Potential, principle and pragmatism in concurrent multi-national monitoring: disability rights in the European Union

This article responds to some of the limitations of traditional human rights monitoring systems by identifying the potential for more dynamic methods of recording and reporting rights-based evidence. The article distinguishes between ‘consecutive’ and ‘concurrent’ models of monitoring and between hierarchical and non-hierarchical monitoring systems. Using the example of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a principled framework for systems development in this field is outlined. The practical contingencies of designing and implementing new monitoring tools across 34 European countries are then reviewed. The article concludes that more flexible and dynamic reporting tools can help to make states more accountable for the implementation of their human rights obligations and facilitate policy exchange and the sharing of good practice. Recent developments within the European Union disability field offer potential for adaptation to other human rights fields and to other regions of the world.