The information here is based on materials produced by research consultancy Interface Politikstudien Forschung Beratung AG (Interface) and interpreted by the SHRI.

Switzerland has ratified a number of major UN human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The Council of Europe also provides a legal basis for the protection of human rights, most importantly through the European Convention on Human Rights. Switzerland has ratified several other conventions of the Council of Europe, including on the prevention of torture, trafficking in human beings and domestic violence. The implementation of these international treaties is monitored regularly through what are known as state reporting procedures.

The SHRI commissioned Interface to conduct a study of Switzerland’s state reporting procedures. The main aims of the study were to determine the state of implementation of human rights protections in Switzerland and to gather information about the reporting procedures.

At the end of the study two mapping documents and a report were produced. The first mapping document contains information about how the state reporting procedures are conducted. The intention was to provide an overview of the processes, responsibilities and timescales involved for the different procedures. The second mapping document contains all the recommendations issued to Switzerland by international bodies during the current monitoring cycles. Interface then produced a synthesis report with the key findings from the two mapping exercises and provided some recommendations.

About the state reporting procedures

State reporting procedures are mechanisms established for monitoring the implementation of international human rights treaties. For many of the treaties, an initial review is undertaken one or two years following ratification. After this, states parties are usually reviewed at regular intervals (roughly every 4-5 years).

Who is involved in state reporting procedures?

In addition to the UN or Council of Europe bodies, the key stakeholders in Switzerland’s state reporting procedures are the relevant federal agencies. Most state reporting procedures are managed by a single federal agency and relate to a specific treaty. For example, the Federal Office for Gender Equality is responsible for reporting on the Istanbul Convention. However, at the UN level there is also a general procedure which is not confined to a specific convention. This is known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Because it covers a wide range of topics, a number of federal agencies are involved in this review process.

The cantons and municipalities also play an important role. Switzerland’s federal system of government means that responsibility for implementing measures to protect human rights largely lies with these entities. For example, the cantons are responsible for awareness-raising in the police force, providing prisons with resources and ensuring schools are more inclusive.

Civil society organisations have a role in the state reporting procedures as critical observers. They provide the international bodies with information that is independent of the state, in the form of alternative reports.

How state reporting procedures work

State reporting procedures can be subdivided into four processes. The federal agency managing the procedure is responsible for the smooth running of these processes:

Implementing the recommendations from the state reporting procedures

State reporting procedures are only effective if they lead to action being taken and subsequently to better protection for human rights. However, in the study it conducted for the SHRI, Interface identified a number of factors which can hinder these processes and which are particularly relevant for Switzerland. In summary:

According to Interface, a number of actions could be taken to make the protection of human rights in Switzerland more effective. In summary:

Coming soon on our information portal: Detailed information on the state reporting procedures

The role of the SHRI

According to its legally defined mandate, the SHRI can act to promote and protect human rights in various ways. In relation to the state reporting procedures, in particular, the SHRI could play an important supporting role in the future.

This view is shared by Interface which provided the SHRI with a number of recommendations to guide its work in the future. These recommendations can be found after page 39 of the synthesis report DE (pdf) or page 41 of the synthesis report FR (pdf).

Interface’s recommendations to the SHRI are helpful, providing a useful decision-making tool for the development and focus of the SHRI’s work. Based on these recommendations, the SHRI established four thematic priorities for the next few years:

• Democracy and human rights

• Federalism and human rights

• Outsourcing responsibility for human rights

• Multiple discrimination

All these topics also touch on important aspects of Switzerland’s state reporting procedures.

Human rights mapping by Interface

The mapping exercises conducted by Interface involve compilations of large amounts of data relating to Switzerland’s state reporting procedures. Due to their complexity, they are primarily of use for in-depth research by experts and other interested parties.

Mapping results 1: Conducting state reporting procedures (Durchführung)

This mapping document provides an overview of the process for 16 state reporting procedures in Switzerland (9 UN and 7 Council of Europe).

Mapping results 2: Recommendations for Switzerland (Empfehlungen)

Das Mapping enthält eine Übersicht über die Empfehlungen aus den letzten Überprüfungszyklen von 16 Staatenberichtsverfahren der Schweiz (9 auf UNO-Ebene, 7 auf Europaratsebene).