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COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION TO MEET IN GENEVA FROM 31 JULY TO 18 AUGUST 2006
27 July 2006
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Committee on the Elimination
of Racial Discrimination 27 July 2006
BACKGROUND RELEASE
Committee to Consider Reports of Estonia, Yemen, South Africa,
Oman, Mongolia, Denmark, Norway and Ukraine
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination will hold its sixty-ninth session at the Palais des Nations (conference room XI) in Geneva from 31 July to 18 August 2006 to review anti-discrimination efforts undertaken by the Governments of Estonia, Yemen, South Africa, Oman, Mongolia, Denmark, Norway and Ukraine.
These countries are among the 170 States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. The 18-member Committee, the first body created by the United Nations to review actions by States to fulfil obligations under a specific human-rights agreement, examines reports submitted periodically by States parties on efforts to comply with the Convention. Government representatives generally present the report, discuss its contents with Committee members, and answer questions.
At this session, the Experts will also look at the implementation of the Convention in Seychelles, Malawi, Namibia and Saint Lucia under its review procedure. These States parties are at least five years late for the submission of their initial or periodic reports to the Committee. Malawi responded (CERD/C/MWI/Q/5/Add.1) to the list of issues that was sent to the State party by the Committee on 19 August 2005.
Israel had been scheduled to present its tenth to thirteenth periodic reports at the present session but it requested the postponement of consideration of the reports because of the current situation. The Committee accepted this request and postponed the review of the reports of Israel to its seventieth session which will take place from 19 February to 9 March 2007.
The fifth periodic report of Estonia was taken up by the Committee on 16 and 19 August 2002, and the final conclusions on it can be found in document A/57/18, paras. 344-366; the Committee took up the eleventh to fourteenth periodic reports of Yemen on 12 and 13 August 2002, and the concluding observations on it can be found in document A/57/18, paras. 451-470; the eleventh to fifteenth periodic reports of Mongolia were taken up by the Committee on 16 and 17 March 1999, and the final conclusions on it can be found in document CERD/C/304/Add.73; the Committee took up the fifteenth report of Denmark on 12 and 13 March 2002, and its concluding observations can be found in document CERD/C/60/CO/5; the sixteenth report of Norway was taken up by the Committee on 15 and 18 August 2003, and the final conclusions on it can be found in document CERD/C/63/CO/8; and the Committee took up the fifteenth and sixteenth reports of Ukraine on 9 and 10 August 2001, and the concluding observations on it can be found in document A/56/18, paras. 360-379.
During the course of the three-week session, the Committee will also be briefed on follow-up activities to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
In addition, the Committee will study, in closed session, communications from individuals claiming to be victims of racial discrimination. Only complaints against the 46 States parties that have recognized the competence of the Committee under article 14 of the Convention are admissible.
Near the end of its session, on Tuesday, 15 August, the Committee will also consider follow-up by States parties to its observations and recommendations.
The Committee has the competence to study communications from individuals claiming to be victims of racial discrimination. Only complaints against the 47 States parties that have recognized the competence of the Committee under article 14 of the Convention are admissible. For the sixty-ninth session, there is no communication scheduled.
States Parties to Convention
At present, the following 170 States are parties to the Convention: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgystan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Communications under Article 14
Under article 14 of the Convention, the Committee considers communications from individuals or groups of individuals claiming to be victims of a violation by States parties of any of the rights set forth in the Convention, provided the States concerned have recognized the competence of the Committee in this regard. The following 46 States parties have already done so: Algeria, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Committee Membership and Officers
The members of the Committee, elected in their individual capacity, are: Mahmoud Aboul-Nasr (Egypt); Nourredine Amir (Algeria); Alexei Avtonomov (Russian Federation); Ralph Boyd (United States); Jose Francisco Cali Tzay (Guatemala); Fatima-Binta Victoire Dah (Burkina Faso); Kakou Mawuena Ika Kana (Dieudonne) Ewomsan (Togo); Régis de Gouttes (France); Patricia Nozipho January-Bardill (South Africa); Morten Kjaerum (Denmark); José Augusto Lindgren Alves (Brazil); Raghavan Vasudevan Pillai (India); Agha Shahi (Pakistan); Linos Alexander Sicilianos (Greece); Tang Chengyuan (China); Patrick Thornberry (United Kingdom); Luis Valencia Rodriguez (Ecuador); and Mario Jorge Yutzis (Argentina).
