COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE OPENS THIRTIETH SESSION

CAT
30th session
28 April 2003
Morning




High Commissioner for Human Rights
Cites Support For Anti-Torture Efforts




The Committee against Torture opened this morning its spring three-week session, hearing an address from the High Commissioner for Human Rights and adopting its agenda. The session will run through 16 May.
Sergio Vieira de Mello, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he followed the Committee’s work closely, supported its efforts to persuade States to incorporate into domestic law the definition of torture contained in article 1 of the Convention against Torture, and felt that the definition, as useful as it was, was still too vague. At the Committee’s next session he hoped to offer a contribution from his Office on how to add to the definition and how to help to draw a line – a red line – that made clear that certain acts were not acceptable, Mr. Vieira de Mello said.
A Secretariat representative, reviewing the status of the Committee’s workload, said that in addition to the seven country reports to be considered at this session, 19 reports had been received (three initial reports, two second periodic reports, nine third periodic reports, and five fourth periodic reports). Some 37 initial reports, 45 second reports, 41 third periodic reports, and 36 fourth periodic reports were overdue, for a total of 159 overdue reports.
Two new countries had ratified the Convention, the Secretariat representative said --Djibouti and Timor Leste -- bringing the total number of States parties to 133.
The Committee began the meeting by expressing its profound regret at the death in February of its member and Vice-Chairman Alejandro Gonzalez Poblete.
The Committee will reconvene in public session at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 29 April, to begin consideration of an initial report of Cambodia. There was some discussion of procedure, as Cambodia had indicated that a Cambodian Government delegation would not be present to answer the questions of Committee members, although a Government official would be present to make notes of the questions asked. It was decided to proceed with offering the questions and to determine afterward what to do based on how the Government planned to respond to the questions.
During its thirtieth session, the Committee is also scheduled to consider reports from Azerbaijan, Iceland, Turkey, Slovenia, Belgium, and Moldova.

Introductory Address by High Commissioner for Human Rights
SERGIO VIEIRA DE MELLO, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he followed the Committee’s work with great interest. As he had said to other treaty bodies, the world was living in a period where the principles and norms enshrined in the international human rights instruments were becoming ever more relevant. It was vital to spread information on the contents of these instruments and to ensure that they were implemented.
The definition of torture given in the Convention’s first article was not known as widely as it should be, Mr. Vieira de Mello said. Although the Committee frequently advised countries to include that definition in their penal law, far too many had not done so. He encouraged the Committee in its efforts to change that. He also felt it was necessary to go beyond the definition contained in the Convention – it was still too vague, as he was sure all would agree. He hoped to submit to the Committee at its next session a contribution from his Office on how to add to this definition and how to draw a line – a red line – that made clear that certain acts were not acceptable.
When he visited countries, he put particular emphasis on the importance of implementing the recommendations of treaty bodies such as the Committee, Mr. Vieira de Mello said, and he also called for emphasis on those recommendations in the activities of his Office. In a recent presentation to the United Nations Development Group, he had pointed out that he expected United Nations “country teams” to help implement treaty body recommendations in the countries where they worked. It also seemed to him that not enough Governments, organizations, and people knew enough about the treaty bodies, the High Commissioner said; and for that reason he had created a new branch of his Office to publicize the human rights instruments and the bodies that oversaw them.
He had been encouraged by the broad support shown in the Third Committee of the General Assembly last year for the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, the High Commissioner said; he hoped the Protocol would enter into force soon.
Mr. Vieira de Mello also reviewed the state of proposed reforms of the Secretary-General as they might affect the treaty bodies such as the Committee. He said he was to present his recommendations on proposals to streamline country reporting procedures to the Secretary-General in September; he hoped the Committee would provide him with its own responses. To date, he had heard some skepticism from other Committees on the proposal that countries submit a single, consolidated human rights report that would serve for all treaty bodies.



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