Reservas en el ámbito del Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos

Even though the states consider as a relevant matter the development and strengthening of the international community, it is difficult for them to postpone their national interests. The possibility to be united by a treaty and at the same time to alter the legal effect of some of its provisions is an effective way of enlarging that community. The reservations serve that purpose. Most of the treaties are based on reciprocity, according to which there is a balance between the rights and obligations of state parties. Reservations are suitable for this kind of treaties, but not for those which are not based on reciprocity, such as the treaties on human rights. Since a fragmented human rights system could not function properly, some believe that the rules on reservation of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties are not suitable for human rights conventions. Moreover, there is this problem of the inadmissible reservations for which the Vienna Convention gives no solution. Conventional organs of human rights have been developing a practice which has been rejected several times, declaring state bounded parties by all treaties, as if the reservations have not been formulated, and intervening in the principles of consensus.