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COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS OPENS THIRTY-SECOND SESSION
26 April 2004
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Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights 26 April 2004
MORNING
Hears Address by Chief of Treaties and Commission Branch of Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this morning opened its thirty-second session by hearing an address by the Chief of Treaties and Commission Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and adopting its agenda and programme of work.
Maria Francisca Ize-Charrin, Chief of the Treaties and Commission Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Committee that the Office had continued its efforts to implement the Secretary-General’s agenda for reform of the United Nations. Pursuant to Action Point 2 of the Secretary-General’s Second Reform Report, the Office, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Group and Executive Committee on Human Affairs, had developed a Plan of Action to improve the integration of human rights into the activities of the United Nations agencies at the country level, she said.
Ms. Ize-Charrin also said that efforts to enhance the efficiency and impact of the human rights treaty monitoring system had continued. The treaty body reform process was given impetus by the extensive discussions and consultations conducted last year, and the Office was committed to providing sustained support to those efforts. The Office was currently preparing draft guidelines for an expanded core document and proposals for harmonized reporting guidelines and methods of work, which would be presented to the third inter-committee meeting next June, she said.
During its three-week session, the Committee will examine measures taken by Lithuania, Greece, Kuwait, Spain and Ecuador to comply with the standards of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Those five countries are among the 149 States parties to the treaty.
Also during this session, the Committee is expected to accord the highest priority to consider and adopt general comments on article 3 on the equal rights of men and women to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights set forth in the Covenant; and article 6 on the right to work. On Friday, 7 May, the Committee is scheduled to have a follow-up to the day of general discussion on article 3; and on Monday, 10 May, it will have a follow-up to the day of general discussion on article 6.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m. this afternoon, it will hear information from non-governmental organizations with respect to the reports which it will review during the current session.
Statement by Chief of Treaties and Commission Branch
MARIA FRANCISCA IZE-CHARRIN, Chief, Treaties and Commission Branch, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the Office had continued its efforts to implement the Secretary-General’s agenda for reform of the United Nations. Pursuant to Action Point 2 of the Secretary-General’s Second Reform Report, the Office, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Group and Executive Committee on Human Affairs, had developed a Plan of Action to improve the integration of human rights into the activities of the UN agencies at the country level.
Efforts to enhance the efficiency and impact of the human rights treaty monitoring system had continued, Ms. Ize-Charrin said. The treaty body reform process was given impetus by the extensive discussions and consultations conducted last year, and the Office was committed to providing sustained support to those efforts. The Office was currently preparing draft guidelines for an expanded core document and proposals for harmonized reporting guidelines and methods of work, which would be presented to the third inter-committee meeting next June.
Ms. Ize-Charrin said the Commission on Human Rights had concluded its sixtieth session having passed important resolutions under item 10 on economic, social and cultural rights, among other things. The Commission had decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education for a period of three years, inviting the mandate holder to pursue his or her collaboration with the Committee. The Commission had also established a new mechanism: a Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children, for a period of three years.
Ms. Ize-Charrin further said that the Working Group to consider options regarding the elaboration of an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights held its first session from 23 February to 5 March 2004. The Group had before it the draft optional protocol prepared by the Committee in 1996 and held in-depth discussion on the issues of the nature and scope of economic, social and cultural rights, the justiciability of those rights, and the benefits on an optional protocol. The Commission had decided to renew the mandate of the Group for a period of two years.
On the status of draft guidelines on a human rights-based approach to poverty reduction strategies, Ms. Ize-Charrin said it would be revised by the end of 2004 on the basis of field-testing and of broad consultations with various counterparts. The objective of the document was an optional protocol tool for all practitioners involved in poverty reduction work. A summary of the draft guidelines, funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation, was now available on the Office’s web page.
On the on-going work under the auspices of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on the elaboration of voluntary guidelines to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food, the Inter-Governmental Working Group that was discussing the draft held a session between 2 and 6 February 2004, Ms. Ize-Charrin said. A compilation of all proposals made by the States during the session was available at the Office. The next and last session of the FAO Working Group would be held in July.
Ms. Ize-Charrin welcomed the active efforts to enhance and consolidate cooperation with UN agencies and the convening during the current session of the second meeting of the Joint Expert Group on the Monitoring of the Rights to Education between the Committee and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Committee on Conventions and Recommendations. UNESCO’s Executive Board had examined the report of the first meeting in September last year, and in a decision, it had requested the Joint Expert Group to give priority to three issues: the strengthening of the foundations of the right to education in national legal systems; options for integrating reporting obligations under the International Covenant and the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education; and the definition of indicators for the monitoring of the right to education.
