There are ten human rights treaty bodies composed of independent experts of recognized competence in human rights, who are nominated and elected for fixed renewable terms of four years by State parties. The treaty bodies meet in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Treaty Bodies are committees of independent experts that monitor the implementation by States parties of their obligations under these international human rights treaties (see below for the list of treaties and their corresponding treaty body).

Today, the key definitions of human rights are comprised in the Declaration, in nine core international human rights treaties and in nine optional protocols.