The Concluding Observations of United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies

The seven principal United Nations-sponsored human rights treatiesstipulate that States Parties submit periodic reports to therespective treaty monitoring bodies (or ‘committees’)¹on the implementation of their treaty obligations. Followingthe review of a report, the treaty body in question issues aset of ‘concluding observations’, containing itscollective assessment of the State's record and recommendationsfor enhanced implementation of the rights in question. Arguably,the issuance of concluding observations is the single most importantactivity of human rights treaty bodies. It provides an opportunityfor the delivery of an authoritative overview of the state ofhuman rights in a country and for the delivery of forms of advicewhich can stimulate systemic improvements. Its significanceis all the greater now that the only accounts of the reviewof periodic reports which appear in the annual reports of thetreaty bodies are the adopted concluding observations.² Thisarticle seeks to test key aspects of the quality of concludingobservations. The analysis is set within the framework of reviewof the development of the practice.     

The United Nations,the African Union and the Darfur Crisis: Of Apology and Utopia

Netherlands International Law Review -     

The Chapter VII Powers of the United Nations Security Council

Netherlands International Law Review -     

Taking Metaregulation to the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Regime: The Case of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

This article argues that regulatory scholarship can be harnessed to promote human rights, in this case the rights of persons with disabilities. It argues that the regulatory regime of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Convention) establishes a human rights metaregulatory regime. It shows that the Convention delegates all of the regulatory functions to four different actors, to the effect that no single actor has the full range of regulatory competencies. The implication of this high degree of delegation is that the Convention establishes a three‐party framework whereby the interaction between the regulatee and the two regulators is mediated by an oversight body. While organically independent, each actor is functionally interdependent so that an equilibrium is established. At a time where the effectiveness of the UN human rights treaty system is under assault, this article argues that the metaregulatory regime of the CRPD provides an optimistic vision for the future of human rights treaties.     

解读美国辩诉交易制度

辩诉交易虽源于英国 ,但却在美国发扬光大 ,成为美国刑事司法最具特色的制度之一。只有比较全面准确地了解辩诉交易制度的来龙去脉、实施情况、存在的问题以及对辩诉交易的各种评价之后 ,才能根据我国的法制环境进一步研究是否引入 ,如何引入的问题。     

The United Nations,the United States,and the War on Terrorism

Since the moment the United Nations was created, the Americans have had certain expectations of it, which logically follow from their past.     

论非洲的集体人权观与第三代人权的确认

集体人权包括国内集体人权与国际集体人权两大类,它源于20世纪40-50年代开始的民族独立运动.对集体人权的确认,是全球性非殖民化运动的结果.非洲人民系统地提出了民族权的概念和内容,全面关注集体人权,尤其是对以发展权和自决权为核心的第三代人权的确认和发展作出了杰出贡献.其集体人权观主要体现在以<非洲人权和民族权宪章>为主体的非洲人权法中.     

Twenty-Five Years of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Achievements and Challenges

Netherlands International Law Review - The 25th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in November 2014 is an appropriate occasion for reviewing its record of achievements and...     

中美认罪协商制度之比较

认罪协商在我国主要体现在认罪认罚从宽制度中,在美国主要蕴含在辩诉交易中。中美认罪协商制度在价值追求、自愿性保障和被害人利益保护方面具有相似性,但在协商主体、协商内容、协商效力、证明标准、撤回认罪以及被告人上诉权等方面存在差异。我国可以从适度降低认罪认罚案件的证明标准、明确撤回认罪的法律规定和适度限制被告人的上诉权等方面,借鉴美国辩诉交易的有益经验,进一步完善我国的认罪认罚从宽制度。     

Implementing Security Council Resolutions in Hong Kong: An Examination of the United Nations Sanctions Ordinance

The United Nations Sanctions Ordinance is the primary legalbasis of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)for implementing the United Nations Security Council's resolutions.However, there are concerns that the Ordinance is potentiallyviolating the separation of powers in its delegation of regulation-makingauthority to the executive. There are also criticisms againstthe expediency of the Ordinance as a mechanism for enforcingSecurity Council sanctions. Against this background, this paperattempts to examine the separation of powers doctrine, its placein HKSAR's constitutional system and its relevance to the Ordinance.On the issue of expediency, this paper focuses on the scopeand speed of implementing the sanctions, and the human rightsand criminal justice problems it involves. For comparative purposes,references are to be made to the law of the USA, Canada andSingapore.     

乞讨权在美国确立的过程

引言由孙志刚事件、《城市生活无着流浪乞讨人员救助管理办法》颁布实施、各地禁止乞讨规范出台所引发的关于乞讨权、乃至生存权的探讨曾经是媒体和学术界的一个共同热点。但近年来,这一话题不仅渐渐淡出媒体的视线,而且,也逐渐远离学者们的关注。〔1〕然而,如何对乞讨者以及乞