The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was adopted thirty-five years ago, on 21 December 1965, by the General Assembly of the United Nations, and entered into force on 4 January 1969. It was the first of the universal human rights treaties with a treaty-monitoring body to be adopted and enter into force. At present, 156 States have ratified or acceded to this Convention.
Under article 9 of the Convention, each State party has to submit a report within one year after the entry into force of the Convention for that State and thereafter every...

Thirty-five years ago, on 16 December 1966, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted without a vote the two International Covenants on Human Rights. Together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Cove-nant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including its two Optional Protocols, form what is often referred to as the International Bill of Human Rights. Both Covenants entered into force ten years later. At present, 145 States have ratified or acceded to the Interna-tional Covenant on...