Metadata sheets on selected indicators Indicator 1 Status of ratification of the 18 international human rights treaties and optional protocols Definition  The indicator refers to the expression by the State of its consent to be bound by a human rights treaty under international law. A “State party” to a treaty is a State that has expressed its consent, by an act of ratification, accession or succession, and where the treaty has entered into force (or a State about to become a party after formal reception by the United Nations Secretariat of the State’s decision to be a party). A “signatory” to a treaty is a State that provided a preliminary endorsement of the instrument and its intent to examine the treaty domestically and consider ratifying it. “No action” means that a State did not express its consent. Rationale  When a State ratifies one of the international human rights treaties, it assumes a legal obligation to implement the rights recognized in that treaty. Through ratification, States undertake to put in place domestic measures and legislation compatible with their treaty obligations. The State also commits to submitting regular reports on how the rights are being implemented to the monitoring committee set up under that treaty. Most of the committees can, under certain conditions, receive petitions from individuals who claim that their rights under the treaties have been violated. The State party must have recognized the competence of the committee to consider such complaints from individuals either by becoming a party to an optional protocol or by making a declaration to that effect under a specific article of the treaty. This indicator is a structural indicator in the OHCHR methodology for human rights indicators (HRI/MC/2008/3). Method of computation  A value of 1 is assigned to a “State party” (or a State about to become a party after formal reception by the United Nations Secretariat of the State’s decision to be a party) and 0 otherwise. The provisions under the treaty determine the moment of its entry into force. Data collection and source  The indicator is produced by OHCHR based on data obtained from and regularly updated by the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, which has the mission to, inter alia, register and publish treaties, and to perform the depositary functions of the Secretary-General (http://untreaty.un.org/ola/). Periodicity  The indicator is updated by OHCHR every six months. Disaggregation  Not applicable. Comments and limitations  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) recognizes civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In transforming the provisions of the Declaration into legally binding obligations, the United Nations adopted in 1966 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The United Nations adopted the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in 1965; the first Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1966; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1979; the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 1984; the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Second Optional Protocol Human Rights Indicators 141