United Nations resources

Human rights instruments

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Core international human rights treaties

Declaration on Human Rights Defenders

Status of ratification of human rights treaties by different countries

Documents adopted by the UN Human Rights Council

Resolution on civil society space (A/HRC/27/L.24), September 2014

Resolution on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity (A/HRC/27/L.27/Rev.1), September 2014

Resolution on the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet (A/HRC/26/L.24), June 2014

Resolution on protecting human rights defenders (A/HRC/22/L.13), March 2013

Additional Human Rights Council resolutions

Outcome documents from the Universal Periodic Review of different countries (search per country)

Documents adopted by UN human rights treaty bodies and special mechanisms

Searchable database of documents adopted by human rights treaty bodies
(search by country, committee and type of document, e.g. concluding observations from the reviews of the country in question)

Searchable database of case law issued by human rights treaty bodies that receive individual complaints (search by body, country, issue, year…)

Searchable database of documents of human rights special mechanisms (search by country/mandate/topic)

General comments adopted by the Human Rights Committee on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

General comments adopted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Fact-sheets and handbooks

General

What is a human right? Two-minute video

The United Nations Human Rights Treaty System

Individual Complaint Procedures under the United Nations Human Rights Treaties


Human Rights Defenders: Protecting the Right to Defend Human Rights

Fact sheet on the right to freedom of association

Fact sheet on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly

Frequently Asked Questions on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Born Free and Equal: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in International Human Rights Law

For civil society

Working with the United Nations Human Rights Programme: A Handbook for Civil Society

How to Follow Up on United Nations Human Rights Recommendations – A Practical Guide for Civil Society

Promoting and protecting minority rights: A guide for advocates

Other resources

OSCE resources

EU resources