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31 July 2000
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CERD
57th Session
31 July 2000
Morning
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination opened this morning its fifty-seventh session during which it will review periodic reports of States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Before the Committee adopted its agenda and programme of work, it was addressed by Hamid Gaham, Chief of the Support Services Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who briefed the members on recent developments in the Office.
In his opening statement, Mr. Gaham told the Committee that with the recent ratification of Liechtenstein, the number of States parties to the Convention had reached 156. In addition, Portugal had made the declaration under article 14 of the Convention, thus bringing to 30 the total number of States parties which had made that declaration.
Turning to developments in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Gaham said the High Commissioner had launched her first Annual Appeal, which included a plan to finance a comprehensive two-year programme to improve the servicing of the entire treaty monitoring system. One of the components of that programme was a plan to enhance the Office's capacity to process individual complaints under the various treaty-based procedures. As a result, a petition team was to be established within the Support Services Branch to deal with individual procedures.
With regards to developments concerning the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Mr. Gaham recalled that the Preparatory Committee for the conference had taken place from 1 to 5 May and it had decided to request the High Commissioner to draw up a draft declaration and programme of action for the Conference.
During its four-week session, the Committee is expected to review anti-discrimination efforts undertaken by the Governments of Mauritius, Finland, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Nepal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Holy See, Norway, Uzbekistan, Iceland and Ghana.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will start its consideration of the thirteenth and fourteenth periodic reports of Mauritius.
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57th Session
31 July 2000
Morning
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination opened this morning its fifty-seventh session during which it will review periodic reports of States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Before the Committee adopted its agenda and programme of work, it was addressed by Hamid Gaham, Chief of the Support Services Branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who briefed the members on recent developments in the Office.
In his opening statement, Mr. Gaham told the Committee that with the recent ratification of Liechtenstein, the number of States parties to the Convention had reached 156. In addition, Portugal had made the declaration under article 14 of the Convention, thus bringing to 30 the total number of States parties which had made that declaration.
Turning to developments in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Gaham said the High Commissioner had launched her first Annual Appeal, which included a plan to finance a comprehensive two-year programme to improve the servicing of the entire treaty monitoring system. One of the components of that programme was a plan to enhance the Office's capacity to process individual complaints under the various treaty-based procedures. As a result, a petition team was to be established within the Support Services Branch to deal with individual procedures.
With regards to developments concerning the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Mr. Gaham recalled that the Preparatory Committee for the conference had taken place from 1 to 5 May and it had decided to request the High Commissioner to draw up a draft declaration and programme of action for the Conference.
During its four-week session, the Committee is expected to review anti-discrimination efforts undertaken by the Governments of Mauritius, Finland, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Nepal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Holy See, Norway, Uzbekistan, Iceland and Ghana.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will start its consideration of the thirteenth and fourteenth periodic reports of Mauritius.
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