A double-edged sword: the effects of politicization on the authority of the UN Universal Periodic Review and Treaty Bodies

Monitoring the extent to which states respect their human rights obligations is a difficult task. Within the United Nations, two major mechanisms exist to review states’ human rights performance, namely the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and the Treaty Bodies. This study shows that both instruments have their strengths and weaknesses. The UPR is successful in pressuring states to comply with human rights recommendations, although the mechanism is often perceived as unfair towards certain groups of states. In contrast, Treaty Bodies provide states with learning opportunities and specific advice on how to improve their performance, yet their recommendations do not carry considerable political weight.