What is a General Comment?

The eight UN human rights treaty-monitoring bodies, the Human Rights Committee, the Committee against Torture, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Committe on the ELimination of Racial Discrimination, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Committee on Migrant Workers and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, periodically publish documents known as General Comments or General Recommendations. These documents provide guidelines for states parties on the interpretation of specific aspects of the human rights treaty of concern to the particular committee.

General Comments clarify the content of the rights set out in the treaty in question, sometimes outline potential violations of those rights and offer advice to states parties on how best to comply with their obligations under the human rights treaty.

The General Comments can be read on the webpage of each committee;

Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)

Human Rights Committee (CCPR)

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

Committee against Torture (CAT)

Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Committe on Migrant Workers (CMW)

Committee on the Rights of Disabled Persons (CRDP)