The Role of UN Commissions of Inquiry in Developing Global Human Rights: Prospects and Challenges

Abstract

In international human rights issue areas, investigation has been increasing exponentially in last 20 years, not just in the international realm but also in domestic politics, and not just by official governments but also by many non-governmental civil society actors. The most representative trend is the increase of UN commissions of inquiry within the UN Human Rights Council. This paper is devoted to explaining the meaning and context of the recent rise and diffusion of UN commissions of inquiry, and I attempt to answer the following two questions. First, why is the number of UN commissions of inquiry increasing? In other words, what is the context under which UN commissions of inquiry increase and diffuse? Second, how can we evaluate the activities of these UN commissions? What are their achievements and what problems and challenges remain? I argue that the rise of UN commissions of inquiry can be understood within the context of the diffusion and development of global investigative norms in the field of human rights. Despite some diversity and limitations of the activities of these commissions, these activities represent the rise of global investigative norms and this new trend contributes to the development of human rights.