HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE ADOPTS ANNUAL REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Human Rights Committee
AFTERNOON
30 July 2009


The Human Rights Committee this afternoon adopted its annual report to the General Assembly following a discussion among Committee Experts. The annual report covers the period from 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009 and the ninety-fourth, ninety-fifth and the ninety-sixth sessions of the Human Rights Committee.

The Annual Report, which was introduced by Committee Expert Iulia Antoanella Motoc, notes that, since the adoption of the last report, Bahamas and Vanuatu have become a party to the Covenant; Kazakhstan has become party to the First Optional Protocol; and Argentina, Chile, Nicaragua, Rwanda and Uzbekistan have become parties to the Second Optional Protocol. In total, there are now 164 States parties to the Covenant, 112 to the First Optional Protocol (empowering the Committee to consider individual communications concerning violations of the Covenant by States parties) and 71 to the Second Optional Protocol (regarding abolition of the death penalty).

During the period under review, the Committee considered the reports of 13 States parties, and adopted concluding observations on those reports. Under the Optional Protocol procedure, the Committee adopted Views on 32 communications, declared 4 communications admissible, 20 inadmissible and discontinued consideration of 4 communications. A total of 1,879 communications have now been registered since the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.

In the report, the Committee deplored the fact that a large number of States parties had not complied with their reporting obligations. In 2001, it had therefore adopted a procedure to deal with these situations. The Committee decided to continue applying this procedure and sent reminders to several State parties, which would be considered in the absence of report in future sessions if they did not send their overdue reports by a set deadline.

The Committee’s workload had continued to grow. Nine initial or periodic reports had been received during the period covered by the report, and at the end of the current session 16 reports remaining to be examined. Also by the end of the ninety-sixth session, 439 communications were pending. The Committee had considered implementing special measures to remedy this situation, such as lengthening one of the sessions. Throughout the reporting period, the Committee continued to contribute to the discussion prompted by the Secretary-General’s proposals for reform and streamlining of the treaty body system.

Topics covered by the report included, among other things, methods of work of the Committee and cooperation with other United Nations bodies; submission of reports by States parties; consideration of reports submitted by States parties; consideration of communications under the Optional Protocol; follow-up activities under the Optional Protocol; and follow-up to concluding observations.

Committee Experts reviewed the report on a chapter-by-chapter basis, raised questions and made suggestions for minor amendments to the text. A Committee Expert suggested adding the Committee’s Meeting with States parties to the report as well as the Committee’s wish to make its session accessible to the public in New York. The Committee also discussed mentioning more explicitly the number of reports that were overdue. The Committee then adopted the Annual Report.

The Committee will reconvene in public at 10 a.m. on Friday, 31 July, when it will announce Bureau decisions before it officially closes its ninety-sixth session.
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For use of the information media; not an official record