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05 May 2000
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ESCR
22nd Session
5 May 2000
Morning
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this morning began its review of how the Government of the Republic of the Congo was implementing provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Julian Menga, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Congo to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said it was unfortunate that the Government had not been able to implement all the provisions of the Covenant because it was committed to the tenets of the document. He said administrative problems and political instability made it difficult to fulfill all the provisions of the treaty, including the filing of periodic reports.
The Committee undertook consideration of the situation in the Republic of the Congo without a periodic report. Since ratifying the Covenant in 1984, the country has not submitted any reports. The Committee's rules permit it to review implementation of the treaty in a given country in the absence of scheduled reports.
The delegation of the Republic of the Congo also included Maurice Massengo-Tiasse, a National Counsellor; Rebecca Oba Omoali Quionie, Director for Human Rights within the Ministry of Justice; and José Kombo of the Ministry of the Economy, Finances and the Budget.
Responding to questions from Committee members, Mr. Menga and other members of the delegation said most of the displaced people and the refugees from the 1997 civil war had returned to their original areas. Many of the children who were refugees, the delegation said, had gone back to school, and a special education system had been established to allow them to make up school time they had missed.
The delegation also said that international aid to the country was low, especially when compared to the amount of aid that was provided to other regions. That, the delegation said, led to poor conditions in the refugee camps.
The delegation also addressed, among other things, issues such as the treatment of women, the situation of child labour, and the right to adequate food.
The Committee also heard from international organizations on the situation in the Republic of the Congo. A representative of the World Bank told Committee experts that its lending programme in the Republic of the Congo was suspended in 1997 when the civil war erupted. A new mission recently undertaken, the representative said, was exploring several options regarding reconstruction and rehabilitation, including a possible re-engagement of the programme.
A representative of the International Labour Organization, meanwhile, praised progressive measures taken by the Government. Until last year, the representative said, there had been very few international labour treaties ratified by the Republic of the Congo. But that had dramatically changed. However, ratification, she said, was the beginning of a process -- not the completion of it.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will continue considering the situation of economic, social and cultural rights in the Republic of the Congo.
Remarks from the Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Congo
JULIAN MENGA, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Congo to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said it was unfortunate that the Government had not been able to implement all the provisions in the Covenant. That was because of administrative problems as well as political instability. Still, the Government affirmed its commitment to the tenets of the Covenant.
He said the Republic of the Congo had a large surface area. There were 1,170 kilometers of coastline, with many rivers, including the Congo River, the second longest one in the world. The population was estimated at 2.6 million in 1994. The annual growth rate of the population was 2.4 per cent. Sixty per cent lived in the cities, and most people were Bantus, but there were also pygmies and foreigners. The national language was French.
Mr. Menga said democracy was installed in 1960, but a poor political climate was inherited. Civil wars broke out in 1993 and 1997, which had undermined national unity. Civil war had destroyed the infrastructure. There was a heavy debt. The Republic of the Congo was one of the most heavily debated countries per capita. The education system was unbalanced and had been diminishing. The institutions and buildings were poor. There were precarious social conditions for teachers. There was a high infant mortality rate. The conditions made it difficult to effect the realization of the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights.
Discussion
Committee Expert DUMITRU CEAUSU explained that some 10,000 people were killed during the conflict in 1997, 80,000 became displaced, and 50,000 became refugees. In December 1998, a militia of the former Prime Minister had embarked on a new element of the civil war. New agreements were signed in November and December 1999, and a new peace came to the country. But at the same time, it was felt that without the support of the international community, the peace process might fail. On 5 March 1999, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination had concluded that the 1997 conflict had a substantial ethnic element.
The representative of the WORLD BANK said there was a major transition taking place in the country. The economy had seen vast fluctuations because of the changes in oil prices. Thanks to the recent increases in oil prices, projected growth of the GDP was good, about 5 per cent. Before the civil war began, the World Bank had a lending programme with the Republic of the Congo. This was suspended, however, in 1997 during the civil war. The World Bank and UNHCR had just undertaken mission which assessed the most urgent reconstruction and rehabilitation needs of the country. It also explored several options for a debt arrears exit strategy, as Congo was presently in a non-accrual status; and prepared the groundwork for a possible Transitional Support Strategy which would sketch out configurations of a possible Bank re-engagement programme in the Republic of the Congo.
The representative of the International Labour Organization said until last year, there had been very few international labour treaties that had been ratified by the Republic of the Congo. That dramatically changed last year with adoption of conventions on forced labour, equal pay for equal work, and the establishment of a framework for occupational safety and health. Ratification was the beginning of a process and not the completion of the process, and the ILO stood by ready to assist the Government. There was a regional office, and the ILO urged the Government to be in contact with that office. The ILO always, when requested, provided assistance for the drafting of new labour codes. The Government had formerly ratified a few other conventions, and under those, there had been some outstanding comments and concerns. There were no child labour projects nor many technical cooperations projects there, but the ILO understood that some were underway.
