Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination opens seventy-sixth session

15 February 2010

Elects New Bureau; Adopts Agenda and Programme of Work

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning opened its seventy-sixth session, hearing an address by and having a dialogue with Ibrahim Salama, Chief of the Human Rights Treaties Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Committee also elected its Bureau and adopted its agenda and programme of work.

Mr. Salama, in an introductory statement, welcomed the newly elected members of the Committee: Ms. Anastasia Crickley (Ireland), Mr. Gün Kut (Turkey) and Mr. Waliakoye Saidou (Niger).

Turning to the latest developments of interest to the Committee, Mr. Salama noted that the General Assembly had endorsed the outcome document of the Durban Review Conference at its last session. The Assembly had also adopted a resolution welcoming the emphasis placed by the Committee on the importance of the follow-up to the World Conference and the measures recommended to strengthen the implementation of the Convention, as well the functioning of the Committee. It had, however, expressed grave concern that the universal ratification of the Convention had not yet been reached.

Mr. Salama also highlighted that the High Commissioner had recently launched the Strategic Management Plan for the 2010-2011 biennium, which identified the elimination of discrimination – in particular racial discrimination – as one of the six priorities of the Office.

On the strengthening of the treaty body system, Mr. Salama said the High Commissioner encouraged all relevant stakeholders to initiate a process of reflection on how to streamline and strengthen the system to achieve better coherence and effectiveness. In that connection, an informal meeting of a number of former and current treaty body experts had taken place in Dublin in November 2009. The primary objective of the meeting had been to reflect on the future of the system and to propose a possible framework for strengthening it.

Further, as of January 2010, the Human Rights Treaties Branch had been transformed into a Division, Mr. Salama noted. Thanks to the full support from the High Commissioner, their resources had been enhanced and they had already improved their structure to reflect the expansion of the treaty body system.

The Committee then elected its new Bureau, by consensus. Mr. Anwar Kemal was elected Chairperson. The Vice-Chairpersons are Mr. Jose Fransisco Cali Tzay; Ms. Fatimata-Binta Victoire Dah; and Mr. Pierre-Richard Prosper. The Committee Rapporteur is Mr. Ion Diaconu.

Anwar Kemal, the incoming Chairman of the Committee, in an introductory statement, thanked the members of the Committee for having elected him and welcomed the newly elected members of the Committee and congratulated those that had been re-elected. He also expressed appreciation for the work of the outgoing Chairperson, Ms. Dah. The Committee should continue to maintain its high standards, he said, noting that it already had a certain prestige among Member States.

In their discussion with Ibrahim Salama, Committee Experts asked questions on the ongoing process of reflection on streamlining and strengthening of the treaty body system and the outcome of the meeting in Dublin; the relationship of the Committee with the Independent Expert on minority issues; and the relationship between the treaty bodies and the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review. Experts said the Universal Periodic Review should source its recommendations in the Committee’s concluding observations and that the Committees should also be kept informed on what was happening in the Universal Periodic Review sessions. Another Expert proposed to discuss the issue of holding the meetings of the Committee at the Palais des Nations in order to give better visibility to the Committee.

Responding to these and other issues, Mr. Salama said there was no pre-conceived fixed solution with regard to the streamlining and strengthening of the treaty bodies. Dublin had been a first successful step in that process. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was also looking at the possibility of organizing a similar event dedicated to national human rights institutions. It was important to look at the interaction between the Committees and other stakeholders, such as non-governmental organizations and national institutions.

On the relationship of the Committee with the Universal Periodic Review process, Mr. Salama identified a logistical constraint to an increased exchange of information as timing and the fact that there was no master plan of appearance of countries in the treaty bodies; such a plan would allow for a better planning and coordination of work. He noted, however, that delegates in the Universal Periodic Review were using the treaty bodies’ recommendations in their questions to the countries being reviewed.

Also at today’s meeting the Committee observed a minute of silence in memory of the 200,000 persons that had lost their lives in the tragic earthquake that had struck Haiti last month, and in commemoration of the passing of Miguel Alfonso Martinez, a Member of the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee.

At the beginning of the meeting, the nine members of the Committee that had been elected or re-elected at the twenty-third Meeting of State parties to the Convention, held on 21 January 2010, made a solemn declaration that they would perform their duties and exercise their powers as members faithfully, impartially and conscientiously. These experts were: Mr. Noureddine Amir (Algeria); Ms. Anastasia Crickley (Ireland); Mr. Kokou Mawuena Ika Kana Ewomsan (Togo); Mr. Regis de Gouttes (France); Mr. Anwar Kemal (Pakistan); Mr. Jose Augusto Lindgren Alves (Brazil); Mr. Gün Kut (Turkey); Mr. Waliakoye Saidou (Niger); and Mr. Patrick Thornberry (United Kingdom).

The next meeting of the Committee will be at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it is scheduled to take up the combined initial to sixth report of Monaco (CERD/C/MCO/6).

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For use of information media; not an official record