This handbook for parliamentarians contains basic information about human rights and the international and regional systems designed to promote and protect them. Part I provides an overview of the general principles governing human rights law and the obligations States have entered into under international human rights law. It presents the international and regional legal framework in the field of human rights and explains the functioning of the different international and regional human rights bodies, including those that monitor the implementation of the major international human rights treaties. Part II is devoted to parliamentary action to promote and protect human rights. It gives concrete examples of what parliaments and their members can do in this area. “What you can do” boxes provide a checklist for such action.
