Jewel Major Appointed the United Nations Working Group on Communications

11th October 2024

Ms Jewel Major was appointed to the United Nations Working Group on Communications on 1st October 2024. The Working Group consists of five independent and highly qualified Human Rights experts and is geographically representative of the five United Nations regional groups.

Ms Jewel Major

This Working Group is designated by the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee from among its members for a period of three years (mandate renewable once).  Ms. Major is the first national of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to be appointed.

The Working Group meets in Geneva twice annually to assess the admissibility and the merits of a complaint communication against a state, including whether the communication alone or in combination with other communications, appears to reveal a consistent pattern of gross and reliably attested violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

During its sessions, the Working Group on Communications may decide to: dismiss a communication; keep a communication under review and request the State concerned to provide further information within a reasonable time ortransmit the complaint to the Working Group on Situations.

Up to 15,000 communications are submitted to the complaint procedure each year. Ninety percent of complaints are submitted by individuals or groups of persons, and ten percent of complaints are submitted by civil society stakeholders. The response rate by States under review is between 95 and 100%.

The Human Rights Council complaint procedure has led to successful cooperation by States and numerous successful measures around the globe.

For example, some states have taken measures to redress allegations of consistent patterns of gross human rights violations, by: releasing detainees and political opponents; abolishing the death penalty for juveniles; reducing prison sentences; granting reparations to victims of human rights violations; prohibiting deprivation of nationality to avoid statelessness; aligning policies and legislation with international human rights standards; conducting independent investigations; accepting country visits by special procedure mandate holders and/or United Nations personnel and accepting and acting upon relevant recommendations resulting from the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council.

In 2022, Ms. Major was the first Bahamian national and first CARICOM national to be elected to the Human Rights Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council.