Global Map of Precautionary and Provisional Measures
Explore country-specific protective measures issued to prevent irreparable harm to individuals or communities.
Urgent Measures
In international human rights law, urgent measures are a legal tool used to protect individuals in serious and urgent situations, where an ongoing or imminent violation of their rights would cause irreparable harm. They serve a preventive and protective function and are granted by international human rights bodies at both the universal (UN) and regional levels, including the European, Inter-American, and African human rights systems. Importantly, they do not prejudge the admissibility or merits of the underlying case.
To request an urgent measure, three core requirements generally need to be met: there must be a risk of irreparable harm to a right protected under the relevant treaty; the harm must be imminent; and prima facie evidence must be provided to support the request. In several systems — including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), and the African human rights bodies — a fourth requirement is also applied: the situation must reach a certain threshold of (extreme) gravity.
Provisional Measures
‘Provisional measures’ is the term used specifically by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) to refer to its urgent protective measures. They are provided for in Article 63(2) of the American Convention on Human Rights. The IACtHR may order provisional measures at any stage of proceedings within the Inter-American human rights system, including while a petition is pending before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, at the Commission's request. Moreover, unlike in other regional human rights systems, provisional measures may remain in force even after the Court has delivered its judgment where the situation of extreme gravity and urgency continues to exist.
Precautionary Measures
‘Precautionary measures’ is the term used by the IACHR for its own urgent measures. They are provided for in Article 25 of the IACHR Rules of Procedure. Like provisional measures, they aim to prevent irreparable harm in urgent and serious situations. A distinctive feature of the Inter-American system is that requests for precautionary measures may be submitted to the IACHR independently of any petition, without the need for either a prior or a subsequent petition to be filed.
Source: Haeck, Yves, and Clara Burbano Herrera. "Urgent Measures." Elgar Encyclopedia of Human Rights, edited by Christina Binder et al. Edward Elgar (forthcoming).
1,800+
Measures issued
28
Countries
Highest concentration: