HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE DISCUSSES ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED DURING ITS SECOND MEETING WITH STATES PARTIES

Human Rights Committee
76th session
21 October 2002
Morning



The Human Rights Committee this morning discussed issues to be addressed in the course of its forthcoming second meeting with States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 24 October.
The Committee agreed that the meeting should focus on the following themes: the Committee's new procedure for non-reporting States; recent experiences with consideration of country situations in the absence of a report and a delegation; the difficulties encountered by many States parties in meeting their reporting obligations; challenges and possible solutions; changes in the working methods: establishment of country report task forces for lists of issues and examination of reports; and the new procedure for follow-up on concluding observations, including the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for follow-up on concluding observations.
During their discussion this morning, the members of the Committee expressed views on whether or not to impose a limit on the length of initial and periodic reports under article 40 of the Covenant. Some Experts said that limitations on the length of country reports might not allow States parties to exhaustively report on the activities designed to implement the provisions of the Covenant. Over the course of the meeting, there was no agreement on the issue.
When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it is scheduled to take up the third periodic report of Togo (document CCPR/C/TGO/2001/3).



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