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More Honey Than Vinegar: Peer Review As a Middle Ground between Universalism and National Sovereignty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2016

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Summary

Peer review mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review, rely upon traditional sovereign state diplomacy for contemporary human rights implementation. This article argues that this is a positive development for several reasons. First, at a theoretical level, it reveals an evolving maturity of the human rights regime through its capacity to detach from exclusively legalistic approaches to human rights implementation. Second, at a policy level, there is enough evidence of measured positive outcomes of peer review mechanisms to suggest a preference for more co-operative approaches to ensuring human rights compliance as a first and complementary step to other more controversial legal/adversarial means of implementation (such as the third pillar of the R2P concept). Finally, peer review mechanisms offer a theoretical and pragmatic framework conciliating between universalist and relativist conceptual approaches to human rights, accommodating and integrating views that call for compliance with international human rights law as well as those emphasizing respect for sovereignty.

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Articles
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Copyright © The Canadian Council on International Law / Conseil Canadien de Droit International, representing the Board of Editors, Canadian Yearbook of International Law / Comité de Rédaction, Annuaire Canadien de Droit International 2014

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References

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27 The possibility of inter-state complaints is foreseen in the Convention against Torture, supra note 18, art 21; the International Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, 2220 UNTS 3 (in force 1 July 2003), art 74; the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 660 UNTS 195 (in force 4 January 1969), arts 11–13; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 999 UNTS 171 (in force 23 March 1976), arts 41–43; the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, UN Doc A/61/488 (2006) (in force 23 December 2010), art 32; and the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, supra note 18, art 10.

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73 Addo, supra note 17 at 602, 614–15.

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96 Simmons, supra note 69 at 27–31.

97 Ibid at 27.

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100 Orford, supra note 84 at 167–72.

101 UN Secretary-General, supra note 99 at para 11. A very interesting critique to the responsibility-to-protect (R2P) concept as redefining sovereignty and dis-tinguishing sovereignty de facto and de jure,can be found in Moses, Jeremy, “Sovereignty as Irresponsibility? A Realist Critique of the Responsibility to Protect” (2013) 39:1 Rev Int’l Studies 113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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108 Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v United States of America), Merits, Judgment, [1986] ICJ Rep 4.

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119 Ibid at 34.

120 See Domínguez-Redondo, supra note 10 at 679–80.

121 Domínguez-Redondo, supra note 14 at 274–75. See also Alston, supra note 19 at 204–7.

122 See Lempinen, supra note 8.

123 International Service for Human Rights, “Human Rights Monitor, no 64/2008” (2008) at 11.

124 Democracy Coalition Project, “Human Rights Council Report Card: Government Positions on Key Issues 2008-2009” (2009), online: <http://www.demcoalition.org/site09-2008/2005_html/unhrc-related-documents.html>. See also Scheipers, Sibylle SS, “Civilization vs Toleration: The New UN Human Rights Council and the Normative Foundations of the International Order” (2007) 10:3 J Int’l Relations & Development 219 at 234–36.Google Scholar

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133 Alvarez, supra note 117 at 36.

134 McMahon, Edward R, “Herding Cats and Sheep: Assessing State and Regional Behavior in the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council” (2010) at 1, 15, Table 5, online: UPR <http://www.upr-info.org/IMG/pdf/McMahon_Herding_Cats_and_Sheeps_July_2010.pdf>.Google Scholar

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138 Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Sudan, 11th Sess, UN Doc A/HRC/18/16 (2011) at 16.

139 Africa Peer Review Mechanism, Country Review Report of the Republic of Kenya (2006) at 325.

140 Africa Peer Review Mechanism, Country Review Report of Burkina Faso (2008) at 400.

141 Some related issues in UPR recommendations include asylum seekers, corruption, counter-terrorism, detention conditions, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, freedom of association and of the press, extra-judicial human rights violations by state agents, and internally displaced people.

142 For a seminal report on this subject, see Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, Preventing Deadly Conflict: Final Report (Washington DC: Carnegie Corporation, 1997).

143 See, for example, Pagani, Fabrizio, “Peer Review: A Tool for Cooperation and Change—An Analysis of the OECD Working Method” (2002) OECD Secretary General, online: <http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/33/16/1955285.pdf>;Google Scholar Herbert, Ross and Gruzd, Steven, The African Peer Review Mechanism: Lessons from the Pioneers (Johannesburg, South Africa: South African Institute for International Affairs, 2008)Google Scholar; Chene, Marie and Dell, Gillian, “Comparative Assessment of Anti-Corruption Conventions’ Review Mechanisms: U4 Expert Answer,” Transparency International (2008), online: <http://www.u4.no/publications/comparative-assessment-of-anti-corruption-conventions-review-mechanisms/ downloadasset/369>.Google Scholar

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148 Domínguez-Redondo, supra note 10 at 703–5.

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152 Simmons, supra note 69 at 375.

153 See, for example, the remarks of Laura Laserre, president of the Human Rights Council, “Closing Comments, UPR Report of Bahrain, 13th Universal Periodic Review,” Webcast (News and Media, United Nations Webcast, 25 May 2012), online: <http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2012/05/closing-com-ments-upr-report-of-bahrain-13th-universal-periodic-review.html>.