COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION DISCUSSES VARIOUS ISSUES RELATED TO ITS MANDATE

Committee on the Elimination
of Racial Discrimination 25 February 2005



The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this afternoon discussed various issues relating to its mandate, including the activities of the Working Group and Panel of Eminent Experts on discrimination and draft guidelines on a proposed new core document which States parties would present to all the human rights treaty bodies.

Two representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights told the Committee about the activities of the Intergovernmental Working Group which was established after the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action was adopted in 2001 by the World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. Pierre Sob, Acting Coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Unit, and Michele Buteau of the same unit said the Group so far had held three sessions in which it addressed issues pertaining to racial discrimination, including identification of gaps in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and suggestions for complementary standards.

The Working Group had recommended that the Office organize a high-level seminar on racial hatred propagated on the Internet in order to take concrete measures at the international level to fight this phenomenon. The recommendation, which was adopted during the third session of the Working Group, was endorsed by the General Assembly.

The Panel of Eminent Experts, which was also set up following the World Conference on Racism, held its meetings this week in Geneva. The Panel discussed the issue of complementary standards and decided to mobilize political support on the subject. Although the Experts did not take any action on the issue, they agreed to consider the subject over the course of their next session.

Committee Experts Raghavan Vasudevan Pillai, Linos Alexandre Sicillianos and Patricia Nozipho January-Bardill gave an account of their participation in the sessions of the Working Group and the Panel of Eminent Experts. They said the issue of the Committee's contribution in the work of the Working Group and the Panel had been raised. The Experts explained to the Working Group and the Panel the effectiveness of the Convention and informed them about various relevant documents adopted by the Committee, particularly general recommendations.

Mr. Pillai said that during his participation in the meeting of the Panel of Eminent Experts, he had stressed the role of the Experts in encouraging States who had not yet ratified the Convention to do so. He also raised the issue of the role of national human rights institutions in the promotion and protection of human rights, particularly the prevention of racial discrimination.

Also this afternoon, the Committee briefly discussed the report on draft guidelines on an expanded core document and treaty-specific targeted reports and harmonized guidelines on reporting under the United Nations human rights treaties based on the reform report of the Secretary-General entitled “Strengthening of the United Nations: an agenda for further change” (A/57/387). James Turpin of the Treaties and Commission Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the draft provided guidelines to States parties on the form and content of their reports to the treaty bodies. The guidelines had been prepared on the basis of a review and consolidation of the existing guidelines of the various treaty bodies.

Jane Connors of the Treaties and Commission Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also commented on the report, saying that the discussion of the report by States parties was positive and many of them said their reporting efforts would be facilitated through the implementation of the guidelines. A number of States had requested assistance from the Office to fulfil their multiple reporting obligations.

Committee Expert Luis Valencia Rodriguez also spoke on the submission of reports by States parties in reference with the draft guidelines. He said the submission of reports not only fulfilled the international obligations of States, but it was also an opportunity to take stock of the state of human rights protection within the jurisdiction of the State party concerned for the purpose of policy planning and implementation.

When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Monday, 28 February, it is scheduled to discuss other issues related to its mandate.


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