Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring - Appendix to Chapter 2

 

CONTEXT

General Context

Historical Context/Political Context

Population and Demographic Context

Development Context

Legal Context

Institutional Context

United Nations Context

Human Rights Overview

Political Map

Annex: Checklist for Overview and Analysis


GENERAL CONTEXT

 

  • Official name of country:

 

  • Geographic location:

 

  • Area:

 

  • Terrain(topography):

 

  • Infrastructure:

 

  • Capital city:

 

  • Other major cities:

 

  • Climate:

 

  • Water resources:

  • Ethnic groups:

  • Languages:

  • Religions:



HISTORICAL CONTEXT/POLITICAL CONTEXT

 

  • Historical brief:

 

  • Self-determination (foreign occupation; alien domination; colonial presence; racist regimes; independence movements):


  • Parties to the conflict:


  • Peace process/agreement:


  • Recent political transitions (First elections; revolution; coup d'etat; new constitution):,


  • Form of government:


  • Principal political parties:


  • Conflict level (international armed conflict; internal armed conflict; state of emergency; civil disorder/ sporadic acts of violence; normalcy; post-conflict reconstruction; etc.):

 

  • Relationships with neighboring countries:

 

  • Membership in political/ military/ regional alliances:

 

  • Legally sanctioned discrimination (race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinion, origin, property, birth, sexual orientation, other status):



POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

 

  • Population (total/%; female/ male):

 

  • Annual Population growth rate (%):

 

  • Total population under age of 15 (number/ %; female/ male):

 

  • Fertility rate (n° of children) (by gender):

 

  • % of Population living in urban areas (by gender and age):

 

  • % of Population living in rural areas (by gender and age):

 

  • Status of civil registration system: (effective reg. of births, deaths, marriages)

 

  • Date of last census:

REFUGEES AND IDPs

 

  • Significant IDP concentrations:(including numbers, demographic compositions and areas of origin and refuge)

  • Significant refugee presence/ inflow/ outflow: (including numbers, demographic compositions and areas of origin and refuge)

 

DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT

ECONOMIC DATA

 

  • GNP (US$ billions):

  • GNP per capita (US$):

  • Real GDP per capita (US$):
    •

  • External Debt (US$) as % of GNP:

  • Principal Industries/Principal Natural Resources:
    •

UNDP HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDICES

  • General development rating (High/medium/ low human development; LDC, industrialized, etc.)

 

  • Human development index (HDI):

 

  • Gender Development Index (GDI):

 

  • Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM):

 

  • Human Poverty Index (HPI):

EMPLOYMENT

 

  • Average income (total/ female/ male):

  • Unemployment rates: (total/ female/ male)

INFANT AND MATERNAL SURVIVAL

 

  • Infant mortality rate (total/ female/ male):

  • Child mortality rate (%):

  • Under five mortality rate (total/ female/ male):

  • Maternal mortality rate (%)

  • Survival rate to grade 5(%):

  • Underweight prevalence under 5 years:

  • Percentage of birth attended by trained health personnel:

  • Percentage of 1 year old children immunized against measles:

EDUCATION

 

  • Primary school enrollment ratio (total/ female/ male):

  • Secondary school enrollment ratio (total/ female/ male):

  • Tertiary school enrollment ratio(total/ female/ male):

  • Adult literacy rates (total/ female/ male):

  • Free primary school education:

  • Mandatory primary school education:

  • Free secondary school education:

  • Mandatory secondary school education:

HEALTH

 

  • Life expectancy at birth, (total/ female/ male):

  • Percentage of Population with access to primary health services:

  • Contraceptive prevalence rate (%):

  • Legislation or policy prohibiting family planning to unmarried, below a given age, without spousal or parental consent:
HOUSING


  • N° of persons per room, or average floor area per person (excluding bathroom):

  • % of Population with access to adequate sanitation:

  • % of Population with access to safe drinking water:

  • Women in Government/Parliament:

  • Social spending vs. military expenditures:





LEGAL CONTEXT
INTERNATIONAL LEGAL CONTEXT

 

  • Human rights treaties Signed/ ratified/ acceded to:

