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COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS OPENS THIRTY-SIXTH SESSION
01 May 2006
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1 May 2006
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this morning opened its thirty-sixth session, hearing an address by a representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and a presentation by a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Committee also adopted its agenda and programme of work for the session.
Alessio Bruni, Team Leader of the Treaty Implementation and Follow-up Team I at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said since the last session, the United Nations had laboured to put new machinery in place and to strengthen the tools at its disposal for the monitoring of human rights around the world. The treaty bodies had made further collective efforts to streamline reporting requirements through the harmonisation of reporting guidelines for an expanded core document. The High Commissioner commended the remarkable progress made by the Committee during its last sessions in adopting general comments, Mr. Bruni said, and wished for it to continue in this vein, with a view to further elucidating the normative content of all the rights and principles enshrined in the Covenant in accessible, practical tools for human rights actors on the ground.
Kishore Singh, UNESCO Programme Specialist and Coordinator for Follow-up to Conventions and Recommendations in the Field of Education, said the universal right to education was part of UNESCO’s mission, and achieving this right was central to UNESCO’s work, and it gave it high priority, aiming to make it a reality throughout the world. The work of the Committee in this regard was appreciated, and the importance given to it during the dialogue with States was recognised. The educational dimensions of the other rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was relevant and important to the work of UNESCO, and both UNESCO and the Committee recognised that the right to education, as an overarching right, was essential for the realisation of all human rights.
The Committee will meet at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it will hear submissions from non-governmental organizations on substantive issues arising in the implementation of the Covenant in the countries whose reports will be considered this session.
Statements
ALESSIO BRUNI, Team Leader of the Treaty Implementation and Follow-up Team I at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaking on behalf of the High Commissioner, said the session was taking place at a fascinating time, for important developments were taking shape in the United Nations human rights machinery, with major implications for the treaty bodies. Since the last session, the United Nations had laboured to put new machinery in place and to strengthen the tools at its disposal for the monitoring of human rights around the world. A new Human Rights Council would replace the Commission on Human Rights. The Human Rights Council was foreseen to be a more dynamic body, and would establish a new system of universal human rights reviews of Member States. The High Commissioner believed that these were likely to bring considerable attention to the work of the treaty bodies.
As was clear in the Plan of Action, one of the priorities of the High Commissioner was to improve tools for better monitoring of human rights. Considerable progress had been made in this area, Mr. Bruni said. The treaty bodies had made further collective efforts to streamline reporting requirements through the harmonisation of reporting guidelines for an expanded core document. A conceptual and methodological framework for indicators for monitoring compliance with international human rights treaties had also been agreed upon. These much needed efforts to strengthen the tools for monitoring should help as human rights standards became more numerous and more complex, as the development of the latter had been continuing at a rapid pace, with two new draft treaties on the horizon.
During the present session, the Committee would consider reports submitted by five States parties. The High Commissioner commended the remarkable progress made by the Committee during its last sessions in adopting general comments, Mr. Bruni said, and wished for it to continue in this vein, with a view to further elucidating the normative content of all the rights and principles enshrined in the Covenant in accessible, practical tools for human rights actors on the ground. She hoped, Mr. Bruni said, that the Committee would find time to consider questions of methodology as well, in preparation for the upcoming meeting of chairpersons and inter-Committee meeting, which was increasingly fulfilling its intended role as an engine of inter-treaty body coordination and cooperation. The lack of new reports submitted was a cause of great concern to all, and the Secretariat was preparing to send out consolidated reporting reminders to all States that were overdue in reporting.
VIRGINIA BONOAN-DANDAN, Chairperson, thanked Mr. Bruni for his statement, saying the content of the message of the High Commissioner had major implications for the work of the Committee. There would be time later in the session to discuss these, in closed meeting, when the changes of the human rights system could be broadly or intensively discussed.
WALEED M. SADI, Committee Member, asked when was the unification of the treaty body system expected to come into reality. The advanced guidelines on reporting were being independently discussed, and he thought that this should not be done independently from the issue of unification of the system. He said that he thought new formulations could be added into the existing system.
MR. BRUNI, responding, said the next step in the unification of the treaty bodies was the meeting between the Inter-Committee body and the Chairpersons, which would have before them the concept paper. In July, there would probably be another gathering, in which the concept paper and others would be discussed, but this would just be a brainstorming, and no decisions would be taken. The last step should be the consultation that the High Commissioner intended to convene towards the end of the year with the States parties, when it would be seen what progress the idea of a unified treaty body had made. When the Council started to function, and after a few sessions, it would be easier to see what the situation was in the minds of Governments in this regard.
