International Human Rights and the International Human Rights System A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions Chapter 4: The United Nations charter-based system: An overview KEY QUESTIONS • What is the relevance of the United Nations to human rights? • What is the Charter-based system? • What are the roles of the principal United Nations organs; the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the UN Secretariat? • What roles, if any, can NHRIs play in these organs? 1. INTRODUCTION The international human rights system is generally described in terms of its two branches. The Charter-based system has developed under the UN Charter and the various organs and bodies of the UN. The principal organs of the UN – the General Assembly (GA), the Security Council (SC) and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) – all have responsibilities that relate to human rights. The principal human rights body is the Human Rights Council (HRC), established in 2006 as the successor to the Commission on Human Rights. The Charter-based system has been responsible for the development of international human rights law, including the core human rights treaties, and of the international human rights system. The treaty-based system is built upon those core human rights treaties. Each of the treaties has a treaty monitoring body (TMB) that is responsible for the promotion of the treaty, its interpretation and monitoring compliance. The TMBs also receive and deal with complaints of treaty violation. This manual examines the international human rights system through its two branches. This chapter provides an overview of the Charter-based system and the following chapters discuss different mechanisms within the Charter-based system. The treaty body system is discussed in the chapters after that. 2. HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE UN46 The UN is an intergovernmental organization of States that provides forums for political discussions among States and academic discussions among independent experts. It has legislative power because it promulgates international treaties and standards and other expressions of the will of the international community. However, unlike States, it has no executive or military power independently of States. It has only limited judicial power through the International Court of Justice, which is established by the UN Charter but also has a separate Statute of its own. The UN Charter accords human rights a central place within the UN system. It provides that one of the principal purposes of the UN is the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Charter indicates that the UN will promote human rights education and awareness. 46 For information about the UN, see: www.un.org. Chapter 4: The United Nations charter-based system: An overview | 19