International Human Rights Monitoring

International Human Rights Monitoring We know that political leaders will not follow human rights obligations without pressure from attentive and informed residents working to ensure that international rights standards are honored in local practices. This takes work to learn about what specific legal obligations national and local leaders have and to monitor local practices to make sure they conform to international expectations. Through the US Human Rights Network, we're able to come together as grassroots US human rights organizers to draw international attention to the gaps between US international legal commitments and the actual practices in the communities where we live.

Universal Periodic Review 2019

The next US UPR runs from April 2019 through April 2020. All submissions of reports are due October 3, 2019.
The Human Rights Cities Alliance is organizing a UPR Cities Project to help cities and communities organize consultations and develop local reports that can both inform local leaders about human rights conditions and inform the national stakeholder report we will submit through the US Human Rights Network.

• On May 11, 2015 the United States human rights record was reviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Council during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which resulted in 348 recommendations to the U.S. Government. In September the U.S. Government will decide which recommendations they will accept and which they will reject. USHRN has compiled this brief overview of some of the top recommendations to help U.S. advocates raise awareness and advocate for adoption of these recommendations.
  • UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights--Resource page on Universal Periodic Review
  • Statistics Database: Look up recommendations made to all governments to improve human rights practices--this website allows users to track progress and view government responses to UPR recommendations.

Relevant Prior Documentation

• Prior UPR Reviews of US Human Rights Record
  • 2015 Official Report of the UPR Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council
  • 2011 Official Report of the UPR Working Group of the UN Human Rights Council
  • View video recording of UN Human Rights Council session reviewing US human rights record
  • 2015 US Human Rights Network UPR Stakeholder Report This report compiles documentation from grassroots human rights organizations across the United States working to advance people-centered human rights.
  • 2010 Shadow Report- USHRN
  • 2010 submission focusing on racial health disparities and discrimination

Other Documentation on US Human Rights Practices

• UN Expert Working Group on People of African Descent-US Country Report
• USHRN Report: 2018 Status of Human Rights in the United States
• 2018 Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights on US Country Visit
• UN Working Group on People of African Descent-Communications/Complaint Procedure

Other International Monitoring Bodies and Oversight Procedures

• Links to All International Human Rights Mechanisms
• UN Expert Working Group on People of African Descent
• Special Rapporteur on Poverty
• Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination
• Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment
• Special Rapporteur on the right to food
• Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

Learning Tools: Background on International Human Rights Review Processes

• Advancing Racial Justice and Human Rights: Rights-Based Strategies for the Current Era: On June 1, 2018, the Human Rights Institute at Columbia University Law School convened its 15th annual CLE Symposium on Human Rights in the United States, a signature event of the Human Rights Institute’s Bringing Human Rights Home Lawyers’ Network. The day-long event brought together more than 150 leading U.S. lawyers, activists, and academics, along with federal and local government representatives to share strategies to advance racial justice within a domestic and global context increasingly hostile to human rights.
• UN Training Manual
• UN Human Rights Handbook

Toolkits and Templates

Tips for Preparing a Report to International Human Rights Review Processes
Expert working group on People of African Descent: Submission Template for US Civil Society