On the close connection between the guidelines for the expanded core document and the treaty body reform, there was a connection, as these guidelines were a method of work, and if finally adopted, they would be valid for the present and future reporting, Mr. Bruni said. At this stage, they could be considered independent as they could be adopted and used by States in reporting both with and without a unified treaty body system. On the proliferation of treaties and why certain measures taken to promote and protect human rights could be somehow reattached or included in the existing treaties, political reasons often caused a new subject to be approached through a new instrument, which in turn created new machinery. This was a contradiction of the international community - on one side there was a proliferation of new machinery, on the other, there were circles that considered it vital to have machinery around new instruments.
MOHAMED EZZELDIN ABDEL-MONEIM, Committee Member, said he agreed with the main thrust of the opening address on the process of reform being vigorously pursued. Mr. Bruni had referred to various documents, and there were various issues related to these, namely accessibility. Was the adoption of the revised guidelines expected to take place in June, he asked?
MR. BRUNI said if the Meeting of Chairpersons and Inter-Committee Meeting, which was supposed to take place in June, was able to finally adopt the guidelines for expanded core documents, it would be a good thing, and this was what he had meant.
The Committee then adopted the agenda and program of work.
KISHORE SINGH, UNESCO Programme Specialist and Coordinator on Follow-up to Conventions and Recommendations in the Field of Education of UNESCO, said the universal right to education was part of UNESCO’s mission, and achieving this right was central to UNESCO’s work, and it gave it high priority, aiming to make it a reality throughout the world. The work of the Committee in this regard was appreciated, and the importance given to it during the dialogue with States was recognised. It was important to galvanise public interest in education. In the Monterey Declaration, the Ministers of Education had recognised the pressing need to review and increase national budgets on education to reach the internationally recognised norms of 6 per cent of GDP. More effective implementation of the right to education was an important part of the work done. UNESCO was pleased that the fundamental principles of non-discrimination and equality of opportunities in education were reflected in the Committee’s draft General Comment no.19 on non-discrimination, which would be discussed during the present session.
UNESCO continued to provide technical assistance to Member States as regarded modernisation and development of national legislation in the field of education, in line with the priority accorded to the realisation of the right to basic education for all as a fundamental human right. The educational dimensions of the other rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was relevant and important to the work of UNESCO, and both UNESCO and the Committee recognised that the right to education, as an overarching right, was essential for the realisation of all human rights.
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For use of the information media; not an official record
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this morning opened its thirty-sixth session, hearing an address by a representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and a presentation by a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Committee also adopted its agenda and programme of work for the session.
Alessio Bruni, Team Leader of the Treaty Implementation and Follow-up Team I at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said since the last session, the United Nations had laboured to put new machinery in place and to strengthen the tools at its disposal for the monitoring of human rights around the world. The treaty bodies had made further collective efforts to streamline reporting requirements through the harmonisation of reporting guidelines for an expanded core document. The High Commissioner commended the remarkable progress made by the Committee during its last sessions in adopting general comments, Mr. Bruni said, and wished for it to continue in this vein, with a view to further elucidating the normative content of all the rights and principles enshrined in the Covenant in accessible, practical tools for human rights actors on the ground.
Kishore Singh, UNESCO Programme Specialist and Coordinator for Follow-up to Conventions and Recommendations in the Field of Education, said the universal right to education was part of UNESCO’s mission, and achieving this right was central to UNESCO’s work, and it gave it high priority, aiming to make it a reality throughout the world. The work of the Committee in this regard was appreciated, and the importance given to it during the dialogue with States was recognised. The educational dimensions of the other rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was relevant and important to the work of UNESCO, and both UNESCO and the Committee recognised that the right to education, as an overarching right, was essential for the realisation of all human rights.
The Committee will meet at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it will hear submissions from non-governmental organizations on substantive issues arising in the implementation of the Covenant in the countries whose reports will be considered this session.
Statements
ALESSIO BRUNI, Team Leader of the Treaty Implementation and Follow-up Team I at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaking on behalf of the High Commissioner, said the session was taking place at a fascinating time, for important developments were taking shape in the United Nations human rights machinery, with major implications for the treaty bodies. Since the last session, the United Nations had laboured to put new machinery in place and to strengthen the tools at its disposal for the monitoring of human rights around the world. A new Human Rights Council would replace the Commission on Human Rights. The Human Rights Council was foreseen to be a more dynamic body, and would establish a new system of universal human rights reviews of Member States. The High Commissioner believed that these were likely to bring considerable attention to the work of the treaty bodies.
