UNBIS Guidelines for Human Rights Treaty Body Documentation

5. Periodic reports of States parties to UN human rights treaties (Content Code B14)

Periodic reports submitted by States parties in compliance with their obligations under UN human rights treaties are important sources of information about governmental policies, institutions, legislation and measures covering a wide range of specific topics in addition to the main subject of the treaty. In general, assign primary topical subject terms (tag 650) for the main overall subjects of the treaty and report as well as the geographic subject term for the country. Assign the title subject heading (tag 630) for the treaty under which the periodic report is submitted.

It is possible to identify sets of "core" subject terms (tag 650) for periodic reports submitted under UN human rights treaties. In the following list, parentheses indicate subject terms that are often, but not systematically, assigned as primary subject terms, and COUNTRY indicates the geographic subject term for the State party. Terms in bold font should generally be assigned to all periodic reports submitted under treaties. Note that when TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL TREATMENT, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, and CHILDREN IN ARMED CONFLICTS are primary terms they should follow primary country subject terms.

*Note: TORTURE PREVENTION and/or TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL TREATMENT should generally be assigned to periodic reports under the Convention against Torture in addition to PRISONER TREATMENT, either as primary or secondary subject terms.

*Note: ANTI-DISCRIMINATION MEASURES and/or RACIAL DISCRIMINATION should generally be assigned to periodic reports under the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in addition to RACE RELATIONS, either as primary or secondary subject terms.

In general, do not assign secondary subject terms for specific issues covered in the periodic reports, unless substantive sections or annexes concerning specific issues are included.

TORTURE PREVENTION may be assigned as a primary subject term along with PRISONER TREATMENT instead of TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL TREATMENT if a State party's report places more focus on prisoner treatment in general and on torture prevention measures than on the occurrence of torture (note that TORTURE AND OTHER CRUEL TREATMENT may be assigned as a secondary subject term). ANTI-DISCRIMINATION MEASURES may be assigned as a primary subject term along with RACE RELATIONS instead of RACIAL DISCRIMINATION if a State party's report places more focus on race relations and anti-discrimination strategies than on the occurrence of racial discrimination in the country (note that RACIAL DISCRIMINATION may be assigned as a secondary subject term).

Additional primary subject terms may be assigned if there is a focus on particular aspects or topics; for example, a report of the Republic of the Congo under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination may have a focus on indigenous peoples in the country:

650 17 $a RACE RELATIONS
650 17 $a ANTI-DISCRIMINATION MEASURES
650 17 $a LAWS AND REGULATIONS
650 17 $a PYGMIES
650 17 $a CONGO
650 27 $a RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

In general, it is not necessary to assign secondary subject terms for specific issues or topics in periodic reports, since users are likely to search for periodic reports by the Content Code B14 along with other search elements such as primary subject term(s), title subject heading of the treaty, document series symbol and/or name of the treaty body.

However, secondary subject terms for specific issues or topics in periodic reports may be assigned if there are substantive sections or annexes with information on specific topics; for example, a report of Ireland under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination includes an annex on the Irish Traveller community:

650 17 $a RACE RELATIONS
650 17 $a ANTI-DISCRIMINATION MEASURES
650 17 $a LAWS AND REGULATIONS
650 17 $a IRELAND
650 17 $a RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
650 27 $a IRISH TRAVELLERS

Do not assign the subject term PERIODIC REPORTS to periodic reports (it should be assigned to documents concerning periodic reports). Assign the appropriate title subject (tag 630) for the treaty. Assign the Content Code B14 to States' periodic reports to treaty bodies. Assign the corporate name heading for the State party in tag 710.

If the title of the Convention is incomplete in the document title transcribed in tag 245 $a, add the complete title of the Convention as it appears in the masthead area of the document in subfield $b followed by the word "addendum" (if the word "addendum" appears in the title). The name of the country is the last element in the title.

