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25 April 2000
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CESCR
22nd Session
25 April 2000
Morning
High Commissioner for Human Rights Addresses Experts
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights opened its twenty-second session this morning at the Palais Wilson by hearing remarks from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and by adopting its agenda and programme of work.
During its three-week session, the Committee will consider reports submitted by Georgia, Italy, Portugal, Egypt and Jordan outlining Government efforts to implement the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It was also scheduled to consider the situation in the Republic of the Congo, based on available information because that country had never presented a report to the Committee.
Mrs. Robinson spoke about continued efforts to coordinate better communications between the human rights community -- including the Committee -- and the specialized agencies. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in March 1998 with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the collaboration between the Committee and UNDP had started to concertize in the form of more regular contact between the Secretariat and the UNDP Geneva Office, as well as clear support and a strengthened commitment on the part of UNDP by actively engaging the Country Offices to contribute to the work of the Committee by providing information and by attending the Committee's sessions, particularly with regard to certain target countries and non-reporting States parties.
Mrs. Robinson noted the success of the Committee's consideration of the situation of economic, social and cultural rights in the Solomon Islands during its last session despite the country's non-reporting status. This session, the Committee would consider the situation in the Republic of the Congo, which also had not filed a report.
Several Committee members complimented Mrs. Robinson for her efforts in raising the level of human rights awareness among the specialized agencies, while others asked her specific questions concerning matters such as the rights of the elderly, and establishing a pre-reporting investigating mechanism.
The Committee then adopted its agenda by consensus, and began technical discussions about the current three-week session, and its following extraordinary session to be held in Geneva from 14 August to 1 September.
The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. to hear from non-governmental organizations about substantive issues arising in the implementation of the Covenant.
Statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson
MARY ROBINSON, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the Economic and Social Council had adopted its decision 1999/287 on the Committee's repeated request for an additional session, in order to discharge its responsibilities in an efficient and timely manner. ECOSOC's decision had also been approved by the General Assembly during its last session. Two extraordinary sessions had been approved for 2000 and 2001, and the first session would take place from 14 August to 1 September of this year.
She said the Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) of March 1998 aimed to consolidate a close and more efficient cooperation and coordination within the UN system. In the framework of the memorandum, the collaboration between this Committee and UNDP since August 1999 had started to concertize, in the form of more regular contact between the Secretariat and the UNDP Geneva Office, as well as clear support and a strengthened commitment on the part of UNDP by actively engaging the Country Offices to contribute to the work of the Committee by providing information and by attending the Committee's sessions, particularly with regard to certain target countries and non-reporting States parties. In this respect, the positive experience of the Committee with regard to the consideration of the Solomon Islands, a non-reporting State party to the Covenant, had resulted in a similar consideration of the Republic of the Congo during this session.
Mrs. Robinson expressed support for the Committee's endeavors to arrive at a normative interpretation of Article 12 of the Covenant at a timely moment, coinciding with the efforts of the World Health Organization to incorporate a human rights-based approach into its activities. The Office of the High Commissioner had embarked upon a closer interaction with WHO in order to provide expert assistance on human rights, as well as to avail of the expertise of WHO in the field of health to further develop the understanding of the relationship between health and human rights.
In general, she continued, it was important to emphasize that the input and active participation of representatives of specialized agencies certainly contributed to a more meaningful and fruitful consideration of States' reports, for all parties concerned.
Mrs. Robinson said the Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts working on mandates concerning economic, social and cultural rights, such as education, extreme poverty, foreign debt and structural adjustment programmes, had submitted their reports to the fifty-sixth session of the Commission on Human Rights. These were of great importance to the protection and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights.
She said there was also a resolution offered during the Commission which reaffirmed the importance of strengthening economic, social and cultural rights. It strongly supported the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Education by inviting her to continue to work and to intensify her efforts to identify ways and means to overcome obstacles and difficulties in the realization of the right to education.
