COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION OPENS SIXTIETH SESSION

CERD
60th session
4 March 2002
Morning




Hears Statement by Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Elects New Bureau


The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning opened its sixtieth session by swearing in nine members, electing its Bureau, adopting its agenda, and hearing a statement by Bertrand Ramcharan, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Mr. Ramcharan highlighted the work of the Committee and its important role in the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action. He also recalled that the Durban Programme of Action, among other things, called upon States to elaborate national plans of action to combat racial discrimination.

Mr. Ramcharan said the Durban Programme of Action called upon treaty bodies, including the Committee, to provide input to the High Commissioner's annual reports to the General Assembly and the Commission for Human Rights on implementation of the Durban documents.

Also this morning the Committee elected Ion Diaconu (Romania) as its Chairperson; Nourredine Amir (Algeria), Mario Jorge Yutzis (Argentina) and Raghavan Vasudevan Pillai (India) were elected as Vice-Chairpersons; and Patrick Thornberry was elected to serve as Rapporteur. The officers of the Bureau are elected for a term of two years.

Before the Committee started its work, nine newly elected or re-elected members solemnly declared that they would perform their duties and exercise their powers as members of the Committee honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously. The nine members were elected or re-elected at the Nineteenth Meeting of States parties to the Convention, held on 17 January 2002 in Geneva. They are Nourredine Amir (Algeria), Kurt Herdal (Austria), Morten Kjaerum (Denmark), Jose A. Lindgren Alves (Brazil), Alexander Sicilianos (Greece), Mahamoud Aboul-Nasr (Egypt), Regis de Gouttes (France), Agha Shahi (Pakistan) and Patrick Thornberry (United Kingdom).


The 18 members of the Committee are elected in their personal capacities to monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. So far, the Convention has been ratified by 161 States.

The Committee briefly exchanged views on how to follow-up the work of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. It also adopted its agenda and programme of work after making some changes. It added to its agenda a thematic day of general discussion on "descent" for its next session in August. This general discussion will debate discrimination based on occupation and descent, for example like that affecting the Dalits of India or the Burakumin of Japan. The Committee also set up four open-ended working groups on the World Conference against Racism, Communications, Descent and Methods of Work.

When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will start its consideration of the second and third reports of Switzerland.


Statement by Deputy High Commissioner

BERTRAND RAMCHARAN, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, underlined that the Committee had, without a doubt, a central role to play in the strategies of the international community. There was no doubt that the Committee had a particularly important role to play in the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

Mr. Ramcharan said the Durban Programme of Action called upon treaty bodies, including the Committee, to provide input to the High Commissioner's annual reports to the General Assembly and the Commission for Human Rights on implementation of the Durban documents. The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action made recommendations in a number of areas on which the Committee had adopted general recommendations. It had also made recommendations in a number of thematic areas where the Committee had not yet made any general recommendations; the Committee might wish to consider the recommendations made in the Durban outcome documents if it were to undertake further general recommendations of thematic character; and furthermore it might wish to consider such recommendations made in the Durban documents in interpreting the Convention.

Mr. Ramcharan also said that the Durban Programme of Action called upon States to elaborate national plans of action to combat racial discrimination; the Committee might wish to include as part of its discussions of State party reports whether and in what manner such national action plans were being drawn up and it could inquire to what extent those national action plans were consistent not only with the Durban final documents but also with the Convention.





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