Special Rapporteur is a title given to individuals working on behalf of the United Nations who bear a specific mandate from the former UN Commission on Human Rights to investigate, monitor and recommend solutions to human rights problems. They are also called "Special Procedures". The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, a commission supervised by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, is composed of representatives from 53 member states, and meets each year in regular session in March/April for six weeks in Geneva. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...

Appointed by the UN Secretary General, these experts are "of high moral character and recognized competence in the field of human rights." They act independently of governments. They do not receive any financial compensation for their work, but they receive personnel and logistical support from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Some of these experts are called Special Representatives or Independent Experts. The United Nations Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal divisions of the United Nations. ... The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a United Nations agency that works to promote and protect the human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. ...

Special Rapporteurs often conduct fact-finding missions to countries to investigate allegations of human rights violations. They can only visit countries that have agreed to invite them.

Aside from fact-finding missions, Rapporteurs regularly assess and verify complaints from alleged victims of human rights violations. Once a complaint is verified as legitimate, an urgent letter or appeal is sent to the government that has allegedly committed the violation [1]. Victim was the title of a British film made in 1961, directed by Basil Deardon and starring Dirk Bogarde and Sylvia Simms. ... The word violation, when used alone, has several possible meanings in the English language. ...

Special Rapporteurs are typically appointed to serve for 3 years, after which their mandate can be extended for another 3 years.

In June 2006, the United Nations Human Rights Council, which replaced the UN Commission on Human Rights, extended the mandates of all Special Rapporteurs by one year to enable it to conduct a review of the mandates and seek ways of strengthening their roles. The United Nations Human Rights Council is an international body within the United Nations System. ...

To mark Human Rights Day in 2006, the 37 Special Rapporteurs, Special Representatives and Independent Experts issued a joint statement on the importance of human rights in the fight against poverty. Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-12-10, and may not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Thematic and Country Mandates

Currently, there are 37 Special Rapporteurs, Special Representatives and Independent Experts who serve under the following country and thematic mandates:

Countries

• Belarus - Adrian Severin, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights (2005-2006)
• Burundi - Akich Okola, Independent Expert on Human Rights (2005-2006)
• Cambodia - Yash Ghai, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for human rights (2005)
• Cuba - Christine Chanet, Personal Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on human rights (2002- )
• Democratic Republic of the Congo - Titinga Frédéric Pacere, Independent Expert on human rights (2005-2006)
• Haiti - Louis Joinet, Independent Expert on human rights (1995- )
• Myanmar - Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur on human rights (2005-2006)
• Liberia - Charlotte Abaka, Independent Expert on human rights (2003-2006)
• North Korea - Vitit Muntarbhorn, Special Rapporteur on human rights (2005-2006)
• Palestinian territories - John Dugard, Special Rapporteur on human rights (1993-
• Somalia - Ghanim Alnajjar, Independent Expert on human rights (2005-2006)
• Sudan - Sima Samar, Special Rapporteur on human rights (2005-2006)
• Uzbekistan - Michele Picard, Independent Expert on human rights (2005-2006)

Themes Adrian Severin (born 28 March 1954 in Bucharest) is a Romanian politician and Member of the European Parliament. ... John Dugard (born in 1936 in Fort Beaufort) is a South African professor of international law. ... Dr. Sima Samar Dr. Sima Samar (born February 4, 1957) is the Chairperson of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and United Nations special envoy to Darfur Sudan. ...

• Adequate Housing - Miloon Kothari (2003-2006)
• Education - Vernor Munoz Villalobos (2004-2007)
• Effects of Economic Reform Policies and Foreign Debt on Human Rights - Bernards Andrew Nyamwaya Mudho (2003-2006)
• Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary executions - Philip Alston (2004-2007)
• Food - Jean Ziegler (2000-2006)
• Freedom of Opinion and Expression - Ambeyi Ligabo (2002-2008)
• Freedom of Religion or Belief - Asma Jahangir (2004-2007)
• Independence of Judges and Lawyers - Leandro Despouy (2003-2006)
• Minority Issues - Gay McDougall (2005-2007)
• Physical and Mental Health - Paul Hunt (2005-2008)
• Protecting Human Rights while Countering Terrorism - Martin Scheinin (2005-2008)
• Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance - Doudou Diène (2005-2008)
• Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography - Juan Miguel Petit (2004-2007)
• Torture - Manfred Nowak (2004-2007)
• Trafficking in Persons - Sigma Huda (2004-2007)
• Violence against Women - Yakin Urturk (2003-2006)
• Human Rights of Indigenous People - Rodolfo Stavenhagen (2004-2007)
• Human Rights of Migrants - Jorge Bustamente (2005-2008)
• Human Rights and the Illicit Movement of Toxic Waste - Okechukwu Ibeanu (2004-2007)
• Human Rights Defenders - Hina Jilani (2003-2006)
• Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises - John Ruggie (2005-2007)
• Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons - Walter Kalin (2004-2006)
• Human Rights and Extreme Poverty - Arjun Sengupta (2004-2006)
• Human Rights and International Solidarity - Rudi Muhammad Rizki (2005-2008)

Jean Ziegler Jean Ziegler (born April 19, 1934) is the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food and a senior professor of sociology at the University of Geneva and the Sorbonne, Paris. ... Asma Jahangir (born 1952) is a Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist. ... Paul Hunt, a native of New Zealand, has held several positions where he reported to the United Nations on human rights issues. ... Doudou Diène is a Special Rapporteur (to the United Nations) on Racism. ... Manfred Nowak is an Austrian human rights lawyer. ... Stavenhagen is a town in the district of Demmin, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. ... Hina Jilani is a well-known lawyer and human-rights activist in Pakistan. ... John G. Ruggie is the Evron and Jeane Kirkpatrick Professor of International Affairs, and Frank and Denie Weil Director of the Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government. ...

External links

• Official Website
• BBC News Special on Special Rapporteurs