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01 August 2000
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CERD
57th Session
1 August 2000
Morning
Discusses Upcoming Thematic Discussion on Discrimination Against Roma
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concluded this morning its public review of a report presented by the Government of Mauritius on its efforts to fight racial discrimination in the country.
In supplementary responses, the Mauritian Government delegation said, among other things, that the tension between foreign and Mauritian workers was no different from that which prevailed elsewhere in the labour market as a result of globalization and increased competitiveness.
Formal, written conclusions and recommendations on the report of Mauritius will be issued later on in the Committee's four-week session which concludes on 25 August.
The report of Mauritius was introduced yesterday morning by a four-member Government delegation. The officials, led by Satyajit Boolell, Assistant Solicitor-General of Mauritius, were on hand throughout two meetings to discuss the document and to answer questions put by Committee members.
The following Committee experts took part in the discussion: Agha Shahi, Mahmoud Aboul-Nasr, Marc Bossuyt and Yuri A. Rechetov.
As one of the 156 States parties to the Convention on the Elimination against All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Mauritius must submit periodic reports to the Committee on the measures taken by the Government to combat racial discrimination in the country.
Also this morning, the Committee discussed its thematic discussion on discrimination against the Roma which will be held on 15 and 16 August. The Committee spoke about how to organize a general debate on the issue with the participation of minority experts, representatives of non-governmental organizations and regional organizations, among others.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will take up the fifteenth periodic report of Finland (document CERD/C/363/Add.2).
Discussion
In response to a series of questions raised by Committee experts during the previous meeting, the Mauritian delegation said that in application of article 4 of the Convention, a law had already been enacted to prosecute organizations and all other propaganda activities which promoted and incited racial discrimination.
Mauritius was a country composed of people who came from different corners of the world during the colonial era, the delegation said. During the French and British colonial days, Indian and African workers were brought to the island while Chinese came as traders. For that reason, Mauritius had no distinct indigenous population outside of those groups. The present policy was based on unity and coexistence of all races and not a partition on the basis of religion or race. The Government also oversaw that no group dominated the other components of the population.
Moreover, it was Government policy to promote a Mauritian identity amongst its people based on their free will, the delegation said. The Mauritian approach to statistical compilation was not geared to identifying ethnic or racial belonging. Recruitment in the administrative and judicial services was carried out by independent commissions and was based on meritocracy; ethnicity or race were not a consideration for appointments.
Answering a question on the functions of the national human rights commission, the delegation said it was established in 1998 and entered into force in 1999; however, it had yet to become operational in view of constraints on human resources.
With regard to a question on instances of tension between foreign and Mauritian workers, the delegation said that the situation was no different from that which prevailed elsewhere in the labour market as a result of globalization and increased competitiveness. Nevertheless, all workers, including foreign workers, enjoyed equal protection of the law in Mauritius.
Legal and administrative steps had already been implemented to enable the inhabitants of St. Brandon and Agalega, dependencies of Mauritius, to exercise their voting rights, the officials said.
The "Committee on Poverty" was set up by the country's President in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNESCO) to make severe poverty disappear by the year 2007 and to reduce poverty in general, the delegation said. Education was given priority as part of action to break the vicious circle of poverty and to that end a "Presidential Education Trust" had already been launched.
With regards to the riots of 1999 which followed the death of a renowned Creole singer in police custody, the delegation said a commission of inquiry had been set up to look into the causes. The commission's report had already been submitted to the President of the Republic and it was not appropriate to make any pronouncement on the causes of the riot before it was made public.
There was only one university in Mauritius with a population of around 5,000 students, the delegation said; admission was based on academic qualifications, which were highly competitive given the limited number of seats. In addition, the Government was in the process of establishing a University of Technology.
The President had established a "Think Tank" of ten persons of different ethnic origins and religious faiths to be able to establish a permanent line of communication between the different ethnic components of the Mauritian society, the delegation said. While their achievements could not be physically measured, their positive influence in fostering harmony was generally acknowledged.
There were no reported cases of racial discrimination before Mauritian courts of justice, the delegation said; the issue of compensation, awards or penalties therefore did not arise.