089 $b B14
191 $a CERD/C/AUT/17 $b CERD/C/
245 10 $a Reports submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention : $b International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination : 17th periodic reports of States parties due in 2005 : addendum : Austria
630 07 $a International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1965)
650 17 $a RACE RELATIONS
650 17 $a HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY
650 17 $a LAWS AND REGULATIONS
650 17 $a ANTI-DISCRIMINATION MEASURES
650 17 $a AUSTRIA
650 27 $a RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
650 27 $a XENOPHOBIA
710 2_ $a Austria

089 $b B14
191 $a CAT/C/SVK/2 $b CAT/C/
245 10 $a Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 19 of the Convention : $b Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment : 2nd periodic reports of States parties due in 1998 : addendum : Slovak Republic
630 07 $a Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984)
650 17 $a PRISONER TREATMENT
650 17 $a TORTURE PREVENTION
650 17 $a LAWS AND REGULATIONS
650 17 $a CRIMINAL LAW
650 17 $a SLOVAKIA
710 2_ $a Slovakia

089 $b B14
191 $a CMW/C/PHL/1 $b CMW/C/
245 10 $a Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 73 of the Convention : $b International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families : initial reports of States parties due in 2004 : Philippines
630 07 $a International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (1990)
650 17 $a MIGRANT WORKERS
650 17 $a HUMAN RIGHTS
650 17 $a WORKERS' RIGHTS
650 17 $a MIGRANT WORKERS' FAMILIES
650 17 $a LAWS AND REGULATIONS
650 17 $a PHILIPPINES
710 2_ $a Philippines

089 $b B14
191 $a E/C.12/DZA/4 $b E/C.12/
245 10 $a Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights : $b combined 3rd and 4th periodic reports, submitted in one document, under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant : Algeria
630 07 $a International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966)
650 17 $a ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
650 17 $a HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY
650 17 $a LAWS AND REGULATIONS
650 17 $a SOCIAL POLICY
650 17 $a ALGERIA
710 2_ $a Algeria

Periodic reports of non-independent or self-governing associated states and territories are sometimes issued as addenda to the main reports of States parties. When these periodic reports concern only the associated state or territory, and do not concern the State party, assign the geographic subject term for the associated state or territory as primary subject (tag 650 first indicator 1) but not the primary geographic subject term for the State party. Assign the corporate name heading for the State party in tag 710, not the corporate name headings for the associated state or territory.

089 $b B14
191 $a CAT/C/81/Add.2(PartII) $b CAT/C/
245 10 $a Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 19 of the Convention : $b Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment : 5th periodic reports of States parties due in 2004 : Denmark : Greenland
630 07 $a Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984)
650 17 $a PRISONER TREATMENT
650 17 $a CRIMINAL JUSTICE
650 17 $a CRIMINAL LAW
650 17 $a GREENLAND
710 2_ $a Denmark

089 $b B14
191 $a E/C.12/GBR/5/Add.1 $b E/C.12/
245 10 $a Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights : $b 5th periodic reports submitted by States parties under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant : addendum : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland : Crown Dependencies
630 07 $a International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966)
650 17 $a ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
650 17 $a LAWS AND REGULATIONS
650 17 $a GUERNSEY (UNITED KINGDOM)
650 17 $a JERSEY (UNITED KINGDOM)
650 17 $a ISLE OF MAN
710 2_ $a United Kingdom

When periodic reports of States parties include information on autonomous or dependent territories, but do not chiefly concern those territories, assign the geographic subject for the State party as a primary subject term (tag 650 first indicator 1) and assign the geographic subjects for the territories as secondary subject terms (tag 650 first indicator 2).

089 $b B14
089 $b A08
191 $a CCPR/C/DNK/5 $b CCPR/C/
245 10 $a Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant : $b International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights : 5th periodic report of States parties : Denmark
500 $a Annexes (p. 77-119): 1. Greenland – 2. The Faeroe Islands …
630 07 $a International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)
650 17 $a CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS
650 17 $a LAWS AND REGULATIONS
650 17 $a HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY
650 17 $a DENMARK
650 27 $a GREENLAND
650 27 $a FAEROE ISLANDS (DENMARK)
710 2_ $a Denmark
[In this example, Denmark's periodic report includes information in annexes about Greenland and the Faeroe Islands, but the report does not chiefly concern those territories]

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