International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a multilateral treaty adopted by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI) on 16 December 1966, and in force from 23 March 1976 in accordance with Article 49 of the covenant. Article 49 allowed that the covenant would enter into force three months after the date of the deposit of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or accession. The covenant commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.[3] As of September 2019[update], the Covenant has 173 parties and six more signatories without ratification.[1] Notable holdouts are People's Republic of China and Cuba. North Korea tried to withdraw.
 Parties and signatories of the ICCPR
State party
Signatory that has not ratified
State party that attempted to withdraw
Non-party; non-signatory | |
| Type | United Nations General Assembly resolution |
|---|---|
| Drafted | 1954 |
| Signed | 16 December 1966[1] |
| Location | United Nations Headquarters, New York City |
| Effective | 23 March 1976[1] |
| Signatories | 74[1] |
| Parties | 173[1] |
| Depositary | Secretary-General of the United Nations |
| Languages | French, English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish[2] |
Read online at  Wikisource | |
The ICCPR is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).[4]
The ICCPR is monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee (a separate body to the United Nations Human Rights Council), which reviews regular reports of States parties on how the rights are being implemented. States must report initially one year after acceding to the Covenant and then whenever the Committee requests (usually every four years). The Committee normally meets in Geneva and normally holds three sessions per year.