Human Rights Advisory Panel>>Welcome
The Human Rights Advisory Panel (the Panel) examines complaints of alleged human rights violations committed by or attributable to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and makes recommendations to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in Kosovo when appropriate. The Panel is composed of three Panel Members who sit in Prishtinë/Priština each month to render determinations on complaints against UNMIK. The Presiding Member directs the work of the Panel and the Prishtinë/Priština-based Secretariat provides it with legal and administrative support.
Any person who believes that UNMIK is responsible for a violation of their human rights can complain to the Panel to seek a determination of that allegation. Such persons initiate the complaint procedure by submitting a complaint to the Panel. The Panel then determines whether that complaint is admissible based on the applicable legislation and renders a decision to that effect.
If a complaint is admissible, the Panel will then render an opinion on whether UNMIK is responsible for a violation of one of the various human rights instruments in force in Kosovo. If the Panel determines that a violation has occurred, the opinion may include recommendations to the SRSG. The SRSG must then publicly state how he/she will react to those recommendations.
The Human Rights Advisory Panel is the only human rights mechanism in existence that deals specifically with human rights violations allegedly committed by or attributable to a United Nations field mission.
The deadline for the submission of new complaints to the Panel was 31 March 2010.
Please see our published cases and our annual reports for further information.