Only Muslim religious groups had requested to be governed by a personal regime in accordance with their religious tenets, given that the existing law on marriage and succession was based on the civil code, the delegation said. A committee had already been set up to review the concerns of that group and to see how best to give legal effect to its request.
FRANCOIS LONSENY FALL, the Committee expert who served as country rapporteur to the report of Mauritius, said that the report was constructive and the responses provided by the delegation were satisfactory and useful. Since the presentation of its last report, Mauritius had made tremendous progress in the field of respect for human rights. He cited the establishment of a human rights commission.
With regard to article 14 of the Convention, although it was not obligatory for States parties, it was recommendable that Mauritius declare that it recognized the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications from individuals claiming to be victims of a violation by the State party of any of the rights set forth in the Convention.
Discussion on Discrimination Against Roma
ION DIACONU, Chairperson of the Committee's working group on the situation of Roma people, introduced the proposed framework in which the thematic discussion on the question of discrimination against the Roma would be held. He spoke about the idea and the manner in which the general debate could be organized with the participation of experts on minorities, regional organization, non-governmental organizations and other interested groups.
Mr. Diaconu said that a paper on the situation of Roma people had been drafted. It dealt, among other things, with violence by individuals and the police against the Roma people; their access to education; their living conditions, including access to work and housing; and their participation in public life.
Other Committee experts expressed views on the outcome of the discussion and the form of recommendations to be addressed to States parties where Roma people lived under their jurisdictions. They also discussed how to deal with the question of the Roma people and how to seek solutions to the problems facing them.
On the issue of inviting representatives of Roma people, an expert said that in some countries where Roma lived, there were a number of organizations which did not recognize each other as representatives of the Roma people. It would therefore be difficult to decide whom to invite to participate in the debate on the Roma issue.
A question was raised on how to draft a general recommendation on the issue once the debate was through. The working group was asked to continue to work on the issue and to come back with concrete suggestions to the Committee. It proposed to invite regional organizations to participate in the meeting if they wished to do so and to inform States parties about the venue.
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57th Session
1 August 2000
Morning
Discusses Upcoming Thematic Discussion on Discrimination Against Roma
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concluded this morning its public review of a report presented by the Government of Mauritius on its efforts to fight racial discrimination in the country.
In supplementary responses, the Mauritian Government delegation said, among other things, that the tension between foreign and Mauritian workers was no different from that which prevailed elsewhere in the labour market as a result of globalization and increased competitiveness.
Formal, written conclusions and recommendations on the report of Mauritius will be issued later on in the Committee's four-week session which concludes on 25 August.
The report of Mauritius was introduced yesterday morning by a four-member Government delegation. The officials, led by Satyajit Boolell, Assistant Solicitor-General of Mauritius, were on hand throughout two meetings to discuss the document and to answer questions put by Committee members.
The following Committee experts took part in the discussion: Agha Shahi, Mahmoud Aboul-Nasr, Marc Bossuyt and Yuri A. Rechetov.
As one of the 156 States parties to the Convention on the Elimination against All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Mauritius must submit periodic reports to the Committee on the measures taken by the Government to combat racial discrimination in the country.
Also this morning, the Committee discussed its thematic discussion on discrimination against the Roma which will be held on 15 and 16 August. The Committee spoke about how to organize a general debate on the issue with the participation of minority experts, representatives of non-governmental organizations and regional organizations, among others.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will take up the fifteenth periodic report of Finland (document CERD/C/363/Add.2).
Discussion
In response to a series of questions raised by Committee experts during the previous meeting, the Mauritian delegation said that in application of article 4 of the Convention, a law had already been enacted to prosecute organizations and all other propaganda activities which promoted and incited racial discrimination.
Mauritius was a country composed of people who came from different corners of the world during the colonial era, the delegation said. During the French and British colonial days, Indian and African workers were brought to the island while Chinese came as traders. For that reason, Mauritius had no distinct indigenous population outside of those groups. The present policy was based on unity and coexistence of all races and not a partition on the basis of religion or race. The Government also oversaw that no group dominated the other components of the population.