As was clear in the Plan of Action, one of the priorities of the High Commissioner was to improve tools for better monitoring of human rights. Considerable progress had been made in this area, Mr. Bruni said. The treaty bodies had made further collective efforts to streamline reporting requirements through the harmonisation of reporting guidelines for an expanded core document. A conceptual and methodological framework for indicators for monitoring compliance with international human rights treaties had also been agreed upon. These much needed efforts to strengthen the tools for monitoring should help as human rights standards became more numerous and more complex, as the development of the latter had been continuing at a rapid pace, with two new draft treaties on the horizon.
During the present session, the Committee would consider reports submitted by five States parties. The High Commissioner commended the remarkable progress made by the Committee during its last sessions in adopting general comments, Mr. Bruni said, and wished for it to continue in this vein, with a view to further elucidating the normative content of all the rights and principles enshrined in the Covenant in accessible, practical tools for human rights actors on the ground. She hoped, Mr. Bruni said, that the Committee would find time to consider questions of methodology as well, in preparation for the upcoming meeting of chairpersons and inter-Committee meeting, which was increasingly fulfilling its intended role as an engine of inter-treaty body coordination and cooperation. The lack of new reports submitted was a cause of great concern to all, and the Secretariat was preparing to send out consolidated reporting reminders to all States that were overdue in reporting.
VIRGINIA BONOAN-DANDAN, Chairperson, thanked Mr. Bruni for his statement, saying the content of the message of the High Commissioner had major implications for the work of the Committee. There would be time later in the session to discuss these, in closed meeting, when the changes of the human rights system could be broadly or intensively discussed.
WALEED M. SADI, Committee Member, asked when was the unification of the treaty body system expected to come into reality. The advanced guidelines on reporting were being independently discussed, and he thought that this should not be done independently from the issue of unification of the system. He said that he thought new formulations could be added into the existing system.
MR. BRUNI, responding, said the next step in the unification of the treaty bodies was the meeting between the Inter-Committee body and the Chairpersons, which would have before them the concept paper. In July, there would probably be another gathering, in which the concept paper and others would be discussed, but this would just be a brainstorming, and no decisions would be taken. The last step should be the consultation that the High Commissioner intended to convene towards the end of the year with the States parties, when it would be seen what progress the idea of a unified treaty body had made. When the Council started to function, and after a few sessions, it would be easier to see what the situation was in the minds of Governments in this regard.
On the close connection between the guidelines for the expanded core document and the treaty body reform, there was a connection, as these guidelines were a method of work, and if finally adopted, they would be valid for the present and future reporting, Mr. Bruni said. At this stage, they could be considered independent as they could be adopted and used by States in reporting both with and without a unified treaty body system. On the proliferation of treaties and why certain measures taken to promote and protect human rights could be somehow reattached or included in the existing treaties, political reasons often caused a new subject to be approached through a new instrument, which in turn created new machinery. This was a contradiction of the international community - on one side there was a proliferation of new machinery, on the other, there were circles that considered it vital to have machinery around new instruments.
MOHAMED EZZELDIN ABDEL-MONEIM, Committee Member, said he agreed with the main thrust of the opening address on the process of reform being vigorously pursued. Mr. Bruni had referred to various documents, and there were various issues related to these, namely accessibility. Was the adoption of the revised guidelines expected to take place in June, he asked?
MR. BRUNI said if the Meeting of Chairpersons and Inter-Committee Meeting, which was supposed to take place in June, was able to finally adopt the guidelines for expanded core documents, it would be a good thing, and this was what he had meant.
The Committee then adopted the agenda and program of work.
KISHORE SINGH, UNESCO Programme Specialist and Coordinator on Follow-up to Conventions and Recommendations in the Field of Education of UNESCO, said the universal right to education was part of UNESCO’s mission, and achieving this right was central to UNESCO’s work, and it gave it high priority, aiming to make it a reality throughout the world. The work of the Committee in this regard was appreciated, and the importance given to it during the dialogue with States was recognised. It was important to galvanise public interest in education. In the Monterey Declaration, the Ministers of Education had recognised the pressing need to review and increase national budgets on education to reach the internationally recognised norms of 6 per cent of GDP. More effective implementation of the right to education was an important part of the work done. UNESCO was pleased that the fundamental principles of non-discrimination and equality of opportunities in education were reflected in the Committee’s draft General Comment no.19 on non-discrimination, which would be discussed during the present session.
UNESCO continued to provide technical assistance to Member States as regarded modernisation and development of national legislation in the field of education, in line with the priority accorded to the realisation of the right to basic education for all as a fundamental human right. The educational dimensions of the other rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was relevant and important to the work of UNESCO, and both UNESCO and the Committee recognised that the right to education, as an overarching right, was essential for the realisation of all human rights.
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For use of the information media; not an official record