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COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE OPENS THIRTY-FOURTH SESSION
02 May 2005
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Committee against Torture
2 May 2005
Hears Address by Representative of Office of High Commissioner
for Human Rights; Adopts Agenda and Programme of Work
The Committee against Torture this morning opened its thirty-fourth session by hearing an address by a Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and adopting its agenda and programme of work.
Jane Connors, Team Leader of the Treaties and Follow-up Unit of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said High Commissioner Louise Arbour was keenly aware of the important role of the treaty bodies and was strongly committed to ensuring that the Committee's work received all the necessary support from her Office.
Ms. Connors said the Secretary-General had, in his latest report "In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All" suggested that "far reaching change" was needed to enable the United Nations and the world community to rise up and meet current global challenges.
Ms. Connors, addressing another aspect of the Secretary-General’s agenda for reform which related to the strengthening of the Office of the High Commissioner, said the Secretary-General had stressed that the capacity of the Office should be strengthened, in light of the increasing demands that were placed upon it. To that end, he had requested the High Commissioner to submit a plan of action by 20 May this year, with concrete recommendations as to how the Office might become a more effective force for the protection and promotion of human rights.
The Committee also heard its newly appointed member Wang Xeuxian (China) make a solemn declaration to perform his duties and exercise his powers as a member of the Committee against Torture honourably, faithfully and conscientiously. Mr. Wang was elected as the third Vice-Chairperson of the Committee.
The Committee also adopted its agenda and programme of work and discussed organizational and other matters, after hearing the views of Committee Experts on various aspects of the lists of issues on country reports scheduled to be considered during the current session. Before adopting its programme of work, the Committee discussed how to treat the situation of Togo, in the absence of information confirming the presence of a government delegation to present the report. The Committee decided to close its discussion until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 3 May when the report of Togo is scheduled to be considered.
Over the course of its three-week session, the Committee will review measures undertaken by Togo, Canada, Switzerland, Finland, Albania, Uganda and Bahrain to prevent and punish acts of torture. These countries are among the 139 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The Committee’s 10 Independent Experts will also review, in closed session, information appearing to contain well-founded indications that torture is systematically being practiced in some States parties; and complaints from individuals claiming to be victims of a violation by a State party of the provisions of the Convention.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will have meet in private with Representatives of non-governmental organizations on the report of Togo. At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 3 May, it is scheduled to take up the initial report of Togo (document CAT/C/5/Add.33).
Statement by Representative of Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights
JANE CONNORS, Team Leader of the Treaties and Follow-up Unit of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said High Commissioner Louise Arbour was not available to open the session but she was very attentive to the work of the Committee and would be following the outcome of its deliberations with interest. The High Commissioner was keenly aware of the important role of the treaty bodies and was strongly committed to ensuring that the Committee's work received all the necessary support from her Office.
Ms. Connors said the Secretary-General had, in his latest report "In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All" suggested that "far reaching change" was needed to enable the United Nations and the world community to rise up and meet current global challenges. He had stressed that the causes of security, development and human rights should be advanced together, otherwise none would succeed. He had set out proposals to reform the three central pillars of the United Nations human rights system: the treaty bodies, the Office of the High Commissioner and the Commission on Human Rights. States were being consulted with respect to the Secretary-General's proposal to replace the Commission on Human Rights with a Human Rights Council. The Secretary-General also reaffirmed the ideas put forward in his 2002 report, "Strengthening the United Nations: An Agenda for Further Change", in which modernization of the treaty system was identified as a key element in the United Nations goal of promoting and protecting human rights.
Addressing another aspect of the Secretary-General's agenda for reform, which related to the strengthening of the Office of the High Commissioner, Ms. Connors said the Secretary-General had stressed that the capacity of the Office should be strengthened, in light of the increasing demands that were placed upon it. To that end, he had requested the High Commissioner to submit a plan of action by 20 May this year, with concrete recommendations as to how the Office might become a more effective force for the protection and promotion of human rights. Considerable efforts were currently under way to ensure that such a plan was prepared in a transparent and consultative manner.
Ms. Connors said the Office was convening in Geneva, from 9 to 13 May, the fourth in a series of workshops on implementation of treaty body recommendations. A number of regional and sub-regional workshops on follow-up to concluding observations had also been organized. The Commission on Human Rights, in its resolution 2005/39, had welcomed the work of the Committee and had, among other things, specifically made reference to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court according to which acts of torture could constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes.
