Skip to content

First Mandate

Page context

First Mandate
Human rights are internationally imbedded: The rights are enshrined in international treaties, the associated treaty bodies offer states additional recommendations; the latter will then submit regular reports on the implementation of the statutory provisions and recommendations. A complicated clockwork, especially in federal Switzerland, where it is overwhelmingly the cantons that are in charge of the implementation of human rights. To gain an overview, the SHRI has commissioned a first study. The stocktake shall recapitulate what UN and European Council Committees recommend for Switzerland to improve its human rights protection. Furthermore, it shall analyse the existing structures for implementing human rights duties. This foundational work will support the SHRI's development of its focus, methods, and strategies.

Who implements human rights in Switzerland?

Human rights are incorporated in the Swiss constitution and in international human rights treaties. Their implementation is the task of the Federal Council and the Cantonal governments. It is inherent to federal systems that approaches to finding solutions are diverse and the state of implementation varies. Like all states, Switzerland has to regularly present reports to the UN and the Council of Europe regarding the implementation of international human rights treaties. This reporting is made more complex by the federal system.

Current Information for the SHRI

The SHRI will support the authorities in implementing their human rights duties and thus contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights in Switzerland. Furthermore, it will contribute to public and political debate and inform interested parties and a wider public.

To decide its focus appropriately, the SHRI will, on the one hand, need an up-to-date overview of the level of implementation of human rights duties on the federal and cantonal levels. On the other hand, the SHRI is also required to obtain insight into the structures and processes in the human rights state reporting cycle to the UN and the Council of Europe, as well as in the political implementation of the recommendations to Switzerland.   It has therefore tasked Interface Politikstudien Forschung Beratung AG with this respective task.

The implementation of human rights in Switzerland is under the purview of various political leaders and administrative bodies. The solutions, successes and deficits are accordingly diverse. Interface will collect the range of these in an introductory study. The starting point for this investigation is Switzerland's latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by the UN Human Rights Council on 27 January 2023. 

Wide Range of Data

Interface will identify deficits and "Best Practices" for all subjects processed – nationally and compared to experiences abroad. The study will highlight work priorities and strategies that the new SHRI can refer to to add value to state reporting cycles and, most importantly, to the implementation and supplementation of human rights in Switzerland.

For this study, Interface will analyse the current state reporting procedures in which Switzerland is involved, as well as obtain information, experience and concerns from the [xa3] authorities, civil society, industry, researchers and NMRIs of other countries regarding the coordination and strengthening of this work for comprehensive human rights protection.

Information on the Project

Project name: Introductory Study for the Swiss Human Rights Institution SHRI
Project start: 25 October 2023
Project end: April 2024
Contractor: Interface Politikstudien Forschung Beratung AG

The outputs of this process are now available. The SHRI is looking into the best ways of making them accessible to the public in a usable form.