COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS TO HOLD FORTY-FIRST SESSION FROM 3 TO 21 NOVEMBER 2008 IN GENEVA

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
BACKGROUND RELEASE
30 October 2008




Experts to Review Reports of Nicaragua, Sweden, Kenya, Philippines and Angola and Will Consider Situation in Kosovo on the Basis of a Document Submitted By UNMIK


The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will meet at the Palais Wilson in Geneva from 3 to 21 November 2008 to examine measures taken by Nicaragua, Sweden, Kenya, the Philippines, and Angola to comply with the standards of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Following the Committee’s request at its thirty-fourth session, in May 2005, Experts will also hear the presentation of a document by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on the situation in Kosovo. In submitting the report, UNMIK is acting under the authority granted to it under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

Nicaragua, Sweden, Kenya, the Philippines, and Angola are among the 159 States parties to the treaty, which entered into force in 1976 and which recognizes, among other things, the rights to work, to form and join trade unions, to social security, to the widest possible protection and assistance for the family, to an adequate standard of living, to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, and to an education.

In adhering to the treaty, States agree to submit periodic reports to the Committee on how they give effect to the provisions of the Covenant. The Committee evaluates the reports and makes observations and recommendations on improving the promotion and protection of the rights enshrined in the Covenant.

At the opening of the session, the Committee will adopt its agenda and programme of work before discussing submission of reports by States parties. In the afternoon, the Committee will discuss relations with United Nations organs and other treaty bodies, and also hear information from non-governmental organizations with respect to the reports that it will review during the current session.

In addition to the consideration of State party reports and UNMIK’s document, at this session the Committee will undertake a public consultation on a draft general comment on the right to non-discrimination. In private meetings, the Committee will also review its draft general comment on the right to partake in cultural life; revise its guidelines for the preparation of State party reports; and examine its methods of work.

Kenya is presenting initial reports; Angola is presenting its combined initial through third reports; the Philippines is presenting its initial through fourth periodic reports; Nicaragua is presenting its combined second, third and fourth periodic reports; and Sweden is presenting its fifth periodic report. The Committee's conclusions and recommendations on the initial report of Nicaragua, considered in November 1993, can be found in document E/C.12/1993/14. Its conclusions on the fourth periodic report of Sweden, considered in November 2001, can be found in E/C.12/1/Add.70.


International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The General Assembly adopted and opened the Covenant for signature, ratification and accession in 1966. It entered into force on 3 January 1976.

Article 1 of the Covenant states that the right to self-determination is universal, and calls upon States to promote the realization and respect of that right. Article 3 reaffirms the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all human rights and enjoins States to make that principle a reality. Article 5 provides 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. It also prevents States from limiting rights already enjoyed within their territories on the ground 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.

States Parties to the Covenant

The Covenant has been ratified or acceded to by 159 States: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, 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, 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, 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 Experts: Mohamed Ezzeldin Adel-Moneim (Egypt), Clement Atangana (Cameroon), Rocio Barahona Riera (Costa Rica), Virginia Bonoan-Dandan (Philippines), Maria Virginia Bras Gomes (Portugal), Chandrashekhar Dasgupta (India), Azzouz Kerdoun (Algeria), Yuri Kolosov (Russian Federation), Jaime Marchan Romero (Ecuador), Sergei Martynov (Belarus), Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay (Mauritius), Eibe Riedel (Germany), Andrzej Rzeplinski (Poland), Walid M. Sa'di (Jordan), Philippe Texier (France), Alvaro Tirado Mejia (Colombia), Barbara Elaine Wilson (Switzerland), and Daode Zhan (China).

Mr. Texier is the Chairperson; Ms. Barahona Riera, Mr. Pillay and Mr. Sa'di are the Vice Chairpersons; and Mr. Rzeplinski is the Rapporteur.

Provisional Timetable for Consideration of Reports

The main documents before the Committee in respect of these countries and Kosovo is accessible from the OHCHR website ( http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=457&Lang=en), including the reports submitted by the States parties, the document submitted by UNMIK, lists of questions posed by the Committee in respect of those reports and UNMIK’s document, previous concluding observations issued by the Committee on State reports, and supplementary information submitted by non-governmental organizations At the end of the session, the concluding observations of the Committee on each State party and on the situation in Kosovo will also be accessible in advanced unedited form from this site

Tuesday, 4 November

Morning: Nicaragua, second to fourth periodic reports (E/C.12/NIC/4)
Afternoon: Nicaragua (continued)

Wednesday, 5 November

Morning: Nicaragua (continued)
Afternoon: Sweden, fifth periodic report (E/C.12/SWE/5)

Thursday, 6 November

Morning: Sweden (continued)
Afternoon: Kenya, initial report (E/C.12/KEN/1)

Friday, 7 November

Morning: Kenya (continued)
Afternoon: Kenya (continued)

Monday, 10 November

Morning: UNMIK report (E/C.12/UNK/1)
Afternoon: UNMIK (continued)

Tuesday, 11 November

Morning: Philippines, second to fourth periodic reports (E/C.12/PHL/4)
Afternoon: Philippines (continued)

Wednesday, 12 November

Morning: Philippines (continued)
Afternoon: Angola, initial to third periodic reports (E/C.12/ANG/3)

Thursday, 13 November

Morning: Angola (continued)
Afternoon: Angola (continued)

Friday, 21 November

Afternoon: Release of concluding observations and close of session

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For use of the information media; not an official record