Since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, the United Nations has created a differentiated set of instruments for the purpose of protecting international human rights through a number of conventions. In contrast to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Conventions are binding on the states parties and oblige them to comply with human rights standards.

The most important UN human rights conventions have established committees to monitor compliance with their provisions. In addition, there is a procedure for obligatory reports by states parties. By ratifying a convention, each state undertakes to submit regular reports to the committee concerned on its implementation of that convention’s provisions. The committee examines the reports and makes recommendations.

The 9 most important UN human rights conventions are the:

• International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 16 December 1966 (UN Covenant I)
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 16 December 1966 (UN Covenant II)
• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of 21 December 1965 (CERD)
• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 18 December 1979 (CEDAW)
• Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 10 December 1984 (CAT)
• Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989 (CRC)
• International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families of 18 December 1990 (ICRMW)
• Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
• International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CPED)

Switzerland has ratified all of the above conventions with the exception of the last three. It signed the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance on 19 January 2011; the ratification process is under way.