Part I International laws and mechanisms Chapter 3: Other UN instruments and mechanisms relevant to the rights of migrant workers KEY QUESTIONS • Which international human rights treaties can be used to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers and members of their families? • What are the roles and functions of the UN special procedures? Which special procedures are relevant to the rights of migrant workers? • How can issues relevant to the rights of migrant workers be addressed through the Universal Periodic Review? 1. INTRODUCTION The International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families (“the Convention on Migrant Workers”) is the most comprehensive human rights treaty on the rights of migrant workers. However, as noted in previous chapters, other core international human rights treaties and mechanisms also promote and protect the rights of migrant workers and members of their families. While the Convention on Migrant Workers is currently one of the least-ratified human rights treaties, especially among destination countries, most States have ratified one or more of the other core UN human rights instruments. Therefore, even if a State has not ratified the Convention on Migrant Workers, it will be bound by one or more of the other treaties which impose obligations and responsibilities on Governments to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers. This chapter provides information on the rights set out in these core UN instruments and the references they contain to migrants or non-nationals, as well as interpretations by treaty bodies about the application of specific human rights and human rights treaties to migrant workers. The chapter also looks at the different mechanisms of the UN Human Rights Council that can be used to highlight and address human rights issues experienced by migrant workers, including the special procedures and the Universal Periodic Review. Chapter 3: Other UN instruments and mechanisms relevant to the rights of migrant workers | 23