Engagement with the United Nations.
The universal system for human rights promotion and protection developed within the United Nations is based on a number of bodies operating mainly at the UN headquarters in Geneva. It consists of the Human Rights Council – a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly, which replaced the Commission on Human Rights in March 2006 – and the Committees created under the seven main international human rights Conventions. These are committees of independent experts whose specific function is to assess compliance with the obligations undertaken by States parties of international treaties, through the submission of periodic national reports, which are subject to a dedicated oral discussion with the participation of government delegates from the countries periodically reviewed.
These Treaty Bodies are:
- Human Rights Committee (HRC), the monitoring body for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
- Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), the body responsible for monitoring the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
- Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the body responsible for monitoring the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the monitoring body for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;
- Committee against Torture (CAT), the monitoring body for the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment;
- Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC ), the monitoring body for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and related Protocols;
- Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, (CRPD ), the monitoring body for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and related Protocol.
In addition, among its tasks, the Human Rights Council has the capacity to create and/or renew the mandate of Special Procedures, individual or collective bodies which monitor and operate to protect specific rights on the basis of thematic or Country-specific issues.
CIDU drafts all the relevant documents required by the aforementioned bodies in the exercise of their mandate, such as periodic reports, responses to individual communications, and working documents on issues of particular relevance to our Country.
In agreement with other Italian institutions competent in the various areas of human rights, CIDU prepares the Periodic Reports that Italy is required to submit to the respective international monitoring and control bodies. CIDU meets in plenary sessions and in thematic working groups to prepare and discuss these reports. CIDU is also responsible for following up on the periodic reports, preparing Italy’s responses to comments, observations and questions arising from the examination of the aforementioned reports by the above-mentioned monitoring mechanisms.
CIDU publishes on its website the Concluding Observations of the Treaty Bodies, issued at the end of the periodic Country reviews. In these observations, the relevant Committee reports on the state of national compliance with the obligations undertaken upon ratification of the relevant international Convention. Frequently, further reports (known as follow-ups) are requested within a specified period of time on issues deemed of particular importance.
CIDU also publishes on its website the so-called Views, adopted by the aforementioned UN Treaty Bodies following individual communications. The individual communications procedure is generally provided for in the Optional Protocols to the aforementioned human rights Conventions ratified by Italy.
As part of its reporting activities, CIDU also coordinates the complex exercise of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which is the most comprehensive procedure for examining the human rights situation to which all Member States are subject on a rotating basis.
Activities with the Council of Europe and EU-FRA.
At European level, CIDU deals with various human rights related issues with the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
The Council of Europe is a regional organisation that, since its establishment in 1949, has been specifically engaged in the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms. Italy, as a founding member, joined the Organisation since 1949. Our Country signed and ratified the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which came into force on 26 October 1955 (ECHR). The rule-making activity, which still continues today, has led to the elaboration of 16 additional Protocols.
CIDU drafts National Responses to reports on Italy by two Council of Europe bodies: the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).
These bodies carry out periodic visits to the Council of Europe Member States and issue a final report. This is transmitted to the government authorities and may be supplemented, at the time of publication, by an annex consisting of a national response to the observations contained in the report. This document is elaborated by CIDU with the support of the relevant administrations for the matters covered. The same procedure is followed in the case of extraordinary visits that the referred bodies may carry out at their discretion.
With regard to EU-FRA, CIDU acts as National Liaison Officer (NLO), participating in the relevant plenary meetings of the Vienna-based Agency and regularly providing a number thematic contributions, as data and information, or by reviewing and updating the reports produced by the Agency.
Other activities and initiatives.
CIDU is also in charge of preparing documents, planning and coordinating Country visits by the aforementioned international organisations.
CIDU reports on its activity to the Italian Parliament through a yearly report and regular hearings by its President.
In addition, CIDU has promoted and adopted two National Action Plans (NAPs): the National Plan on Women, Peace and Security and the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (BHR), in collaboration with civil society and also through multi-stakeholder consultations.