Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to hold eighty-fourth session in Geneva from 3 to 21 February 2014

Committee on the Elimination 
of Racial Discrimination 

30 January 2014

BACKGROUND RELEASE 

 
Committee Will Review Situation in Honduras, Montenegro, Belgium, Poland, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg and Switzerland
 
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination will hold its eighty-fourth session at the Palais Wilson in Geneva from 3 to 21 February 2014 to review anti-discrimination efforts undertaken by the Governments of Honduras, Montenegro, Belgium, Poland, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg and Switzerland. 
 
Seven of the eight States parties whose reports are being examined at the session have previously been reviewed by the Committee. Honduras it presenting its initial to fifth periodic report.  The previous concluding observations for each of the seven other countries can be accessed via the following hyperlinks:
 
Montenegro 2009 (CERD/C/MNE/CO/1); Belgium 2008 (CERD/C/BEL/CO/15); Poland 2009 (CERD/C/POL/CO/19); Uzbekistan 2010 (CERD/C/UZB/CO/6-7); Kazakhstan 2010 (CERD/C/KAZ/CO/4-5); Luxembourg 2005 (CERD/C/LUX/CO/13); and Switzerland 2008 (CERD/C/CHE/CO/6).
 
At the opening meeting, the Committee will adopt its agenda.  It will hear the solemn declarations of four new members and will then elect the Chairperson and Bureau.
During the session, the Committee will hold informal meetings with non-governmental organizations who will brief it on the situation in the countries whose reports it will consider.  It will also continue to review its working methods.  Furthermore, the Committee will hold an informal meeting with States parties on 18 February. 
 
All documentation for this session, including State party and non-governmental organization shadow reports, is available on the webpage of the session.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

Adopted in 1965 by the General Assembly, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination entered into force on 4 January 1969.  The Convention defines racial discrimination as any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

By signing up to the Convention, States parties commit themselves to condemn racial discrimination and to pursue, by all appropriate means and without delay, policies of eliminating racial discrimination in all its forms and promoting understanding among all races.  To that end, each State Party undertakes not to engage in any act or practice of racial discrimination against persons, groups of persons or institutions and to ensure that all public authorities and public institutions, national and local, shall act in conformity with this obligation; not to sponsor, defend or support racial discrimination by any persons or organizations; to take effective measures to review governmental, national and local policies, and to amend, rescind or nullify any laws and regulations which have the effect of creating or perpetuating racial discrimination wherever it exists; to prohibit and bring to an end, by all appropriate means, including legislation as required by circumstances, racial discrimination by any persons, group or organization; to encourage, where appropriate, integrationist multiracial organizations and movements and other means of eliminating barriers between races, and to discourage anything which tends to strengthen racial division.

In accordance with article 4, States parties also undertake to condemn all propaganda and all organizations which are based on ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group of persons of one colour or ethnic origin, or which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form, and undertake to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitement to, or acts of, such discrimination.  States parties, by virtue of article 9, undertake to submit a report on the legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures which they have adopted and which give effect to the provisions of this Convention. To ensure the implementation and the respect of their obligations under the Convention by States parties, the Convention establishes the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to examine the reports presented by States parties.

In addition, as provided in article 14, a State Party may at any time declare that it recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications from individuals or groups of individuals within its jurisdiction claiming to be victims of a violation by that State Party of any of the rights set forth in this Convention.  No communication shall be received by the Committee if it concerns a State party that has not made such a declaration.  To date 55 States parties have made a declaration under this article.

States Parties to the Convention

At present, the following 176 States are parties to the Convention: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Communications Under Article 14

Under article 14 of the Convention, the Committee considers communications from individuals or groups of individuals claiming to be victims of a violation by States parties of any of the rights set forth in the Convention, provided the States concerned have recognized the competence of the Committee in this regard.  The following 54 States parties have already done so: Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Timetable for Opening Meeting and Consideration of State Party Reports

Monday, 3 February

10 a.m.         Opening of session and adoption of agenda
 
3 p.m.          Intersessional activities

Tuesday, 4 February
 
10 a.m.         Informal meeting with non-governmental organizations
 
3 p.m.          Honduras combined initial to 5th periodic report (CERD/C/HND/1-5)
 
Wednesday, 5 February

10 a.m.         Honduras (continued)
 
3 p.m.          Montenegro 2nd and 3rd periodic report (CERD/C/MNE/2-3)

Thursday, 6 February
 
10 a.m.         Montenegro (continued)

3 p.m.          Belgium combined 16th to 19th periodic report(CERD/C/BEL/16-19)

Friday, 7 February 

10 a.m.         Belgium (continued)

3 p.m.          Closed meeting

Monday, 10 February
 
10 a.m.         Informal meeting with non-governmental organizations
 
3 p.m.          Poland combined 20th to 21st periodic report (CERD/C/POL/20-21)

Tuesday, 11 February 

10 a.m.         Poland (continued)
 
3 p.m.          Uzbekistan combined 8th and 9th periodic report (CERD/C/UZB/8-9)

Wednesday, 12 February

10 a.m.         Uzbekistan (continued)

3 p.m.          Kazakhstan combined 6th and 7th periodic report (CERD/C/KAZ/6-7)
 
Thursday, 13 February

10 a.m.         Kazakhstan (continued)

3 p.m.          Luxembourg combined 14th to 17th periodic report (CERD/C/LUX/CO/14-17)

Friday, 14 February 

10 a.m.         Luxembourg (continued)
 
3 p.m.          Switzerland combined 7th to 9th periodic report (CERD/C/CHE/7-9)
 
Monday, 17 February
 
10 a.m.         Switzerland (continued)
 
3 p.m.          Closed meeting
 
Friday, 21 February
 
3 p.m.          Public closing of the session.
 
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For use of the information media; not an official record