Human rights conventions and reporting

International and regional organisations

The protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms is among the main functions of many international and regional organisations.

The implementation of these rights and freedoms is based on international and regional human rights treaties binding on the states parties to them

The most important human rights treaties have been negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and the Council of Europe (CoE) but there are also human rights elements in a variety of other international treaties, and human rights treaties have been adopted by certain other international or regional organisations, although they are not as widely adhered to as those of UN and CoE.

Human rights treaties

The international human rights instruments of the UN include seven core Human Rights Treaties and six additional or optional protocols to them. Under the Council of Europe regime, there are four human rights treaties.