LibGuides: Human Rights Law: Regional Systems

Regional Human Rights

Regional human rights systems, consisting of regional instruments and mechanisms, play an important role in the promotion and protection of human rights. Regional human rights instruments (e.g. treaties, conventions, declarations) help to localise international human rights norms and standards, reflecting the particular human rights concerns of the region. Regional human rights mechanisms (e.g. commissions, special rapporteurs, courts) then help to implement these instruments on the ground.

Currently, the three most well established regional human rights systems exist in Africa, the Americas and Europe.

ASEAN Human Rights System

The intergovernmental regional organisation known as the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) cosists of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. ASEAN was founded on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

ASEAN has made progress towards the establishment of a regional human rights system for South-East Asia.

Asia

Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institute
The APF advances human rights in the Asia Pacific and facilitates the formation and growth of national human rights institutions by providing training, networking and resource sharing.
The Asian Human Rights Commission
The AHRC is an NGO which seeks to promote greater awareness and realisation of human rights in the Asian region. It was founded in 1986 by a prominent group of jurists and human rights activists in Asia.
Asian Legal Resource Centre
The ALRC is an NGO having General Consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. It was founded in 1986 by the jurists and activists who established the Human Rights Commission.

Forum Asia

Europe

The European Convention on Human Rights 1950
Entered into force on 3 September 1953 (as amended by Protocols No. 11 and No. 14).
All Protocols to the European Convention of Human Rights
Also known as Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
European Court of Human Rights
The court rules on individual or State applications alleging violations of the civil and political rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights.
Separate and Dissenting Opinions in the European Court of Human Rights
University of Leicester.
Council of Europe: Supervision on the Execution of Judgments of the ECHR
See Annual Reports by the Council's Committee of Ministers, monitoring implementation of ECHR judgments by Member States, as well as information on the execution process, including the new working methods for the ECHR.
ECHR Data Sets
Georgetown University. Extensive data on judicial dissents, biographical characteristics of judges, and information on cases.
Council of Europe
Aims to create a common democratic and legal area throughout the whole continent, ensuring respect for its fundamental values: human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent institution within the Council of Europe, mandated to promote the awareness of and respect for human rights in 47 Council of Europe member states.
European Committee of Social Rights database
Complaints and conclusions relating to the European Social Charter of the Council of Europe.
European Court of Human Rights search portal
The HUDOC database provides access to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, the European Commission of Human Rights (decisions and reports) and the Committee of Ministers (resolutions).
European Committee of Social Rights case law digest
Presents the interpretation that the European Committee of Social Rights has made of the different articles of the European Social Charter.
Netherlands Institute of Human Rights
Utrecht School of Law. Searchable database of European Court of Human Rights case law.
European Union
The EU is a large regional organization made up of 27 European countries. EU legal structure has been based on an amalgam of treaties and agreements entered into between 1953 and 2007.
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The OSCE's activities cover conflict prevention, fostering economic development, ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources, and promoting the full respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The European Human Rights System
Human Rights Education Associates

Blogs

ECHR blog
by Antoine Buyse. News, research and commentary relating to the European Convention on Human Rights.
European Court of Human Rights News
Coverage of the ECHR with a focus on French-speaking countries.

Africa

The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights 1981
Entered into force on 21 October 1986.
African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child 1990
Entered into force on 29 November 1999.
African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights
The court was established to complement and reinforce the functions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights
The African Charter created the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)
Mandated by the African Charter on the Rights & Welfare of the Child to monitor and report on the fulfillment of child rights in Africa.
East African Court of Justice
The judicial body of the East African Community tasked to ensure adherence to law in the interpretation and application of and compliance with the East African Community Treaty of 1999.
African Human Rights Case Law Analyser
A collection of decisions from the African Human Rights system.
The African Human Rights System
International Justice Resource Centre
African International Courts and Tribunals
Provides an overview, recent news, basic documents and a selected bibliography for each international court or tribunal related to Africa.

The Americas

The American Convention on Human Rights 1969
Entered into force on 18 July 1978.
Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty 1990
Adopted June 8, 1990.
Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1988
Entered into force November 16, 1999.
Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Links to decisions at different stages, compliance with judgments, and advanced search.
Inter-American Court of Human Rights Database
Search Inter-American Court decisions by case name, country, and topic. Advanced search features include the ability to search by specific violation of various Inter-American Conventions.
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
Includes published cases as well as special reports on human rights-related topics.
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights jurisprudence commentary
Case summaries and index for IACHR jurisprudence by Professor Richard Wilson, American University. Accessible through University of Minnesota Library.
Inter-American Commission of Women
Includes annual reports and reports on the implementation of women's human rights treaties in the region.
University of Minnesota Human Rights Library
Founding documents, case law, annual reports, press releases, and publications of the IACHR.
The Inter-American System of Human Rights: A Research Guide
by Cecilia Cristina Naddeo, Stanford Law School. Provides links to primary and secondary legal materials, and annual reports.

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Human Rights Law: Regional Systems