COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF COLOMBIA

CESCR
27th session
14 November 2001
Afternoon







The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this afternoon concluded its consideration of a fourth periodic report from Colombia on how that country was implementing the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Responding to questions raised by Committee Experts, Manuel Fernando Castro, Assistant Director-General in the Department of National Planning of Colombia, said a lot had to be done concerning impunity in Colombia because of the weakness of the justice system. He said that his Government had invested a considerable amount of money between 1991 and 1994 to modernize the administration of justice and to improve its performance. In the current conditions, the justice system was unable to confront serious cases of impunity, he added.

A Committee Expert said Colombia had a sad and unhappy record concerning the situation of trade unionists, adding that 80 per cent of assassinations of trade union leaders and members in the world had taken place in Colombia. In response, Mr. Fernando Castro said that safety, particularly the right to life, was a complex issue due to the continued armed conflict. He affirmed that it was not only the leaders and members of trade unions who were targeted, but a large number of political leaders, legislators, mayors and other personalities had also been assassinated. In order to prevent such acts, the Government had put in place a programme in which special funds were allocated to protect certain individuals whose lives were threatened, he said.

At the end of the meeting, the Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Camilo Reyes Rodriguez, said that domestic strife had affected every area of the country and national life had been affected by the devastating effect of the armed conflict.

The Committee will issue its concluding observations and recommendations on the report of Colombia towards the end of its three-week session on 30 November. The observations are adopted in a private meeting.

As one of the 145 States parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Colombia must submit periodic reports to the Committee on summarizing the achievements of the various activities undertaken by the State to implement the provisions of the treaty.

A representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said that Colombia had recognized equal opportunities in accessing education by adopting a legal instrument in 1994. Colombia was urged to ratify UNESCO's convention against discrimination in education.

The Committee will take up the second periodic report of Algeria when it reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 15 November.


Discussion

MANUEL FERNANDO CASTRO, Assistant Director-General in the Department of National Planning of Colombia, in response to questions raised this morning by Committee Experts, said that efforts had been made to rehabilitate former armed combatants as part of a post-conflict programme. Additional measures were also implemented to integrate former young combatants into the society.

The decreasing availability of food hampered many students from attending school, Mr Fernando Castro said. The Government was paying special attention to improve the food situation which had badly affected people in the rural areas.

Measures taken by the Government had been aimed at creating an irreversible infrastructure for health and education services which should be protected despite the economic crisis, Mr. Fernando Castro said. Training programmes were also provided to the younger population to improve their employability in the labour market.

With regard to the indigenous population, the Government had been endeavouring to provide them with necessary assistance as a matter of priority, Mr. Fernando Castro said. However, there were serious problems in indigenous settlements, particularly in the conflict arising from oil drilling. The Government had continued to respect the political structure and autonomy of the indigenous population. The indigenous population in the country was sizeable with a high level of vulnerability.

The Government had reformed its taxation system in order to generate more income to finance social reconstruction, Mr. Fernando Castro said.

Concerning social security coverage, Mr. Fernando Castro said that major progress had been achieved in the last few years. The coverage had grown from 24 per cent in 1993 to 55 per cent in 1997, a result of the far-reaching reform introduced by the Government. The social security coverage in the rural areas had also leapt ahead from 7 per cent in 1993 to 48 per cent in 1997. Among the poorest population, 20 per cent was covered by the social security schemes. In addition, availability of medical treatment had grown from 63 per cent in 1993 to 72 per cent in 1997. Those who were not covered by the social security scheme benefited from the solidarity fund put in place by the Government.

In addition, a Social Security Network was part of a national strategy to combat poverty, Mr. Fernando Castro said. That strategy was based on the recognition that the benefits of economic growth had not led to improved welfare for the majority of the Colombian population. The network's action was aimed at caring for the vulnerable sectors of the population by involving them in different programmes and in processes of social participation as a basic approach to overcoming poverty.

The Government of Colombia had set a mechanism through which minimum wage might not decline in real terms from year to year, Mr. Fernando Castro said. At present, there was no decline of minimum wages in real terms vis-a-vis the purchasing power, in fact, since it had dropped by 20 per cent, the minimum had increased. In addition to the will of the State to maintain a minimum wage, trade unions were involved in fixing it through collective agreements with the employers.

Equality between women and men in employment and wages was being progressively achieved although much still had to be done, Mr. Fernando Castro said. Further measures had also been taken to improve the situation of women in general and to ensure gender equality. The efforts being taken by the Government were on the right track, he added.

A Committee Expert said that Colombia had a sad and unhappy record concerning trade unionists, adding that 80 per cent of assassinations of trade union leaders and members in world had taken place in Colombia. What was the Colombian Government doing to protect trade union leaders and members? What measures had been taken by the Government to avert such killings, which were attributed to subversive groups? That situation was a violation of the fundamental rights enshrined in the International Covenant, the Expert said.

In response, Mr. Fernando Castro said that safety, particularly the right to life, was a complex issue due to the armed conflict. It was not only the leaders and members of the trade unions who were targeted, but a large number of political leaders, legislators, mayors and other personalities had been assassinated as well. In order to prevent such acts, the Government had put in place a programme in which special funds were allocated to protect certain individuals whose lives were threatened. Many people had left the country for fear for their lives.

Asked about measures taken by the Government against impunity, Mr. Fernando Castro said that a lot had to be done in that area because of the weakness of the justice system. The Government had invested a considerable amount of money between 1991 and 1994 to modernize the administration of justice and to make it more efficient in its performance. It was true that the armed conflict had destabilized State institutions for the last 40 years. In current conditions, the justice system was unable to confront serious cases of impunity.

Replying to a question on child labour, Mr. Fernando Castro said that labour activities by children under 12 years were prohibited by law; however, many children were active in the labour market. School dropouts had contributed to the increase of child labour in the market despite its prohibition. The Government condemned the use of children to perform any activities procuring benefits and the law on child labour penalized those who engaged children.

The Government of Colombia had included 87,000 community mothers into the public employment services with salaries paid to each one, Mr. Fernando Castro said. The community mothers were instrumental in taking care of children of working mothers.

Concerning land reform, the Government had taken a number of measures to distribute land in the rural areas, Mr. Fernando Castro said. The Government would continue to distribute land to the remaining 20 per cent of the population over the next ten years.

Health care had not been privatized as alluded to by an Expert, Mr. Fernando Castro said; however, the Government had opened up the door to private companies to participate in supplying medicine and in providing medical care. The opening to the private sector was prompted by the crisis encountered by public health hospitals that were incapable of providing full medical services.

Mr. Fernando Castro said that the country had adopted legislation designed to facilitate direct participation by ethnic groups in the administration and provision of health services. Comprehensive health services were provided to displaced persons as well.

Colombia had made considerable progress in higher education, Mr. Fernando Castro said, adding that since the quality of education was still precarious, further progress was needed in that field. There was, however, a declining trend in technical education as a whole. In 2000, Colombia had achieved a gross total coverage of 94.4 per cent of children between 6 to 11 in enrolment in primary schools.

The Government of Colombia had been encouraging displaced people to return to their places of origin when their safety was guaranteed, Mr. Fernando Castro said. The Government was also providing housing subsidies for returnees. However, the situation was not as bright as it was desired because of the continued armed conflict which had disrupted the resettlement projects.



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