1. The UN human rights treaty system: a system in crisis? James Crawford and Philip Alston; Part I. The UN Human Rights Monitoring System in Action: 2. Individual chains in a world of massive violations: what role for the human rights committee? Henry Steiner; 3. Decision-taking in the committee on the elimination of racial discrimination Michael Banton; 4. The committee on the elimination of discrimination against women Mara R. Bustelo; 5. The reporting process under the convention on the rights of the child Gerrison Lansdown; 6. The committee on economic, social and cultural rights: catalyst for change in a system needing reform Scott Leckie; 7. Country-orientated procedures under the convention against torture: towards a new dynamism Roland Bank; 8. UN human rights reporting procedures: an NGO perspective Andrew Clapham; Part II. National Influences and Responses: 9. Making human rights treaty obligations a reality: working with new actors and partners Anne Gallagher; 10. Domestic implementation of international human rights treaties: Nordic and Baltic experiences Martin Scheinin; 11. The domestic impact of international human rights: the Japanese experience Yuji Iwasawa; 12. The role of human rights treaties in domestic law: the southern African experience John Dugard; 13. Uses and abuses of the treaty reporting procedure: Hong Kong between two systems Andrew Byrnes; 14. The United States and the international human rights treaty system: for export only? Stefanie Grant; Part III. Regional and Sectoral Comparisons: 15. Reporting in the inter-American system of human rights protection Antônio Cançado Trindade; 16. The reporting system of the European social charter David Harris; 17. The role of reporting in international environmental treaties: lessons for human rights supervision Daniel Bodansky; Part IV. Common Challenges for the Treaty Bodies: 18. The problem of overlapping among different treaty bodies Eric Tistounet; 19. Bodies of knowledge: a diversity promotion role for the UN High Commissioner for human rights? Craig Scott; 20. Treaty bodies in states of emergency: the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina Michael O'Flaherty; 21. Ensuring effective supervisory procedures: the need for resources Elizabeth Evatt; 22. Servicing and financing human rights supervision Markus Schmidt; Part V. Looking into the Future: 23. Beyond 'them' and 'us': putting treaty body reform into perspective Philip Alston.