Promoting and Protecting the Human Rights of Women and Girls A Manual for National Human Rights Institutions KEY POINTS: CHAPTER 3 • The institutional framework around women’s and girls’ human rights includes a range of different mechanisms and procedures, operating at both international and regional levels. • The Human Rights Council is the principal intergovernmental body responsible for human rights within the United Nations. The Council oversees the UPR process and the special procedures, as well as the system of human rights treaties and their implementation. • NHRIs can raise human rights concerns relevant to women and girls at the international level through their participation in the UPR process and the work of the treaty bodies. The activities of the special procedures can also support NHRIs in promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls. • The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court identifies certain crimes against women, including sexual violence and gender-based persecutions, as crimes under its jurisdiction. NHRI investigations, research and reports could contribute to a brief of evidence for the Court. • The CEDAW Committee is the primary international body for implementation of the international legal framework around women’s human rights. It monitors the performance of States parties in meeting their obligations under CEDAW. It also makes recommendations on matters relating to the implementation or interpretation of CEDAW or on broader issues affecting the human rights of women and girls. • The work of many special procedures will have a distinct gender dimension. However, several thematic special procedures deal with issues that are specifically or primarily focused on women and girls, including the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences and the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice. • The Commission on the Status of Women is the principal global policymaking body dealing with gender equality and advancement of women. It prepares recommendations and reports to the Economic and Social Council on promoting women’s rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields; makes recommendations on urgent problems requiring immediate attention; and may also receive communications from individuals and groups concerning discrimination against women. • Regional human rights bodies, as well as courts and tribunals, also have an important role to play in protecting and clarifying the human rights of women and girls. 36