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16 October 2000
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HRC
70th session
16 October 2000
Morning
Hears Statement By United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Human Rights Committee this morning opened its autumn session at the Palais Wilson by hearing a statement by Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who stressed she had always been a believer in and a supporter of individual complaints procedures because they rendered alive and visible the often dry normative provisions of a treaty.
Mrs. Robinson said the individual complaints procedures concretised legal principles and provided real remedies to identifiable victims. Case-law was a living law that not only clarified the meaning of a norm but frequently resulted in visible change. As a result, States parties had amended their laws following recommendations from the Human Rights Committee, they had released prisoners, commuted death sentences and paid compensation to victims of violations enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Further, Mrs. Robinson stated that the Optional Protocol establishing a communications procedure for the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was recently adopted; and the Optional Protocol had been ratified by 10 States parties and would enter into force on 22 December.
Also this morning, the Committee adopted its agenda and programme of work after making changes following a request by Uzbekistan to defer the consideration of its initial report which was scheduled for 18 and 19 October. The Committee also considered the reports of the Chairperson/Rapporteur of the pre-sessional working group, and approved the list of issues for country reports to be examined during the Committee's next session.
During its three-week session, which will conclude on 3 November, the Committee will examine the reports of Trinidad and Tobago, Denmark, Peru, Argentina and Gabon. It is also expected to consider two General Comments on article 4 of the Covenant regarding states of emergency and derogations, and on racism and xenophobia. The Committee is further scheduled to conduct a special meeting with States parties on Monday 30 October on current difficulties and possible solutions to the country reporting process and the communications procedure, among other things. The representatives of 17 States parties are expected to attend the informal meeting with the Committee.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m. this afternoon, it will discuss its programme of work in a public meeting before continuing deliberations in private. It will resume at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 17 October, when it will take up the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Trinidad and Tobago. (For further information please see background release under HR/CT/00/24 issued on 13 October 2000.)
Statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
MARY ROBINSON, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that in September, three more States had become parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Bangladesh, Botswana and Ghana; two other States, Guinea-Bissau and Turkey, had signed the Covenant, and it was hoped that they would ratify it in the very near future; and also in September, Ghana and Lesotho had become parties to the Optional Protocol.
Mrs. Robinson further stated that the Office had been recruiting good lawyers and a coordinator for the Petitions Team which she had announced she was setting up last July. The Team would tackle the ever-increasing workload on communications and the backlog of cases to be processed and examined, particularly those received in languages other than English, French and Spanish. The Team would also provide substantive support to the three Committees concerned with communications procedures, including ensuring proper coordination and flow of information with all treaty bodies.
The Optional Protocol establishing a communications procedure for the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was recently adopted, Mrs. Robinson said. The Optional Protocol had been ratified by 10 States parties and would enter into force on 22 December.
Mrs. Robinson said she had always been a believer in and a supporter of individual complaints procedures, because they rendered alive and visible the often dry normative provisions of a treaty. They concretized legal principles and provided real remedies to identifiable victims. Case-law was thus living law that not only clarified the meaning of a norm but frequently resulted in visible change. As a result, States parties had amended their laws following recommendations from the Human Rights Committee, they had released prisoners, commuted death sentences and paid compensation to victims of violations of Covenant rights.
In conclusion, Mrs. Robinson encouraged the Committee to adopt a general comment on racism and xenophobia. She informed the experts that the second preparatory committee for the World Conference against Racism would be held in Geneva in May 2001, and it would be very useful indeed if the Committee could adopt and submit the general comment at the very beginning of the Committee's next session.
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70th session
16 October 2000
Morning
Hears Statement By United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Human Rights Committee this morning opened its autumn session at the Palais Wilson by hearing a statement by Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who stressed she had always been a believer in and a supporter of individual complaints procedures because they rendered alive and visible the often dry normative provisions of a treaty.
Mrs. Robinson said the individual complaints procedures concretised legal principles and provided real remedies to identifiable victims. Case-law was a living law that not only clarified the meaning of a norm but frequently resulted in visible change. As a result, States parties had amended their laws following recommendations from the Human Rights Committee, they had released prisoners, commuted death sentences and paid compensation to victims of violations enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Further, Mrs. Robinson stated that the Optional Protocol establishing a communications procedure for the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was recently adopted; and the Optional Protocol had been ratified by 10 States parties and would enter into force on 22 December.
Also this morning, the Committee adopted its agenda and programme of work after making changes following a request by Uzbekistan to defer the consideration of its initial report which was scheduled for 18 and 19 October. The Committee also considered the reports of the Chairperson/Rapporteur of the pre-sessional working group, and approved the list of issues for country reports to be examined during the Committee's next session.
During its three-week session, which will conclude on 3 November, the Committee will examine the reports of Trinidad and Tobago, Denmark, Peru, Argentina and Gabon. It is also expected to consider two General Comments on article 4 of the Covenant regarding states of emergency and derogations, and on racism and xenophobia. The Committee is further scheduled to conduct a special meeting with States parties on Monday 30 October on current difficulties and possible solutions to the country reporting process and the communications procedure, among other things. The representatives of 17 States parties are expected to attend the informal meeting with the Committee.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m. this afternoon, it will discuss its programme of work in a public meeting before continuing deliberations in private. It will resume at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 17 October, when it will take up the combined third and fourth periodic reports of Trinidad and Tobago. (For further information please see background release under HR/CT/00/24 issued on 13 October 2000.)
Statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
MARY ROBINSON, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that in September, three more States had become parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Bangladesh, Botswana and Ghana; two other States, Guinea-Bissau and Turkey, had signed the Covenant, and it was hoped that they would ratify it in the very near future; and also in September, Ghana and Lesotho had become parties to the Optional Protocol.
Mrs. Robinson further stated that the Office had been recruiting good lawyers and a coordinator for the Petitions Team which she had announced she was setting up last July. The Team would tackle the ever-increasing workload on communications and the backlog of cases to be processed and examined, particularly those received in languages other than English, French and Spanish. The Team would also provide substantive support to the three Committees concerned with communications procedures, including ensuring proper coordination and flow of information with all treaty bodies.
The Optional Protocol establishing a communications procedure for the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was recently adopted, Mrs. Robinson said. The Optional Protocol had been ratified by 10 States parties and would enter into force on 22 December.
Mrs. Robinson said she had always been a believer in and a supporter of individual complaints procedures, because they rendered alive and visible the often dry normative provisions of a treaty. They concretized legal principles and provided real remedies to identifiable victims. Case-law was thus living law that not only clarified the meaning of a norm but frequently resulted in visible change. As a result, States parties had amended their laws following recommendations from the Human Rights Committee, they had released prisoners, commuted death sentences and paid compensation to victims of violations of Covenant rights.
In conclusion, Mrs. Robinson encouraged the Committee to adopt a general comment on racism and xenophobia. She informed the experts that the second preparatory committee for the World Conference against Racism would be held in Geneva in May 2001, and it would be very useful indeed if the Committee could adopt and submit the general comment at the very beginning of the Committee's next session.
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