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and Cultural Rights 26 April 2004
MORNING
Hears Address by Chief of Treaties and Commission Branch of Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this morning opened its thirty-second session by hearing an address by the Chief of Treaties and Commission Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and adopting its agenda and programme of work.
Maria Francisca Ize-Charrin, Chief of the Treaties and Commission Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Committee that the Office had continued its efforts to implement the Secretary-General’s agenda for reform of the United Nations. Pursuant to Action Point 2 of the Secretary-General’s Second Reform Report, the Office, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Group and Executive Committee on Human Affairs, had developed a Plan of Action to improve the integration of human rights into the activities of the United Nations agencies at the country level, she said.
Ms. Ize-Charrin also said that efforts to enhance the efficiency and impact of the human rights treaty monitoring system had continued. The treaty body reform process was given impetus by the extensive discussions and consultations conducted last year, and the Office was committed to providing sustained support to those efforts. The Office was currently preparing draft guidelines for an expanded core document and proposals for harmonized reporting guidelines and methods of work, which would be presented to the third inter-committee meeting next June, she said.
During its three-week session, the Committee will examine measures taken by Lithuania, Greece, Kuwait, Spain and Ecuador to comply with the standards of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Those five countries are among the 149 States parties to the treaty.
Also during this session, the Committee is expected to accord the highest priority to consider and adopt general comments on article 3 on the equal rights of men and women to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights set forth in the Covenant; and article 6 on the right to work. On Friday, 7 May, the Committee is scheduled to have a follow-up to the day of general discussion on article 3; and on Monday, 10 May, it will have a follow-up to the day of general discussion on article 6.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m. this afternoon, it will hear information from non-governmental organizations with respect to the reports which it will review during the current session.
Statement by Chief of Treaties and Commission Branch
MARIA FRANCISCA IZE-CHARRIN, Chief, Treaties and Commission Branch, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the Office had continued its efforts to implement the Secretary-General’s agenda for reform of the United Nations. Pursuant to Action Point 2 of the Secretary-General’s Second Reform Report, the Office, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Group and Executive Committee on Human Affairs, had developed a Plan of Action to improve the integration of human rights into the activities of the UN agencies at the country level.
Efforts to enhance the efficiency and impact of the human rights treaty monitoring system had continued, Ms. Ize-Charrin said. The treaty body reform process was given impetus by the extensive discussions and consultations conducted last year, and the Office was committed to providing sustained support to those efforts. The Office was currently preparing draft guidelines for an expanded core document and proposals for harmonized reporting guidelines and methods of work, which would be presented to the third inter-committee meeting next June.
Ms. Ize-Charrin said the Commission on Human Rights had concluded its sixtieth session having passed important resolutions under item 10 on economic, social and cultural rights, among other things. The Commission had decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to education for a period of three years, inviting the mandate holder to pursue his or her collaboration with the Committee. The Commission had also established a new mechanism: a Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children, for a period of three years.
Ms. Ize-Charrin further said that the Working Group to consider options regarding the elaboration of an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights held its first session from 23 February to 5 March 2004. The Group had before it the draft optional protocol prepared by the Committee in 1996 and held in-depth discussion on the issues of the nature and scope of economic, social and cultural rights, the justiciability of those rights, and the benefits on an optional protocol. The Commission had decided to renew the mandate of the Group for a period of two years.
On the status of draft guidelines on a human rights-based approach to poverty reduction strategies, Ms. Ize-Charrin said it would be revised by the end of 2004 on the basis of field-testing and of broad consultations with various counterparts. The objective of the document was an optional protocol tool for all practitioners involved in poverty reduction work. A summary of the draft guidelines, funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation, was now available on the Office’s web page.
On the on-going work under the auspices of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) on the elaboration of voluntary guidelines to support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food, the Inter-Governmental Working Group that was discussing the draft held a session between 2 and 6 February 2004, Ms. Ize-Charrin said. A compilation of all proposals made by the States during the session was available at the Office. The next and last session of the FAO Working Group would be held in July.
Ms. Ize-Charrin welcomed the active efforts to enhance and consolidate cooperation with UN agencies and the convening during the current session of the second meeting of the Joint Expert Group on the Monitoring of the Rights to Education between the Committee and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Committee on Conventions and Recommendations. UNESCO’s Executive Board had examined the report of the first meeting in September last year, and in a decision, it had requested the Joint Expert Group to give priority to three issues: the strengthening of the foundations of the right to education in national legal systems; options for integrating reporting obligations under the International Covenant and the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education; and the definition of indicators for the monitoring of the right to education.
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