Inquiry procedure

The inquiry procedure may be initiated if the Committee receives reliable information indicating that the rights contained in the Convention it monitors are being systematically violated by a State party.

Inquiries may only be conducted with respect to States parties that have recognized the competence of the Committee in this regard. Check if a State party has made this declaration in the section ‘Declarations and reservations’.

State parties may opt out at any time (article 11(8) of the Optional Protocol to CESCR) by making a declaration that they do not recognize the competence of the Committee in question to undertake inquiries.

The following resources provide more information on inquiries:

• CESCR complaint and inquiry procedure E/C.12/49/3
• Read more about the inquiry procedure for all treaty bodies

Requests for inquiries should be sent to:

CESCR Committee Secretariat
Email: ohchr-cescr@un.org