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International human rights law

International human rights law (IHRL) is the body of international law designed to promote human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels. As a form of international law, international human rights law is primarily made up of treaties, agreements between sovereign states intended to have binding legal effect between the parties that have agreed to them; and customary international law. Other international human rights instruments, while not legally binding, contribute to the implementation, understanding and development of international human rights law and have been recognized as a source of political obligation.[1]

Not to be confused with International humanitarian law.

International human rights law, which governs the conduct of a state towards its people in peacetime is traditionally seen as distinct from international humanitarian law which governs the conduct of a state during armed conflict, although the two branches of law are complementary and in some ways overlap.[2][3][4][5]


A more systemic perspective explains that international humanitarian law represents a function of international human rights law; it includes general norms that apply to everyone at all time as well as specialized norms which apply to certain situations such as armed conflict between both state and military occupation (i.e. IHL) or to certain groups of people including refugees (e.g. the 1951 Refugee Convention), children (the Convention on the Rights of the Child), and prisoners of war (the 1949 Third Geneva Convention).

Processes for becoming a state party to a treaty
the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPCG) (adopted 1948 and entered into force in 1951);

the (CSR) (adopted in 1951 and entered into force in 1954);

Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees

the (CERD) (adopted in 1965 and entered into force in 1969);[8]

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

the (CEDAW) (entered into force in 1981);[9]

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

the (CAT) (adopted in 1984 and entered into force in 1987);[10]

United Nations Convention Against Torture

the (CRC) (adopted in 1989 and entered into force in 1990);[11]

Convention on the Rights of the Child

the (ICRMW) (adopted in 1990 and entered into force in 2003);

International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families

the (CRPD) (entered into force on 3 May 2008);[12] and

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

the (ICPPED) (adopted in 2006 and entered into force in 2010).

International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

Besides the adoption in 1966 of the two wide-ranging Covenants that form part of the International Bill of Human Rights (namely the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), other treaties have been adopted at the international level. These are generally known as human rights instruments. Some of the most significant include the following:

the for Africa of 1981, in force since 1986;

African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights

the for the Americas of 1969, in force since 1978; and

American Convention on Human Rights

the for Europe of 1950, in force since 1953.

European Convention on Human Rights

UNHCHR

Official United Nations website

Official UN website on International Law

Official website of the International Court of Justice

International Justice Resource Center – comprehensive online resources and news