UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS

In addition to the International Bill of Rights and the core human rights treaties, there are many other universal instruments relating to human rights. A non-exhaustive selection is listed below. The legal status of these instruments varies: declarations, principles, guidelines, standard rules and recommendations have no binding legal effect, but such instruments have an undeniable moral force and provide practical guidance to States in their conduct; covenants, statutes, protocols and conventions are legally-binding for those States that ratify or accede to them.

WORLD CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND MILLENNIUM ASSEMBLY

• Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
• United Nations Millennium Declaration

THE RIGHT OF SELF-DETERMINATION

• United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples
• General Assembly resolution 1803 (XVII) of 14 December 1962, "Permanent sovereignty over natural resources"
• International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries

RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND MINORITIES

• Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169)
• Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities

PREVENTION OF DISCRIMINATION

• Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100)
• Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)
• International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)
• Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice
• Convention against Discrimination in Education
• Protocol Instituting a Conciliation and Good Offices Commission to be responsible for seeking a settlement of any disputes which may arise between States Parties to the Convention against Discrimination in Education
• Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief
• World Conference against Racism, 2001 (Durban Declaration and Programme of Action)

RIGHTS OF WOMEN

• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
• Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW-OP)
• Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict
• Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women

RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

• Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
• Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (CRC-OPSC)
• Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (CRC-OPAC)
• Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)
• Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)

RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS

• United Nations Principles for Older Persons

RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons
• Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons
• Principles for the protection of persons with mental illness and the improvement of mental health care
• Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE: PROTECTION OF PERSONS SUBJECTED TO DETENTION OR IMPRISONMENT

• Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
• Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners
• Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment
• United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty
• Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
• Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT)
• Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT)
• Principles of Medical Ethics relevant to the Role of Health Personnel, particularly Physicians, in the Protection of Prisoners and Detainees against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
• Principles on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
• Safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty
• Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials
• Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials
• United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (The Tokyo Rules)
• United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (The Beijing Rules)
• Guidelines for Action on Children in the Criminal Justice System
• United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (The Riyadh Guidelines)
• Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power
• Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary
• Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers
• Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors
• Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions
• Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
• Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation
• International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
• United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) - PDF

SOCIAL WELFARE, PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT

• Declaration on Social Progress and Development
• Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition
• Declaration on the Use of Scientific and Technological Progress in the Interests of Peace and for the Benefit of Mankind
• Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace
• Declaration on the Right to Development
• Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights
• Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity

PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

• Principles relating to the status of national institutions (The Paris Principles)
• Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

MARRIAGE

• Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages
• Recommendation on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages

RIGHT TO HEALTH

• Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS

RIGHT TO WORK AND TO FAIR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122)

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

• Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87)
• Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98)

SLAVERY, SLAVERY-LIKE PRACTICES AND FORCED LABOUR

• Slavery Convention
• Protocol amending the Slavery Convention signed at Geneva on 25 September 1926
• Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery
• Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)
• Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
• Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others
• Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

RIGHTS OF MIGRANTS

• International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICPMW)
• Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime

NATIONALITY, STATELESSNESS, ASYLUM AND REFUGEES

• Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness
• Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
• Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
• Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees
• Declaration on the Human Rights of Individuals who are not nationals of the country in which they live

WAR CRIMES AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, INCLUDING GENOCIDE

• Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
• Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity
• Principles of international co-operation in the detection, arrest, extradition and punishment of persons guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity
• Statute of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
• Statute of the International Tribunal for Rwanda
• Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

HUMANITARIAN LAW

• Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War
• Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
• Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I)
• Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II)

Also available:

• Ratifications and Reservations
• Status of ratifications and signatures of human rights instruments
• CD Compilation of International instruments - Universal instruments
• Conventions, Declarations and Other Instruments found in General Assembly Resolutions (since 1946)