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22nd Session
25 April 2000
Morning
High Commissioner for Human Rights Addresses Experts
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights opened its twenty-second session this morning at the Palais Wilson by hearing remarks from United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, and by adopting its agenda and programme of work.
During its three-week session, the Committee will consider reports submitted by Georgia, Italy, Portugal, Egypt and Jordan outlining Government efforts to implement the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It was also scheduled to consider the situation in the Republic of the Congo, based on available information because that country had never presented a report to the Committee.
Mrs. Robinson spoke about continued efforts to coordinate better communications between the human rights community -- including the Committee -- and the specialized agencies. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in March 1998 with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the collaboration between the Committee and UNDP had started to concertize in the form of more regular contact between the Secretariat and the UNDP Geneva Office, as well as clear support and a strengthened commitment on the part of UNDP by actively engaging the Country Offices to contribute to the work of the Committee by providing information and by attending the Committee's sessions, particularly with regard to certain target countries and non-reporting States parties.
Mrs. Robinson noted the success of the Committee's consideration of the situation of economic, social and cultural rights in the Solomon Islands during its last session despite the country's non-reporting status. This session, the Committee would consider the situation in the Republic of the Congo, which also had not filed a report.
Several Committee members complimented Mrs. Robinson for her efforts in raising the level of human rights awareness among the specialized agencies, while others asked her specific questions concerning matters such as the rights of the elderly, and establishing a pre-reporting investigating mechanism.
The Committee then adopted its agenda by consensus, and began technical discussions about the current three-week session, and its following extraordinary session to be held in Geneva from 14 August to 1 September.
The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. to hear from non-governmental organizations about substantive issues arising in the implementation of the Covenant.
Statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson
MARY ROBINSON, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the Economic and Social Council had adopted its decision 1999/287 on the Committee's repeated request for an additional session, in order to discharge its responsibilities in an efficient and timely manner. ECOSOC's decision had also been approved by the General Assembly during its last session. Two extraordinary sessions had been approved for 2000 and 2001, and the first session would take place from 14 August to 1 September of this year.
She said the Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) of March 1998 aimed to consolidate a close and more efficient cooperation and coordination within the UN system. In the framework of the memorandum, the collaboration between this Committee and UNDP since August 1999 had started to concertize, in the form of more regular contact between the Secretariat and the UNDP Geneva Office, as well as clear support and a strengthened commitment on the part of UNDP by actively engaging the Country Offices to contribute to the work of the Committee by providing information and by attending the Committee's sessions, particularly with regard to certain target countries and non-reporting States parties. In this respect, the positive experience of the Committee with regard to the consideration of the Solomon Islands, a non-reporting State party to the Covenant, had resulted in a similar consideration of the Republic of the Congo during this session.
Mrs. Robinson expressed support for the Committee's endeavors to arrive at a normative interpretation of Article 12 of the Covenant at a timely moment, coinciding with the efforts of the World Health Organization to incorporate a human rights-based approach into its activities. The Office of the High Commissioner had embarked upon a closer interaction with WHO in order to provide expert assistance on human rights, as well as to avail of the expertise of WHO in the field of health to further develop the understanding of the relationship between health and human rights.
In general, she continued, it was important to emphasize that the input and active participation of representatives of specialized agencies certainly contributed to a more meaningful and fruitful consideration of States' reports, for all parties concerned.
Mrs. Robinson said the Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts working on mandates concerning economic, social and cultural rights, such as education, extreme poverty, foreign debt and structural adjustment programmes, had submitted their reports to the fifty-sixth session of the Commission on Human Rights. These were of great importance to the protection and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights.
She said there was also a resolution offered during the Commission which reaffirmed the importance of strengthening economic, social and cultural rights. It strongly supported the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Education by inviting her to continue to work and to intensify her efforts to identify ways and means to overcome obstacles and difficulties in the realization of the right to education.
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