This Research Guide has been developed and is maintained by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Guide lists international commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions and other investigations established by the United Nations to gather information, analyze and report on violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
For each commission or fact-finding mission, information on the mandating authority, the mandate, the members, and links to the related resolutions and reports, where available, are provided.
United Nations mandated commissions of inquiry and fact-finding missions are increasingly being used to respond to situations of serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, whether protracted or resulting from sudden events, and to promote accountability for such violations and counter impunity.
These international investigative bodies have been established by the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, its predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights, the UN Secretary-General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
This guide does not cover fact-finding missions undertaken by special procedures of the Human Rights Council (e.g. Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts) - please see the Special Procedures in Human Rights Timeline research Guide.
The guide complements the information that researchers can currently find on the OHCHR website.
We welcome your comments and suggestions concerning this resource guide. Please send any recommendations to OHCHR-library@un.org
