Human Rights Handbook for Parliamentarians

This handbook is meant to advise parliamentarians on their role in supporting human rights. Part I provides an overview of: what constitute human rights, what obligations are on states under international human rights law, what are the relevant international human rights instruments, the permissible restrictions on human rights, the obligations for states with respect to human rights treaty-monitoring bodies, the role of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for human rights and human rights within the United Nations system generally, the regional human rights regimes that exist, and the role of the International Criminal Court with respect to international human rights. Part II looks specifically at the role of parliamentarians in the protection and promotion of human rights, and Part III provides more detail into the content of the rights covered in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.