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights and the University of Minnesota Human Rights Library.
PRIMARY DOCUMENTS
Core International Human Rights Instruments
In addition to the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there are seven core international human rights treaties. Each of these treaties has established a committee of experts to monitor implementation of the treaty provisions by its States parties. Some of the treaties are supplemented by optional protocols dealing with specific concerns.
The International Bill of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict
Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
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Other Universal Human Rights Instruments
In addition to the International Bill of Rights and the core human rights treaties, there are many other universal instruments relating to human rights. In addition to the ones lsited below, a sizable though non-exhaustive selection can be found at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
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Regional Human Rights Instruments
In addition to the core human rights treaties that apply worldwide, the African Union, the Organization of American States, and the Council of Europe have all implemented human rights treaties that apply to countries within their region. A non-exhaustive list follows.
African Charter on Human and People's Rights
Protocol establishing an African court on human and people's rights
Protocol on the rights of women in Africa
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
American Convention on Human Rights
Additional Protocol in the area of economic, social and cultural rights
Protocol to abolish the death penalty
Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture
Inter-American Convention on International Traffic in Minors
Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women
European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
European Social Charter (revised 1996)
Protocol extending the protection of social and economic rights
European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Beings
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DOCUMENT ARCHIVES
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Country status pages have information about a country's status of ratification for various human rights instruments, its reporting status, and any special procedures, as well as the most recent concluding observations from the human rights treaty committees.
Organization of American States
University of Minnesota Human Rights Library
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