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The Treaty Bodies

The Treaty Bodies are committees composed of a variable number of experts responsible for managing the follow-up and monitoring of the commitments made by the countries upon accession and ratification of the international conventions on human rights. The members of these bodies are periodically elected by the States Parties to each Convention.
There are currently ten Treaty Bodies:

Treaty bodies usually meet in Geneva twice a year, in sessions lasting 15-20 days each.

Their main tasks include: receiving periodic reports from States Parties; taking care of “hearings” during which the state of implementation of the International Conventions in a particular country is examined; and the release of “general comments” interpreting individual rules or parts of the treaty. In some cases they can carry out surveys or missions. They can also, if respective treaties so provide, receive reports from individuals or groups in relation to violations of the conventional obligations assumed by a country.