Moreover, it was Government policy to promote a Mauritian identity amongst its people based on their free will, the delegation said. The Mauritian approach to statistical compilation was not geared to identifying ethnic or racial belonging. Recruitment in the administrative and judicial services was carried out by independent commissions and was based on meritocracy; ethnicity or race were not a consideration for appointments.
Answering a question on the functions of the national human rights commission, the delegation said it was established in 1998 and entered into force in 1999; however, it had yet to become operational in view of constraints on human resources.
With regard to a question on instances of tension between foreign and Mauritian workers, the delegation said that the situation was no different from that which prevailed elsewhere in the labour market as a result of globalization and increased competitiveness. Nevertheless, all workers, including foreign workers, enjoyed equal protection of the law in Mauritius.
Legal and administrative steps had already been implemented to enable the inhabitants of St. Brandon and Agalega, dependencies of Mauritius, to exercise their voting rights, the officials said.
The "Committee on Poverty" was set up by the country's President in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNESCO) to make severe poverty disappear by the year 2007 and to reduce poverty in general, the delegation said. Education was given priority as part of action to break the vicious circle of poverty and to that end a "Presidential Education Trust" had already been launched.
With regards to the riots of 1999 which followed the death of a renowned Creole singer in police custody, the delegation said a commission of inquiry had been set up to look into the causes. The commission's report had already been submitted to the President of the Republic and it was not appropriate to make any pronouncement on the causes of the riot before it was made public.
There was only one university in Mauritius with a population of around 5,000 students, the delegation said; admission was based on academic qualifications, which were highly competitive given the limited number of seats. In addition, the Government was in the process of establishing a University of Technology.
The President had established a "Think Tank" of ten persons of different ethnic origins and religious faiths to be able to establish a permanent line of communication between the different ethnic components of the Mauritian society, the delegation said. While their achievements could not be physically measured, their positive influence in fostering harmony was generally acknowledged.
There were no reported cases of racial discrimination before Mauritian courts of justice, the delegation said; the issue of compensation, awards or penalties therefore did not arise.
Only Muslim religious groups had requested to be governed by a personal regime in accordance with their religious tenets, given that the existing law on marriage and succession was based on the civil code, the delegation said. A committee had already been set up to review the concerns of that group and to see how best to give legal effect to its request.
FRANCOIS LONSENY FALL, the Committee expert who served as country rapporteur to the report of Mauritius, said that the report was constructive and the responses provided by the delegation were satisfactory and useful. Since the presentation of its last report, Mauritius had made tremendous progress in the field of respect for human rights. He cited the establishment of a human rights commission.
With regard to article 14 of the Convention, although it was not obligatory for States parties, it was recommendable that Mauritius declare that it recognized the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications from individuals claiming to be victims of a violation by the State party of any of the rights set forth in the Convention.
Discussion on Discrimination Against Roma
ION DIACONU, Chairperson of the Committee's working group on the situation of Roma people, introduced the proposed framework in which the thematic discussion on the question of discrimination against the Roma would be held. He spoke about the idea and the manner in which the general debate could be organized with the participation of experts on minorities, regional organization, non-governmental organizations and other interested groups.
Mr. Diaconu said that a paper on the situation of Roma people had been drafted. It dealt, among other things, with violence by individuals and the police against the Roma people; their access to education; their living conditions, including access to work and housing; and their participation in public life.
Other Committee experts expressed views on the outcome of the discussion and the form of recommendations to be addressed to States parties where Roma people lived under their jurisdictions. They also discussed how to deal with the question of the Roma people and how to seek solutions to the problems facing them.
On the issue of inviting representatives of Roma people, an expert said that in some countries where Roma lived, there were a number of organizations which did not recognize each other as representatives of the Roma people. It would therefore be difficult to decide whom to invite to participate in the debate on the Roma issue.
A question was raised on how to draft a general recommendation on the issue once the debate was through. The working group was asked to continue to work on the issue and to come back with concrete suggestions to the Committee. It proposed to invite regional organizations to participate in the meeting if they wished to do so and to inform States parties about the venue.
* *** *