International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Parties and signatories of the ICCPR
  State party
  Signatory that has not ratified
  State party that attempted to withdraw
  Non-party; non-signatory
TypeUnited Nations General Assembly resolution
Drafted1954
Signed16 December 1966[1]
LocationUnited Nations Headquarters, New York City
Effective23 March 1976[1]
Signatories74[1]
Parties174[1]
DepositarySecretary-General of the United Nations
LanguagesFrench, English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish[2]
Full text at Wikisource

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a multilateral treaty that commits nations to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.[3] It was adopted by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI) on 16 December 1966 and entered into force on 23 March 1976 after its thirty-fifth ratification or accession.[A] As of June 2022, the Covenant has 173 parties and six more signatories without ratification, most notably the People's Republic of China and Cuba;[1] North Korea is the only state that has tried to withdraw.

The ICCPR is considered a seminal document in the history of international law and human rights, forming part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).[4]

Compliance with the ICCPR is monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee,[B] which reviews regular reports of states parties on how the rights are being implemented. States must report one year after acceding to the Covenant and then whenever the Committee requests (usually every four years). The Committee normally meets at the UN Office at Geneva, Switzerland and typically holds three sessions per year.

  1. ^ a b c d e "UN Treaty Collection - International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights". Status of ratification
  2. ^ Article 53 of the ICCPR
  3. ^ International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights
  4. ^ "Fact Sheet No.2 (Rev.1), The International Bill of Human Rights". UN OHCHR. June 1996. Archived from the original on 13 March 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2008.


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