COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF MONGOLIA'S REPORT

MORNING

HR/CERD/99/26
17 March 1999


Committee Adopts Concluding Observations on Report of Portugal

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning concluded its consideration of a report presented by the Government of Mongolia on how that country was complying with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The Committee will issue its formal, written concluding observations on the report of Mongolia towards the end of its three-week session, which concludes on 19 March.

As one of the 153 States parties to the Convention, Mongolia must submit periodic summaries to the Committee on how it implements the provisions of the treaty.

Also this morning, the Committee adopted its concluding observations on the report of Portugal. It expressed concern about manifestations of xenophobia and racial discrimination in Portugal, including acts of violence directed against certain ethnic groups, particularly Blacks, Roma (Gypsies), immigrants and foreigners frequently perpetrated by skinheads, although the Committee acknowledged the efforts by the Government to combat such acts.

In the course of its morning session, the Committee held a private meeting to examine
communications which it received according to article 14 of the Convention which recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications from individuals or groups of individuals within its jurisdiction claiming to be victims of a violation by that State party of one of the rights set forth in the Convention.

The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. to consider the situation in Sudan under its early warning measures and urgent action procedures.

Discussion on Report of Mongolia

In response to the numerous queries put by Committee experts yesterday afternoon, the delegation said that the law governing the situation of foreigners had not changed. However, at the beginning of the democratization process, there had been cases in which Chinese citizens were expelled from Mongolia. At present, the situation had stabilized and no foreign citizen was forced to leave the country.

Concerning street children, the delegation said that there were about 4,000 children living in the streets of the main cities of Mongolia. Regarding health care, it was said that every citizen was entitled to health care, but in the rural areas where the medical infrastructure was undeveloped, there was still a problem to extend such services to every person. In addition, the lack of trained medical staff had been a major handicap in developing health services to all.

The delegation said that the Government of Mongolia was endeavouring to disseminate the
provisions of the Convention through national mechanisms. The Convention was also translated into Mongolian language and it was compatible with the country's Constitution, said the delegation.

DECI ZOU, the Committee expert who served as country rapporteur to the report of Mongolia, expressed her appreciation to the members of the Mongolian delegation for their efforts in answering some of the questions raised by Committee experts. She hoped that some of the remaining unanswered questions would find responses in the forthcoming periodic reports. The expert also urged the Government to enact a law which would explicitly prohibit organizations based on racial bias.

Concluding Observations on Report of Portugal

The Committee recognized as positive the innovative measures adopted by Portugal to combat racial discrimination and its willingness to recognize existing problems and to find appropriate solutions, both legislative and administrative.

However, the Committee was concerned about manifestations of xenophobia and racial
discrimination, including acts of violence directed against certain ethnic groups, particularly Blacks, Roma (Gypsies), immigrants and foreigners frequently perpetrated by skinheads, although the Committee acknowledged the efforts by the Government of Portugal to combat such acts. While noting that some legislative acts prohibited racist organizations or organizations adhering to a fascist ideology, the Committee expressed its concern that article 4 of the Convention was not fully complied with since the protection thus provided for by law did not cover the wide variety of racist organizations that might exist or develop.

Among its recommendations, the Committee urged that appropriate measures be taken to prohibit all organizations and groups, whether or not of fascist ideology, which promoted racist ideas or objectives, in order to comply fully with article 4 of the Convention. It also recommended that the State party continue and intensify its measures aimed at preventing and prosecuting any act and manifestation of racial discrimination and xenophobia, including acts of violence against certain groups, particularly Blacks, Roma (Gypsies), immigrants and foreigners.