HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE DISCUSSES RESPONSE TO REPORT ON TREATY RESERVATIONS; REVIEWS METHODS OF WORK

HR/CT/98/23
30 July 1998


The Human Rights Committee met briefly in public session this morning, deciding to charge a working group with developing a response to a long-awaited series of preliminary conclusions by the International Law Commission on reservations to normative multilateral treaties, including human rights treaties. Committee members said that the working group, meeting in September, would be able to complete its task in time for the Committee to finalize a response at its October session.

Upcoming work, including country reports to be taken up at October 1998 and March 1999 sessions, also was discussed. Several members urged that a policy be adopted and adhered to on scheduling consideration of country reports, and Committee Experts repeatedly expressed concern about a mounting backlog of work, especially in the category of individual communications. Whether the number of country reports taken up during a session should be six or five was discussed, but it also was suggested that "discipline" in keeping to time frames for reviewing each agenda topic was sufficient to keep the Committee on schedule with its work.

The panel approved its proposed list of country reports for the October session, which amounted to six: Armenia, Belgium, Iceland, Austria, Libya and Japan. It also named the country reports it would consider in May 1999 in New York: Chile, Cameroon, Cambodia, Canada, Costa Rica and Lesotho.

The Committee will meet in public session at 3 p.m. to consider and finalize its annual report.