Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes
- Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity
- Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
- International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid
- International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
- International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
- Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
Culture, Health, Progress, and Development
- Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
- Declaration on Social Progress and Development
- Declaration on the Right to Development
- Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity
Employment and Freedom of Association
- Employment Policy Convention
- Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention
- Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention
Foundational Documents
- Charter of the International Military Tribunal
- Charter of the United Nations
- U.S. Declaration of Independence
- French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
- Hague Convention I
- Hague Convention II
- Magna Carta
- The Covenant of the League of Nations
- The English Bill of Rights
- The London Agreement
- The Virginia Declaration of Rights
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- U.S. Constitution
Geneva Convention
- Geneva Convention I
- Geneva Convention II
- Geneva Convention III
- Geneva Convention IV
- Protocol Additional to the Geneva Convention (Protocol 1)
- Protocol Additional to the Geneva Convention (Protocol 2)
Human Rights in the Administration of Justice
- Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy
- Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners
- Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment
- Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
- Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power
- International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
- Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
- Safeguards Guaranteeing Protection of the Rights of those Facing the Death Penalty
- Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
- United Nations Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty
International Bill of Human Rights
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
- Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Major Regional Human Rights Instruments and Bodies
African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
- African [Banjul] Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights
- African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
- Constitutive Act of the African Union
- OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa
- Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights
- Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa
European Court of Human Rights
- European Court of Human Rights Convention and Protocols
- European Social Charter
- Mandate for Commissioner of Human Rights
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
- American Convention on Human Rights
- American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man
- Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression
- Inter-American Convention on the Forced Disappearance of Persons
- Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities
- Inter-American Convention to Prevent and Punish Torture
- Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women
- Principles and Best Practices on the Protection of Persons Deprived of Liberty in the Americas
- Protocol of San Salvador
- Protocol to the American Convention--Abolition of the Death Penalty
- Statute of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
- Statute of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
Marriage
- Convention on Consent, Minimum Age, and Registration of Marriage
- Recommendation on Consent to Marriage...Convention
Protection and Promotion of Human Rights
- Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary
- Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals
- Principles Relating to the Status of National Institutions
- Proclamation of Teheran
- Resolution of the General Assembly Creating the Position of High Commissioner for Human Rights
- United Nations Millennium Declaration
- Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
Rights Against Discrimination
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
- Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice
- Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief
Rights of Children
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Declaration of the Rights of the Child
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict
- Optional Protocol to the CRC on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography
Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Minorities
- Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities
- ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Convention
Rights of Migrants
- International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families
- Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air
Rights of Older Persons
Rights of Persons with Disabilities
- Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons
- Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons
- Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and the Improvement of Mental Health Care
Rights of Stateless Persons and Refugees
- Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness
- Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
- Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons
- Declaration on the Human Rights of Individuals Who are Not Nationals of the Country in which They Live
- Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees
Rights of Women
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
- Convention on the Political Rights of Women
- Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women
- Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict
- Optional Protocol to CEDAW
Slavery, Enforced Labor, and Slavery-Like Practices
- Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children
- Slavery Convention
- Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery
More Resources
Manuals for Human Rights Practice
Notable Human Rights Cases
Further Information and Resources for Human Rights-related International Courts, Tribunals and Commissions: overviews, related documents, reports, and news.
- International Court of Justice
- International Commission of Jurists
- International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
- International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
- Special Court for Sierra Leone
- Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
- Special Tribunal for Lebanon
- South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission
- Report of Argentina’s National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons
Nuremberg Military Tribunals:
- Harvard Law School Nuremberg Trials Project
- Yale Law School Avalon Project: The International Military Tribunal for Germany
- Famous Nuremberg War Trials
- Committees, Special Rapporteurs, and Working Groups, listed by thematic human rights issue
Reports, news, statistics, and other publications on human rights issues:
- UNHCR: Policy and Guiding Documents Regarding Internally Displaced Persons
- Amnesty International Library: reports, news, and campaigns on human rights issues around the globe
- Human Rights Watch Publications: reports on human rights issues
- UN High Commissioner for Refugees Resources: news, statistics, publications, records, and research concerning human rights issues relating to refugees
- UNICEF Fact Sheets on Children’s Human Rights Issue Areas