Answering questions from the Committee experts, Mr. MENGA said efforts to achieve peace had been undertaken. Everybody wanted to get out of the present situation, and a lot had been done to that end. Congo was no longer the apocalyptic country that it had been three years ago. It was starting to live again.
Questioned about displaced persons, the Permanent Representative said these persons had really returned to their homes. They were back in their original neighborhoods, which was a positive step because there was a time not so long ago that refugee camps had had to be set up. Many of these people, returning from the forest, had lived on fruits and berries. They were returning to a very primitive state. The camps had practically been all closed.
On international aid, he said that the aid was weak. The Government did not receive sufficient aid, and had to use its own resources. That caused poor conditions in those camps. The amount of aid that came there was minimal, especially when compared to the international aid that went to other regions.
He said that many of the children who had been refugees had gone back to school. A special education system had been established to help them make up the time they had lost. It was true that in some small villages, the buildings were so dilapidated they had not been able to return to their villages of origin. But for the most part, children today were receiving a normal education.
Asked about private education, Mr. Menga said that was also underway again. There were private schools now. There was a choice, according to one's resources and means.
In legislation, the delegation said, women were on equal footing with men. But there were some inequalities, such as the custom of polygamy. That was a traditional practice. Women received the same training and education as men, but they were not as well-represented as men, particularly in public office. In Government, there were 22 Ministers, and two of them were women. In Parliament, there were 75 members, and nine were women.
With respect to the situation of pygmies, delegation said the basic law respected the rights of all citizens. Pygmies were citizens and had all the rights. They were also a national minority. There was a national office for minorities. On the basis of their own culture, sometimes pygmies rejected efforts of integration.
Questioned about child labour, the delegation said it was true that before the war the country had a problem with it. The convention on setting the minimum age for employment at 16 had been ratified. There were provisions to help promote the re-integration of those children who were put to work. But during the war, many of the re-integration and training structures were plundered. The Government appealed to the international community to help restore these structures. There were religious structures in place, but they were inadequate to handle the number of children that needed help.
Asked about adequate food, the delegation said Congo basically relied almost entirely on imports. Ensuring the right to food was extremely difficult, as it was for most countries emerging from wartime.
*****
22nd Session
5 May 2000
Morning
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this morning began its review of how the Government of the Republic of the Congo was implementing provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Julian Menga, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Congo to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said it was unfortunate that the Government had not been able to implement all the provisions of the Covenant because it was committed to the tenets of the document. He said administrative problems and political instability made it difficult to fulfill all the provisions of the treaty, including the filing of periodic reports.
The Committee undertook consideration of the situation in the Republic of the Congo without a periodic report. Since ratifying the Covenant in 1984, the country has not submitted any reports. The Committee's rules permit it to review implementation of the treaty in a given country in the absence of scheduled reports.
The delegation of the Republic of the Congo also included Maurice Massengo-Tiasse, a National Counsellor; Rebecca Oba Omoali Quionie, Director for Human Rights within the Ministry of Justice; and José Kombo of the Ministry of the Economy, Finances and the Budget.
Responding to questions from Committee members, Mr. Menga and other members of the delegation said most of the displaced people and the refugees from the 1997 civil war had returned to their original areas. Many of the children who were refugees, the delegation said, had gone back to school, and a special education system had been established to allow them to make up school time they had missed.
The delegation also said that international aid to the country was low, especially when compared to the amount of aid that was provided to other regions. That, the delegation said, led to poor conditions in the refugee camps.
The delegation also addressed, among other things, issues such as the treatment of women, the situation of child labour, and the right to adequate food.
The Committee also heard from international organizations on the situation in the Republic of the Congo. A representative of the World Bank told Committee experts that its lending programme in the Republic of the Congo was suspended in 1997 when the civil war erupted. A new mission recently undertaken, the representative said, was exploring several options regarding reconstruction and rehabilitation, including a possible re-engagement of the programme.
A representative of the International Labour Organization, meanwhile, praised progressive measures taken by the Government. Until last year, the representative said, there had been very few international labour treaties ratified by the Republic of the Congo. But that had dramatically changed. However, ratification, she said, was the beginning of a process -- not the completion of it.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will continue considering the situation of economic, social and cultural rights in the Republic of the Congo.
Remarks from the Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Congo
JULIAN MENGA, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Congo to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said it was unfortunate that the Government had not been able to implement all the provisions in the Covenant. That was because of administrative problems as well as political instability. Still, the Government affirmed its commitment to the tenets of the Covenant.