•ICESCR

•ICCPR

•ICCPR Op. 1

•ICCPR Op. 2

•CRC

•MWC

•CERD

•CEDAW

•CEDAW Optional Protocol
(March 1999)

•CAT

•Refugees 1951/ Protocol

•Geneva Conv. I

•Geneva Conv. II

•Geneva Conv. III

•Geneva Conv. IV

•Geneva Protocol Ad. I

•Geneva Protocol Ad. II

•ILO Conventions

•UNESCO Instruments

•Other HR Treaties

•Regional HR Instruments:

•OAS Instruments

•OAU Instruments

•Council of Europe Instruments

•OSCE Instruments

 

  • Treaty reservations:

 

  • Status of treaty reporting:


  • Agreement with ICRC/ ICRC presence:

INTERNAL LEGAL CONTEXT

 

  • Legal system (common law; civil law; socialist; Islamic; traditional; hybrid; other):

    - Independence of the judiciary:

    - Judicial remedies against state agencies/officials before the judiciary:

 

  • Court system:







INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT

 

  • National plan of action adopted:

 

  • Existing Governmental (Executive) HR institutions:

 

  • Existing Paris Principles institutions (HR commission or ombudsman):

 

  • Existing parliamentary HR bodies:

 
  • Active non-governmental human
    • rights organizations:

 

  • Principal women's organizations:

 

  • Principal children's advocacy organizations:

 

  • Principal labor unions:

 

  • Leading human rights institutes (academic & research):




UNITED NATIONS CONTEXT

 

  • CHR Country Rapporteur/Representative:

  • Major CHR Thematic mechanism references:

  • TC requested from OHCHR:

  • Previous TC provided by OHCHR:

  • Membership in UN bodies

  • UN agencies and programmes present:

  • UNDAF/HURIST country:

  • Resident Coordinator:

  • Designated Security Official (DSO):

  • UN duty station rating:

  • Peacekeeping (DPKO); special political (DPA); or special humanitarian (OCHA) missions; OHCHR Field Presence:

 

HUMAN RIGHTS OVERVIEW


Provide a brief description and analytical presentation of the prevailing human rights situation, identifying its key features, principal challenges, and recurrent violations, with particular attention to the situation of women, children, persons living in extreme poverty, minorities, indigenous peoples, occupied populations, IDPs, and other groups necessitating particular human rights attention, including the most vulnerable.

Due attention should be paid to the full range of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights, including the right to development. In analyzing the contextual data included in the framework above, desk officers may wish to refer to the annexed checklist for overview and analysis. Full use should be made of the country-specific findings and recommendations of the treaty bodies, special rapporteurs and working groups of the Commission on Human Rights, and other internal sources.

 

POLITICAL MAP

[Attach a political map here]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





ANNEX: Checklist for Overview and Analysis

 

Ratifications



Conflict or emergency situation

Development situation

Situation of women

Situation of children

Situation of minorities



Situation of indigenous peoples

Situation of other vulnerable groups

Self-determination

Discrimination

Life, liberty & security of the person

Slavery

Torture, cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment/ punishment

 

 

Recognition as person before law

Equal protection of law

Right to effective remedy for violations

Arbitrary arrest, detention or exile

Fair trial

Presumption of innocence

Retroactive penal measures



Interference with privacy, family, home or correspondence

Attacks on honor & reputation

Freedom of movement and residence

Right to leave and return

Right to asylum

Right to nationality

Right to marriage & family

Right to property



Freedom of thought, conscience & religion

Freedom of opinion, expression & information

Freedom of assembly

Freedom of association

Right to take part in government, access to public service, and free & fair elections

Right to social security

Right to work, free choice of employment, favorable conditions, and unemployment protection

Right to equal pay for equal work

Just & favorable remuneration

Right to form & join trade unions

Right to rest & leisure

Right to health

Right to adequate food

Right to adequate clothing

Right to adequate housing

Right to necessary social services

Right to security for

unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or lack of livelihood

Right to special care for motherhood & childhood

Right to education

Right to participate in cultural life

Rights of authorship

A rights- enabling social and international order

 

 

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