International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Adopted in December 1966, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“ICCPR”) ensures that men and women are treated equally and enjoy all civil and political rights including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the right to vote and due process. All state parties (i.e Countries) signing onto the ICCPR must submit state party reports to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

The Human Rights Committee is comprised of independent human rights experts and each state party is subject to review by the Human Rights Committee every four-years.

State parties’ reviews pertain to their compliance and implementation of ICCPR. The United States of America was under review by the Human Rights Committee on March 13-14, 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland at the United Nations. The Navajo Nation participated in the review process by submitting possible questions to be asked by the Human Rights Committee to the United States.

The Navajo Nation’s questions pertained to how the United States is protecting the human rights of the Navajo people by ensuring that San Francisco Peaks, a sacred mountain, is in compliance with “free, prior and informed consent” by indigenous peoples.