Timetable for Consideration of Reports, Comments and Further Information
Submitted by States Parties
Monday, 31 July
p.m.
Estonia
Sixth and seventh periodic reports due from
2002 to 2004, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/465/Add.1)
Wednesday, 2 August
a.m.
Estonia
(continued)
Thursday, 3 August
p.m.
Yemen
Fifteenth and sixteenth periodic reports due
2005, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/YEM/16)
Friday, 4 August
a.m.
p.m.
Yemen
South Africa
(continued)
Initial to third periodic reports due from
2000 to 2004, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/461/Add.3)
Monday, 7 August
a.m.
p.m.
South Africa
Oman
(continued)
Initial periodic report due 2004
(CERD/C/OMN/1)
Tuesday, 8 August
a.m.
Oman
(continued)
p.m.
Mongolia
Sixteenth to eighteenth periodic reports due from
2000 to 2004, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/476/Add.6)
Wednesday, 9 August
a.m.
Mongolia
(continued)
p.m.
Denmark
Sixteenth to seventeenth periodic reports due
from 2003 to 2005, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/496/Add.1)
Thursday, 10 August
a.m.
p.m.
Denmark
Norway
(continued)
Seventeenth to eighteenth periodic reports
due 2005, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/497/Add.1)
Friday, 11 August
a.m.
p.m.
Norway
Ukraine
(continued)
Seventeenth to eighteenth periodic reports
due 2004, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/476/Add.7)
Monday, 14 August
a.m.
Ukraine
(continued)
Tuesday, 15 August
a.m.
Seychellesa
Malawia
p.m.
Namibiaa
Saint Luciaa
Follow-up procedure
Note
a Review procedure (for States parties whose reports are seriously overdue).
* *** *
For use of the information media; not an official record
of Racial Discrimination 27 July 2006
BACKGROUND RELEASE
Committee to Consider Reports of Estonia, Yemen, South Africa,
Oman, Mongolia, Denmark, Norway and Ukraine
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination will hold its sixty-ninth session at the Palais des Nations (conference room XI) in Geneva from 31 July to 18 August 2006 to review anti-discrimination efforts undertaken by the Governments of Estonia, Yemen, South Africa, Oman, Mongolia, Denmark, Norway and Ukraine.
These countries are among the 170 States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. The 18-member Committee, the first body created by the United Nations to review actions by States to fulfil obligations under a specific human-rights agreement, examines reports submitted periodically by States parties on efforts to comply with the Convention. Government representatives generally present the report, discuss its contents with Committee members, and answer questions.
At this session, the Experts will also look at the implementation of the Convention in Seychelles, Malawi, Namibia and Saint Lucia under its review procedure. These States parties are at least five years late for the submission of their initial or periodic reports to the Committee. Malawi responded (CERD/C/MWI/Q/5/Add.1) to the list of issues that was sent to the State party by the Committee on 19 August 2005.
Israel had been scheduled to present its tenth to thirteenth periodic reports at the present session but it requested the postponement of consideration of the reports because of the current situation. The Committee accepted this request and postponed the review of the reports of Israel to its seventieth session which will take place from 19 February to 9 March 2007.
The fifth periodic report of Estonia was taken up by the Committee on 16 and 19 August 2002, and the final conclusions on it can be found in document A/57/18, paras. 344-366; the Committee took up the eleventh to fourteenth periodic reports of Yemen on 12 and 13 August 2002, and the concluding observations on it can be found in document A/57/18, paras. 451-470; the eleventh to fifteenth periodic reports of Mongolia were taken up by the Committee on 16 and 17 March 1999, and the final conclusions on it can be found in document CERD/C/304/Add.73; the Committee took up the fifteenth report of Denmark on 12 and 13 March 2002, and its concluding observations can be found in document CERD/C/60/CO/5; the sixteenth report of Norway was taken up by the Committee on 15 and 18 August 2003, and the final conclusions on it can be found in document CERD/C/63/CO/8; and the Committee took up the fifteenth and sixteenth reports of Ukraine on 9 and 10 August 2001, and the concluding observations on it can be found in document A/56/18, paras. 360-379.