He said the Republic of the Congo had a large surface area. There were 1,170 kilometers of coastline, with many rivers, including the Congo River, the second longest one in the world. The population was estimated at 2.6 million in 1994. The annual growth rate of the population was 2.4 per cent. Sixty per cent lived in the cities, and most people were Bantus, but there were also pygmies and foreigners. The national language was French.
Mr. Menga said democracy was installed in 1960, but a poor political climate was inherited. Civil wars broke out in 1993 and 1997, which had undermined national unity. Civil war had destroyed the infrastructure. There was a heavy debt. The Republic of the Congo was one of the most heavily debated countries per capita. The education system was unbalanced and had been diminishing. The institutions and buildings were poor. There were precarious social conditions for teachers. There was a high infant mortality rate. The conditions made it difficult to effect the realization of the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights.
Discussion
Committee Expert DUMITRU CEAUSU explained that some 10,000 people were killed during the conflict in 1997, 80,000 became displaced, and 50,000 became refugees. In December 1998, a militia of the former Prime Minister had embarked on a new element of the civil war. New agreements were signed in November and December 1999, and a new peace came to the country. But at the same time, it was felt that without the support of the international community, the peace process might fail. On 5 March 1999, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination had concluded that the 1997 conflict had a substantial ethnic element.
The representative of the WORLD BANK said there was a major transition taking place in the country. The economy had seen vast fluctuations because of the changes in oil prices. Thanks to the recent increases in oil prices, projected growth of the GDP was good, about 5 per cent. Before the civil war began, the World Bank had a lending programme with the Republic of the Congo. This was suspended, however, in 1997 during the civil war. The World Bank and UNHCR had just undertaken mission which assessed the most urgent reconstruction and rehabilitation needs of the country. It also explored several options for a debt arrears exit strategy, as Congo was presently in a non-accrual status; and prepared the groundwork for a possible Transitional Support Strategy which would sketch out configurations of a possible Bank re-engagement programme in the Republic of the Congo.
The representative of the International Labour Organization said until last year, there had been very few international labour treaties that had been ratified by the Republic of the Congo. That dramatically changed last year with adoption of conventions on forced labour, equal pay for equal work, and the establishment of a framework for occupational safety and health. Ratification was the beginning of a process and not the completion of the process, and the ILO stood by ready to assist the Government. There was a regional office, and the ILO urged the Government to be in contact with that office. The ILO always, when requested, provided assistance for the drafting of new labour codes. The Government had formerly ratified a few other conventions, and under those, there had been some outstanding comments and concerns. There were no child labour projects nor many technical cooperations projects there, but the ILO understood that some were underway.
Answering questions from the Committee experts, Mr. MENGA said efforts to achieve peace had been undertaken. Everybody wanted to get out of the present situation, and a lot had been done to that end. Congo was no longer the apocalyptic country that it had been three years ago. It was starting to live again.
Questioned about displaced persons, the Permanent Representative said these persons had really returned to their homes. They were back in their original neighborhoods, which was a positive step because there was a time not so long ago that refugee camps had had to be set up. Many of these people, returning from the forest, had lived on fruits and berries. They were returning to a very primitive state. The camps had practically been all closed.
On international aid, he said that the aid was weak. The Government did not receive sufficient aid, and had to use its own resources. That caused poor conditions in those camps. The amount of aid that came there was minimal, especially when compared to the international aid that went to other regions.
He said that many of the children who had been refugees had gone back to school. A special education system had been established to help them make up the time they had lost. It was true that in some small villages, the buildings were so dilapidated they had not been able to return to their villages of origin. But for the most part, children today were receiving a normal education.
Asked about private education, Mr. Menga said that was also underway again. There were private schools now. There was a choice, according to one's resources and means.
In legislation, the delegation said, women were on equal footing with men. But there were some inequalities, such as the custom of polygamy. That was a traditional practice. Women received the same training and education as men, but they were not as well-represented as men, particularly in public office. In Government, there were 22 Ministers, and two of them were women. In Parliament, there were 75 members, and nine were women.
With respect to the situation of pygmies, delegation said the basic law respected the rights of all citizens. Pygmies were citizens and had all the rights. They were also a national minority. There was a national office for minorities. On the basis of their own culture, sometimes pygmies rejected efforts of integration.
Questioned about child labour, the delegation said it was true that before the war the country had a problem with it. The convention on setting the minimum age for employment at 16 had been ratified. There were provisions to help promote the re-integration of those children who were put to work. But during the war, many of the re-integration and training structures were plundered. The Government appealed to the international community to help restore these structures. There were religious structures in place, but they were inadequate to handle the number of children that needed help.
Asked about adequate food, the delegation said Congo basically relied almost entirely on imports. Ensuring the right to food was extremely difficult, as it was for most countries emerging from wartime.
*****