Dear Learned Colleague,

UN “treaty bodies,” committees of independent experts, have gone far beyond their mandates by attempting to impose new obligations upon nations for a host of matters never mentioned UN human rights treaties: matters such as legal protection for unborn children and the definition of the family.

In the upcoming round of UN reform, Stefano Gennarini writes in this issue of Definitions, nations can take on the problem of bureaucratic overreach and restore hope for the UN human rights system.

Sincerely yours,

Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D.
Editor

The UN General Assembly has negotiated and approved ten human rights treaties since the UN system was founded seventy-five years ago. Each treaty establishes a “treaty body” or “monitoring committee” of between twelve and twenty-four experts, tasked by the terms of their respective treaty to monitor and report on the efforts of States to implement the treaties. These treaty bodies have been at the forefront of promoting abortion as a human right, LGBTQI+ rights, sexual autonomy for children, and other divisive policies, all under the rubric of human rights. Read More >>>