Recommendation 2037 (2014) Final version

Accountability of international organisations for human rights violations

Author(s): Parliamentary Assembly

Origin - Assembly debate on 31 January 2014 (9th Sitting) (see Doc. 13370, report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, rapporteur: Mr José María Beneyto). Text adopted by the Assembly on 31 January 2014 (9th Sitting).

1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers to its Resolution 1979 (2014) on accountability of international organisations for human rights violations, which stresses the importance of appropriate mechanisms to ensure the accountability of such organisations for any human rights violations that may occur as a consequence of their activities.

2. The Assembly invites the Committee of Ministers to:

2.1. encourage international organisations of which member States are a part, including the United Nations and its specialised agencies, as well as the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, to examine the quality and effectiveness of mechanisms aimed at ensuring compliance with their human rights obligations and to further develop legal standards in this area;

2.2. recommend that member States examine the status of international organisations within their national legal systems and ensure that arrangements are in place for the waiver of immunity when this is required;

2.3. engage in a discussion on the accountability issues raised by the phenomenon of international organisations taking on responsibilities traditionally held by States and with respect to which the European Court of Human Rights does not have jurisdiction, with a view to closing the resulting lack of accountability.

3. The Assembly also deems it appropriate that the Council of Europe, as an international organisation specialising in human rights, consider how to respond to the call in United Nations General Assembly Resolution 66/100 (2011) relating to the International Law Commission’s text on the responsibility of international organisations, and ensure follow-up thereto within the remit of its competence with respect to its own accountability as well as that of other international organisations.