During the course of the three-week session, the Committee will also be briefed on follow-up activities to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
In addition, the Committee will study, in closed session, communications from individuals claiming to be victims of racial discrimination. Only complaints against the 46 States parties that have recognized the competence of the Committee under article 14 of the Convention are admissible.
Near the end of its session, on Tuesday, 15 August, the Committee will also consider follow-up by States parties to its observations and recommendations.
The Committee has the competence to study communications from individuals claiming to be victims of racial discrimination. Only complaints against the 47 States parties that have recognized the competence of the Committee under article 14 of the Convention are admissible. For the sixty-ninth session, there is no communication scheduled.
States Parties to Convention
At present, the following 170 States are parties to the Convention: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgystan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, San Marino, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Communications under Article 14
Under article 14 of the Convention, the Committee considers communications from individuals or groups of individuals claiming to be victims of a violation by States parties of any of the rights set forth in the Convention, provided the States concerned have recognized the competence of the Committee in this regard. The following 46 States parties have already done so: Algeria, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Committee Membership and Officers
The members of the Committee, elected in their individual capacity, are: Mahmoud Aboul-Nasr (Egypt); Nourredine Amir (Algeria); Alexei Avtonomov (Russian Federation); Ralph Boyd (United States); Jose Francisco Cali Tzay (Guatemala); Fatima-Binta Victoire Dah (Burkina Faso); Kakou Mawuena Ika Kana (Dieudonne) Ewomsan (Togo); Régis de Gouttes (France); Patricia Nozipho January-Bardill (South Africa); Morten Kjaerum (Denmark); José Augusto Lindgren Alves (Brazil); Raghavan Vasudevan Pillai (India); Agha Shahi (Pakistan); Linos Alexander Sicilianos (Greece); Tang Chengyuan (China); Patrick Thornberry (United Kingdom); Luis Valencia Rodriguez (Ecuador); and Mario Jorge Yutzis (Argentina).
Timetable for Consideration of Reports, Comments and Further Information
Submitted by States Parties
Monday, 31 July
p.m.
Estonia
Sixth and seventh periodic reports due from
2002 to 2004, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/465/Add.1)
Wednesday, 2 August
a.m.
Estonia
(continued)
Thursday, 3 August
p.m.
Yemen
Fifteenth and sixteenth periodic reports due
2005, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/YEM/16)
Friday, 4 August
a.m.
p.m.
Yemen
South Africa
(continued)
Initial to third periodic reports due from
2000 to 2004, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/461/Add.3)
Monday, 7 August
a.m.
p.m.
South Africa
Oman
(continued)
Initial periodic report due 2004
(CERD/C/OMN/1)
Tuesday, 8 August
a.m.
Oman
(continued)
p.m.
Mongolia
Sixteenth to eighteenth periodic reports due from
2000 to 2004, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/476/Add.6)
Wednesday, 9 August
a.m.
Mongolia
(continued)
p.m.
Denmark
Sixteenth to seventeenth periodic reports due
from 2003 to 2005, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/496/Add.1)
Thursday, 10 August
a.m.
p.m.
Denmark
Norway
(continued)
Seventeenth to eighteenth periodic reports
due 2005, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/497/Add.1)
Friday, 11 August
a.m.
p.m.
Norway
Ukraine
(continued)
Seventeenth to eighteenth periodic reports
due 2004, submitted in one report
(CERD/C/476/Add.7)
Monday, 14 August
a.m.
Ukraine
(continued)
Tuesday, 15 August
a.m.
Seychellesa
Malawia
p.m.
Namibiaa
Saint Luciaa
Follow-up procedure
Note
a Review procedure (for States parties whose reports are seriously overdue).
* *** *
For use of the information media; not an official record
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