Chapter 2 • The Major Universal Human Rights Instruments and the Mechanisms for Their Implementation In addition to the international treaty-based mechanisms, the United Nations has established special procedures aimed at dealing with particularly serious human rights violations. These procedures are aimed at creating cooperation with the Governments concerned for the purpose of redressing such violations. These procedures consist of thematic and country procedures involving working groups and special rapporteurs, special representatives or independent experts. They also include the 1503 complaints procedure, which seeks to identify situations of grave violations of human rights affecting large numbers of people. 6. Concluding Remarks As can be seen from the basic information contained in this chapter, international human rights treaties and numerous resolutions adopted by the various organs of the United Nations contain detailed standards for the protection of the human person, including a variety of monitoring mechanisms to improve the efficiency of the actual implementation of these standards at the domestic level. The examples to be given in subsequent chapters will show that these legal instruments have in fact contributed to important legal developments for the purposes of enhancing the protection of individuals. Naturally, the universal human rights standards presented in this chapter, as interpreted by the competent monitoring organs, also provide indispensable guidance to the domestic legal professions in their own work to protect individuals at all times against various encroachments upon their rights. Moreover, these universal standards are complemented by regional standards adopted in Africa, the Americas and Europe. These various universal and regional legal standards often coexist at the domestic level, and, depending on the issues involved, domestic judges may have to consider both sets of rules and principles. Finally, it is important to bear in mind that neither the universal nor the regional law for the protection of the human person is static, but that they evolve in step with the new human needs that continue to emerge in society. Since this adaptation is often effected by means of interpretation, it is indispensable for judges, prosecutors and lawyers to keep themselves continuously informed about these legal developments so as to be able to contribute to maximizing the protection of the individual at the domestic level. 70 Human Rights in the Administration of Justice: A Manual on Human Rights for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers