Working with OHCHR: A Handbook for NGOs
The Handbook aims to provide NGOs with a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to the work of OHCHR, including key information on human rights mechanisms, entry points for NGOs and contact details with a view to assisting NGOs in identifying areas of possible cooperation and partnership with OHCHR; it also anticipates the changes of the current United Nations reform process. The Handbook is up to date as of June 2006, and is currently available electronically only, in English and Arabic. Efforts are underway to secure its translation in other UN languages in the next few months.
The Handbook should not be seen as a static guide: whenever possible, links to the OHCHR website are provided for further information, allowing for regular electronic updates to accompany this framework text.
The Handbook presents information in a consistent format. Each chapter, discussing relevant mechanisms, tools or programmes which NGOs may want to access or utilize, is arranged around 4 core questions:
o What is it?
o How does it work?
o Which NGOs can access it?
o How can NGOs work with it?
While the Handbook provides a broad overview of OHCHR’s work and its collaboration with civil society, each chapter is also conceived as a stand-alone guide to the specific mechanism or programme it addresses, and can be downloaded individually in Word format.
Download the entire Handbook in: English (Word /PDF) / Arabic (Word /PDF) / Spanish (Word / PDF)
or click below to access individual chapters:
| Introduction - Includes the list of abbreviations and acronyms, as well as the list of contents and few introductory remarks |
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| Chapter 1 - The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: an overview of the United Nations human rights machinery, the role of OHCHR and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This chapter sets out the mandate and types of activities that the OHCHR is responsible for and presents an overview of the Office structure, including its field presences. |
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| Chapter 2 - OHCHR’s Field Presences and Country Engagement: reviews the types and role of OHCHR field presences and indicates opportunities for NGOs to interact with OHCHR at the field level. |
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| Chapter 3 - OHCHR’s engagement with Human Rights Issues: discusses the dynamic work of the Office on thematic human rights issues, including research, standard setting and information gathering. |
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| Chapter 4 - The Human Rights Council: looks at the new Human Rights Council, which succeeds the former Commission on Human Rights, as the key United Nations intergovernmental body entrusted to deal with human rights. |
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| Chapter 5 - Special Procedures: provides an overview of the Special mechanisms of the former Commission on Human Rights which have been assumed by the Human Rights Council. |
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| Chapter 6 - Treaty Bodies: provides detailed information on the committees of experts established under the United Nations human rights treaties. |
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Chapter 7 - Submitting a complaint on an alleged human rights violation: provides information on mechanisms through which individual cases of human rights violations can be brought to the attention of the United Nations, in particular individual complaints under the international human rights treaties (petitions);
Individual complaints under Special Procedures; and the so-called 1503 procedure. |
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| Chapter 8 - OHCHR Funds, Grants, Fellowships and Training Programmes: focuses on funds and programmes that can be accessed by NGOs. |
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| Chapter 9 - OHCHR Publications and Resource Material: provides information on the OHCHR Library and on the different types of publications produced by OHCHR and how they can be obtained. |
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| Annexes - Includes a model complaint for communications under ICCPR, CAT and ICERD, as well as complaint guidelines for communications under the Optional Protocol to CEDAW. |
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Feedback
The Handbook is a dynamic tool which will be updated regularly. Feedback and comments from readers are therefore welcome.
To provide your comments and suggestions please write to:
OHCHR NGO Liaison Officer
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Email: CivilSocietyUnit@ohchr.org