BACKGROUND RELEASE
 
Experts to Review Reports of Costa Rica, Cyprus, Poland, Tunisia, Lebanon, Dominican Republic and Philippines
 
GENEVA (15 September 2016) The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will meet in Room XVI of the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 19 September to 7 October 2016 to examine measures taken by Costa Rica, Cyprus, Poland, Tunisia, Lebanon, Dominican Republic and Philippines to comply with the standards of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

At the opening of the session, on Monday, 19 September, the Committee will hear an address from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or his representative.  The Committee will adopt its agenda and discuss organizational matters and its methods of work, after which it will hold a meeting with non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions from countries whose reports will be reviewed during the first week of the session.  In the afternoon on 19 September, the Committee will begin the review of the report of Costa Rica.
   
Costa Rica is presenting its fifth periodic report (E/C.12/CRI/5).  The concluding observations on its combined second, third and fourth periodic report, which was considered in November 2007, can be found here: E/C.12/CRI/CO/4.
 
Cyprus is presenting its sixth periodic report (E/C.12/CYP/6), while the Committee’s concluding observations on its combined fourth and fifth periodic report, discussed in May 2009, are available in this document: E/C.12/CYP/CO/5.
 
Poland is presenting its sixth periodic report (E/C.12/POL/6).  The Committee’s concluding observations on Poland’s previous, fifth periodic report, presented in November 2009, are here: E/C.12/POL/CO/5.
 
Tunisia is presenting its third periodic report (E/C.12/TUN/3), and the concluding observations on its second periodic report, discussed in May 1999, are available here:  E/C.12/1/Add.36.
 
Lebanon is presenting its second periodic report (E/C.12/LBN/2), and the concluding observations on its initial report, considered in May 1993, can be accessed here: E/C.12/1993/10.
 
Dominican Republic is presenting its fourth periodic report (E/C.12/DOM/4).  The Committee’s concluding observations on the Dominican Republic’s third periodic report, presented in November 2010, can be read here: E/C.12/DOM/CO/3.
 
Philippines is presenting its combined fifth and sixth periodic report (E/C.12/PHL/5-6), whereas the concluding observations on its combined second to fourth periodic report, which was considered by the Committee in November 2008, are available in this document: E/C.12/PHL/CO/4.
 
The country reports and other session documents before the Committee are accessible on the webpage of the session.   At the end of the session, the concluding observations of the Committee on each State party will also be published on this website.
 
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was adopted and opened  for signature, ratification and accession by the General Assembly in 1966.  It entered into force on 3 January 1976. 

The right to self-determination is universal, affirms Article 1 of the Covenant, also calling upon States to respect and to promote the realization of this right.  Article 2 states that States Parties should undertake to guarantee that the rights enunciated in the Covenant will be exercised without discrimination of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.  Article 3 reaffirms the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all human rights and asks States to make that principle a reality.  Articles 4 and 5 provide safeguards against the destruction or undue limitation of any human right or fundamental freedom, and against misinterpretation of any provision of the Covenant as a means of justifying infringement of a right or freedom or its restriction to a greater extent than provided in the Covenant.  They also prevent States from limiting rights already enjoyed within their territories on the grounds that such rights are not recognized, or recognized to a lesser extent, in the Covenant.

Articles 6 to 15 recognize the right to work; to the enjoyment of just and favourable conditions of work; to form and join trade unions; to social security, including social insurance; to the widest possible protection and assistance for the family, mothers, children and younger persons; to an adequate standard of living; to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; to an education and to take part in cultural life.

The Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is an international treaty establishing complaint and inquiry mechanisms.  It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 2008, and opened for signature on 24 September 2009.  The Optional Protocol entered into force on 5 May 2013 and has been ratified or acceded to by 21 States:  Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Gabon, Italy, Luxembourg, Mongolia, Montenegro, Niger, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain and Uruguay.

States Parties to the Covenant

The Covenant has been ratified or acceded to by 164 States: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, State of Palestine, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
 
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The Committee is composed of the following 18 Experts: Aslan Khuseinovich Abashidze (Russian Federation); Mohamed Ezzeldin Adel-Moneim (Egypt); Clement Atangana (Cameroon); Maria-Virginia Bras Gomes (Portugal); Shiqiu Chen (China); Chandrashekhar Dasgupta (India); Olivier de Schutter (Belgium); Zdzislaw Kedzia (Poland); Azzouz Kerdoun (Algeria); Mikel Mancisidor de la Fuente (Spain); Sergei Martynov (Belarus); Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay (Mauritius); Lydia Ravenberg (Suriname); Renato Zerbini Ribeiro Leao (Brazil); Waleed Sadi (Jordan); Nikolaas Jan Schrijver (Netherlands); Heisoo Shin (Republic of Korea); and Rodrigo Uprimny (Colombia).

Mr. Sadi is the Chairperson; the Vice-Chairpersons are Mr. Abashidze, Mr. Mancisidor de la Fuente and Mr. Ribeiro Leao.  Mr. Pillay is Rapporteur of the Committee.

Programme of Work – Public Meetings
 
Monday, 19 September

10 a.m.          Opening of session, adoption of the agenda, submission of Reports, organization of work, meeting with partners
                  3 p.m.          Report of Costa Rica (E/C.12/CRI/5)

Tuesday, 20 September

10 a.m.         Report of Costa Rica (continued)
3 p.m.           Report of Cyprus (E/C.12/CYP/6)

Wednesday, 21 September
 
10 a.m.         Report of Cyprus (continued)
3 p.m.           Report of Poland (E/C.12/POL/6)
 
Thursday, 22 September

10 a.m.         Report of Poland (continued)
3 p.m.           Report of Tunisia (E/C.12/TUN/3)

Friday, 23 September
 
10 a.m.         Report of Tunisia (continued)

Monday, 26 September

10 a.m.         Meeting with partners
3 p.m.           Report of Lebanon (E/C.12/LBN/2)

Tuesday, 27 September

10 a.m.         Report of Lebanon (continued)
3 p.m.           Report of the Dominican Republic (E/C.12/DOM/4)

Wednesday, 28 September

10 a.m.         Report of the Dominican Republic (continued)
3 p.m.           Report of the Philippines (E/C.12/PHL/5-6).

Thursday, 29 September
 
10 a.m.         Report of the Philippines (continued)
         
Friday, 7 October

3 p.m.          Public closing of the session (exact time tbc)

 __________

For use of the information media; not an official record