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For use of the information media; not an official record
2 May 2005
Hears Address by Representative of Office of High Commissioner
for Human Rights; Adopts Agenda and Programme of Work
The Committee against Torture this morning opened its thirty-fourth session by hearing an address by a Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and adopting its agenda and programme of work.
Jane Connors, Team Leader of the Treaties and Follow-up Unit of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said High Commissioner Louise Arbour was keenly aware of the important role of the treaty bodies and was strongly committed to ensuring that the Committee's work received all the necessary support from her Office.
Ms. Connors said the Secretary-General had, in his latest report "In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All" suggested that "far reaching change" was needed to enable the United Nations and the world community to rise up and meet current global challenges.
Ms. Connors, addressing another aspect of the Secretary-General’s agenda for reform which related to the strengthening of the Office of the High Commissioner, said the Secretary-General had stressed that the capacity of the Office should be strengthened, in light of the increasing demands that were placed upon it. To that end, he had requested the High Commissioner to submit a plan of action by 20 May this year, with concrete recommendations as to how the Office might become a more effective force for the protection and promotion of human rights.
The Committee also heard its newly appointed member Wang Xeuxian (China) make a solemn declaration to perform his duties and exercise his powers as a member of the Committee against Torture honourably, faithfully and conscientiously. Mr. Wang was elected as the third Vice-Chairperson of the Committee.
The Committee also adopted its agenda and programme of work and discussed organizational and other matters, after hearing the views of Committee Experts on various aspects of the lists of issues on country reports scheduled to be considered during the current session. Before adopting its programme of work, the Committee discussed how to treat the situation of Togo, in the absence of information confirming the presence of a government delegation to present the report. The Committee decided to close its discussion until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 3 May when the report of Togo is scheduled to be considered.
Over the course of its three-week session, the Committee will review measures undertaken by Togo, Canada, Switzerland, Finland, Albania, Uganda and Bahrain to prevent and punish acts of torture. These countries are among the 139 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The Committee’s 10 Independent Experts will also review, in closed session, information appearing to contain well-founded indications that torture is systematically being practiced in some States parties; and complaints from individuals claiming to be victims of a violation by a State party of the provisions of the Convention.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will have meet in private with Representatives of non-governmental organizations on the report of Togo. At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 3 May, it is scheduled to take up the initial report of Togo (document CAT/C/5/Add.33).
Statement by Representative of Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights
JANE CONNORS, Team Leader of the Treaties and Follow-up Unit of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said High Commissioner Louise Arbour was not available to open the session but she was very attentive to the work of the Committee and would be following the outcome of its deliberations with interest. The High Commissioner was keenly aware of the important role of the treaty bodies and was strongly committed to ensuring that the Committee's work received all the necessary support from her Office.
Ms. Connors said the Secretary-General had, in his latest report "In Larger Freedom: Towards Development, Security and Human Rights for All" suggested that "far reaching change" was needed to enable the United Nations and the world community to rise up and meet current global challenges. He had stressed that the causes of security, development and human rights should be advanced together, otherwise none would succeed. He had set out proposals to reform the three central pillars of the United Nations human rights system: the treaty bodies, the Office of the High Commissioner and the Commission on Human Rights. States were being consulted with respect to the Secretary-General's proposal to replace the Commission on Human Rights with a Human Rights Council. The Secretary-General also reaffirmed the ideas put forward in his 2002 report, "Strengthening the United Nations: An Agenda for Further Change", in which modernization of the treaty system was identified as a key element in the United Nations goal of promoting and protecting human rights.
Addressing another aspect of the Secretary-General's agenda for reform, which related to the strengthening of the Office of the High Commissioner, Ms. Connors said the Secretary-General had stressed that the capacity of the Office should be strengthened, in light of the increasing demands that were placed upon it. To that end, he had requested the High Commissioner to submit a plan of action by 20 May this year, with concrete recommendations as to how the Office might become a more effective force for the protection and promotion of human rights. Considerable efforts were currently under way to ensure that such a plan was prepared in a transparent and consultative manner.
Ms. Connors said the Office was convening in Geneva, from 9 to 13 May, the fourth in a series of workshops on implementation of treaty body recommendations. A number of regional and sub-regional workshops on follow-up to concluding observations had also been organized. The Commission on Human Rights, in its resolution 2005/39, had welcomed the work of the Committee and had, among other things, specifically made reference to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court according to which acts of torture could constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes.
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For use of the information media; not an official record
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