Published on 1 February 2026

International Human Rights Conventions

Human rights are inherent and inalienable rights that belong to all human beings, without distinction, by virtue of their humanity alone. They form the foundation of the peaceful coexistence of peoples. They are the guarantors of a society based on the obligation to respect the rights of every individual. Human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent. Every State is obliged to respect, protect and fulfil human rights. For this reason, the United Nations has developed a series of binding conventions originating from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.

There are basically three distinct types of human rights:

• civil and political rights, e.g. the right to life, peaceful assembly and religious freedom
• economic, social and cultural rights, e.g. the right to work, to education, and to social security
• third-generation rights (also known as collective or solidarity rights), such as the right to development or the right to peace

The most important human rights conventions are the following:

United Nations Conventions

International Law

Unlike the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the above conventions are binding on states parties. Switzerland has ratified all except the last.

Council of Europe Conventions

The principal Council of Europe conventions on human rights are:

• Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (European Convention on Human Rights, ECHR) and its Additional Protocols:
  Switzerland has ratified the ECHR and its Additional Protocols Nos 6, 7 and 13. It also signed Additional Protocol No 1 in 1976.
• European Social Charter and Revised European Social Charter:
  Switzerland signed the 1961 European Social Charter in 1976. In addition, on 2 July 2014 the Federal Council adopted a report on the compatibility of the Revised European Social Charter with the Swiss legal order.
• Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities:
  Switzerland ratified the convention in 1998.
• Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings:
  Switzerland ratified the convention in 2012.
• Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention):
  Switzerland ratified the convention in 2014.
• Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention):
  Switzerland ratified the convention on 14 Dec 2017 (entered into force 1 Apr 2018).

Country reports

The principal UN conventions on human rights establish committees to monitor compliance with their provisions. They provide for a mandatory reporting procedure whereby states which have ratified the conventions submit reports to the relevant committee on the way in which they have fulfilled their human rights obligations. The committee examines the reports and formulates recommendations.

Switzerland fulfils its reporting obligations to the UN treaty bodies in a timely manner, cooperates constructively in the dialogue and follow-up processes, and has maintained a standing invitation to the thematic special procedures of the Human Rights Council since 1 April 2002. In substantive terms, it advocates a strengthened, more efficient and digitally modernised treaty body architecture (inter alia through the implementation of General Assembly resolution 68/268 and the current review steps). The links above lead to the most recent Swiss reports as well as to the current concluding observations and national follow-up documents. Further information is also available on the website of the Federal Office of Justice.

Links

• Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, Lanzarote Convention (Council of Europe)
• Complete list of the Council of Europe's treaties (Council of Europe)
• Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, Lanzarote Convention, Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) (de, fr, it)
• International human rights standards, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights