Part IV Communicating findings 16.5.1. United Nations treaty bodies Treaty bodies monitor the implementation of their respective treaty. In addition to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the work of several other treaty bodies touches on ESCR-related issues, including the: • Human Rights Committee • Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination • Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women • Committee against Torture • Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture • Committee on the Rights of the Child • Committee on Migrant Workers • Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. NHRIs can submit parallel reports when the treaty body is reviewing their State’s periodic reports. These reports should be organized according to the articles of the relevant treaty. They might cover all articles, or select a few priority articles. Either way, it is important to provide the treaty body with concise information that gives a picture of the overall context, examines fiscal policy (in accordance with the obligation to dedicate maximum available resources) and summarizes the situation of each substantive right, including by giving a snapshot of the key issues with regards to outcomes and policy efforts. Attending a review of the State and providing additional briefing materials to the treaty body (modalities for this will vary depending on the treaty body in question) is another opportunity for advocacy. For example, short factsheets summarizing key data and statistics, timelines or tables summarizing key concerns, questions and recommendations can be very useful resources for treaty body members, who generally have a heavy workload and limited capacity to do in-depth research on every country they review. 16.5.2. Human Rights Council The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), conducted by the Human Rights Council, is another important channel through which NHRIs can advocate for action in line with recommendations made in their monitoring reports. NHRIs can submit information their own independent assessment to the UPR process. They can also advocate directly with the members of the Human Rights Council, suggesting questions and recommendations for them to make to the State’s delegation when it appears before the UPR. Again, information shared with Human Rights Council members should be concise. Short, one-page briefing notes can be a very useful way to place issues on the agenda. It is also important to find out which members are most likely to be interested in these issues and, therefore, to ask questions and make recommendations on them. Tailoring advocacy materials accordingly will increase their likelihood of being effective. HELPFUL TIP UPR-Info, a Geneva-based NGO, has a wealth of helpful resources on its website and tips for advocacy in the UPR process. It also maintains a database of all recommendations made during the UPR, categorized by right and by the country that made them. This can help determine which country missions to prioritize in your advocacy. Visit: www.upr-info.org Chapter 16: Reporting, advocacy and follow up | 161