Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13107: Implementation of Human Rights Treaties

President: Bill Clinton

Directed agencies to account for U.S. human-rights treaty obligations and coordinated implementation, reporting and training.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13107 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13107 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13107 do?

EO 13107 set executive-branch policy to respect and implement U.S. human-rights treaty obligations, including the ICCPR, Convention Against Torture and CERD. It required agencies to maintain awareness of obligations relevant to their work, name contact officers, coordinate treaty reports and training, and preserve each agency’s existing role in implementing and interpreting federal law. The order says it creates no enforceable right or benefit. Treaty effects still depend on treaty terms, Senate reservations and declarations, implementing statutes and other domestic law.

Administration position: The order coordinated executive-branch practice; it did not itself make every treaty provision enforceable in U.S. courts or create private rights.
SignedDecember 10, 1998
Treaties namedICCPR, Convention Against Torture and CERD
Agency mechanismContact officers and interagency coordination

Before and after

Before the order

Agencies had separate responsibilities for relevant treaty implementation and reporting.

After the order

The order established agency contact officers and coordination for implementation, reporting and training while preserving existing institutional roles.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Federal agenciesRespect obligations and maintain awarenessContinuing
Interagency working groupCoordinate policy and reportingFramework remains
State DepartmentLead international reporting with agenciesContinuing

What happened next

EO 13107 established the framework.

The National Archives disposition table listed no express revocation for EO 13107.