HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE APPOINTS SPECIAL RAPPORTEURS FOR NEW COMMUNICATIONS AND FOR FOLLOW-UP

HR/CT/528
25 March 1999
1735th Meeting (PM)


The Human Rights Committee this afternoon appointed David Kretzmer, expert from Israel, as the Special Rapporteur for new communications, and Fausto Pocar, expert from Italy, as the Special Rapporteur for follow-up. The Committee took that action as it met to begin its review of a revised draft general comment on article 3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Also this afternoon, the Committee appointed the members of a working group to prepare the lists of relevant issues and guidelines. Appointed to that group were: Lord Colville, expert from the United Kingdom; Elizabeth Evatt, expert from Australia; Eckart Klein, expert from Germany; and Fausto Pocar, expert from Italy.

The Chairman of the Committee, Cecilia Medina Quiroga, expert from Chile, also proposed the establishment of another working group which would look at individual communications such as problems of presentation. The names of the nominees for that group would be selected and presented later, she informed the Committee.

The revised draft general comment on article 3 of the Covenant-- which replaces General Comment 4 (1981) -- aims to contribute to efforts by the United Nations to integrate the human rights of women throughout the Organization's system, as reflected in the Vienna Declaration and the Programme of Action.

The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by consensus at the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, 1993, marked historic new steps to promote and protect human rights. Among other things, it urged the universal ratification of human rights treaties, including setting the target date of the year 2000 for the ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Declaration also supported the establishment of a special rapporteur on violence
against women.

As the Committee began its review of the draft general comment, it decided to review paragraph 1, so that it would reflect 20 years of work and experience.

The Committee will meet again tomorrow, 26 March, at 10 a.m., to begin its consideration of the fourth periodic report of Canada.