Human Rights Committee Concludes One Hundred and Forty-First Session after Adopting Concluding Observations on Reports of Croatia, Honduras, India, Maldives, Malta, Pakistan, Suriname and Syria

The Human Rights Committee this afternoon concluded its one hundred and forty-first session after adopting concluding observations on the reports of Croatia, Honduras, India, Maldives, Malta, Suriname and Syrian Arab Republic.

Tania María Abdo Rocholl, Committee Chairperson, said that during the intense and productive session, the Committee had held rich and constructive dialogues with the delegations of Croatia, Honduras, India, Maldives, Malta, Suriname and Syrian Arab Republic. Some of these reports were presented during serious conflicts in their countries and others after several years, showing the trust these States placed in the Committee’s work.

In all reviews, the Committee noted positive developments, identified concerns, and made recommendations. The concluding observations on all these States would be issued on the webpage of the Committee later today.

The Chair said the Committee had also adopted a list of issues on Chad and four lists of pre-reporting issues on Austria, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone. In addition, it adopted decisions on 63 individual communications. Of those, 53 were decided on the merits, 10 were declared inadmissible, and 32 communications were rejected. Regarding the cases decided on the merits, the Committee found violations in 51 of them. In total, the Committee had taken 95 decisions.

At its one hundred and forty-second session, from 14 October to 8 November 2024, the Committee would review the periodic reports of Ecuador, France, Greece, Iceland, Pakistan and Türkiye. The Committee would also adopt the list of issues for Latvia and the lists of issues prior to reporting for Benin, Cameron, Monaco, Poland, Slovenia, and South Africa.

Ms. Abdo Rocholl said the upcoming October session of the Committee had been confirmed, as had that of the Working Group, which was due to the hard work of the Secretariat, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Bureau. The session had been painstaking work and had benefited from the work of high-level professionals. The Chair thanked all the Committee members for their input which had resulted in the recommendations, and all those who had contributed to making the session possible. It was essential to disseminate the Covenant and the work of the Committee, to better ensure that rights were upheld.

Several Experts also praised the work of the Committee, the Chair, the Secretariat, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and all those who had supported the Committee during the session. The Experts underscored the dedication of the Committee for completing the session’s work over a shorter period of time. It was hoped the Committee would be able to resolve the issue of the budget and resourcing.

All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.

The Committee will hold its one hundred and forty-second session from 14 October to 8 November 2024. In the session, the Committee will review the reports of Ecuador, France, Greece, Iceland, Pakistan and Türkiye.

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