Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

Chapter 2.7: International Processes and Complaints Mechanisms
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Chapter 2.7
International Processes and
Complaints Mechanisms
When a community seeks redress on the international
stage, there are a number of options outside of the types of
pure campaigning actions covered in Chapter 2.3 and the
legal action covered in Chapter 2.6. Working alongside legal
action, there are also a wealth of different potential complaints
mechanisms, which have a wide range of effectiveness. The
problem with the vast majority is that they are voluntary, or,
in some cases, states and companies treat them as if they were
voluntary. There may, however, be potential difficulties or unacceptably
high costs or long delays with legal action beyond
the nation state, and so these complaint mechanisms may offer
a less complicated, or in some cases, the only current chance
of redress. They should therefore be considered as part of an
integrated strategy.
In general they break down into two areas. The first are
various mechanisms associated with United Nations human
rights system, as opposed to the regional ones covered in