ABSTRACT
The history of the treaty bodies system shows a continuing evolution towards more protection against such abuses, through the addition of specialised treaties and procedural reforms. During the Academic Consultation on Strengthening the United Nations Treaty Body System held in Lucerne in October 2011, participants reiterated the idea of creating chambers, or sub-committees, within all treaty bodies. A number of proposals aim to make the system more effective in three main ways: improving the quality of state reports, enhancing working methods and developing reliable follow-up mechanisms. The first stream of reform proposals aims at enhancing the visibility of the treaty bodies by bringing them out of the UN buildings, physically or at least through the use of new technologies. Finally, the second stream of proposals aims to develop the use of the treaty bodies’ case law and expertise in domestic proceedings, so as to mainstream their work and make it more relevant to a wider audience.
