Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination to hold eighty-seventh session in Geneva from 3 to 28 August

BACKGROUND RELEASE

30 July 2015

Committee to Review the Situation in Colombia, Costa Rica, Niger, Suriname, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Czech Republic, Norway and the Netherlands

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination will hold its eighty-seventh session at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 3 to 28 August to review anti-discrimination efforts undertaken by the Governments of Colombia, Costa Rica, Niger, Suriname, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Czech Republic, Norway and the Netherlands.

Colombia is presenting its combined fifteenth and sixteenth periodic report CERD/C/COL/15-16. The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the combined tenth to fourteenth periodic report, considered in August 2009, can be found in CERD/C/COL/CO/14.

Costa Rica is presenting its combined nineteenth to twenty-second periodic report CERD/C/CRI/19-22. The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the combined seventeenth and eighteenth periodic report, considered in July 2007, can be found in A/62/18 paras. 289-314.

Niger is presenting its combined fifteenth to twenty-first periodic report CERD/C/NER/215-21. The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the combined eleventh to fourteenth periodic report, considered in August 1998, can be found in CERD/C/304/Add.62.

Suriname is presenting its combined thirteenth to fifteenth periodic report CERD/C/SUR/13-15. The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the combined eleventh and twelfth periodic report, considered in February 2009, can be found in CERD/C/SUR/CO/12.

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is presenting its combined eighth to tenth periodic report CERD/C/MKD/8-10. The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the combined fourth to seventh periodic report, considered in February 2007, can be found in CERD/C/MKD/CO/7.

The Czech Republic is presenting its combined tenth and eleventh periodic report CERD/C/CZE/10-11. The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the combined eighth and ninth periodic report, considered in August 2011, can be found in CERD/C/CZE/CO/8-9.

Norway is presenting its combined twenty-first and twenty-second periodic report CERD/C/NOR/21-22. The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the combined nineteenth to twenty-first periodic report, considered in February 2011, can be found in CERD/C/NOR/CO/19-20.

The Netherlands is presenting its combined nineteenth to twenty-first periodic report CERD/C/NLD/19-21. The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the combined seventeenth and eighteenth periodic report, considered in February 2010, can be found in CERD/C/NLD/CO/17-18.

At the opening meeting, the Committee will adopt its agenda. During the session, the Committee will hold informal meetings with non-governmental organizations that will brief it on the situation in the countries whose reports it will consider. It will also continue to review its working methods.

The public review of each State will run from 15:00 to 18:00 and then from 10:00 to 13:00 the following day. Live webcasts of the public sessions held in Room VII at Palais des Nations in Geneva and can be viewed on http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/.

More information, including the States’ submitted reports and information from NGOs, can be found here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=978&Lang=en . The concluding observations will be published here on 28 August.

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination this year marks its fiftieth anniversary. It is the longest established of the main human rights treaties and was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 21 December 1965.

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 177 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, State of Palestine, 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 57 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, Panama, 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, Togo, Ukraine, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Membership of the Committee

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination is made up of the following 18 independent experts: Noureddine Amir (Algeria); Alexei Avtonomov (Russian Federation); Marc Bossuyt (Belgium); Jose Francisco Cali Tzay (Guatemala); Anastasia Crickley (Ireland); Fatimata-Binta Victoire Dah (Burkina Faso); Ion Diaconu (Romania); Afiwa Kindena Hohoueto (Togo); Yong’an Huang (China); Patricia Nozipho January-Bardill (South Africa); Anwasr Kemal (Pakistan); Melhem Khalaf (Lebanon); Gun Kut (Turkey); Dilip Lahiri (India); Jose A. Lindgren Alves (Brazil); Pastor Elias Murillo Martinez (Colombia); Carlos Manuel Vazquez (United States); and Yeung Kam John Yeung Sik Yuen (Mauritius).

Mr. Cali Tzay is the Chairperson. The Vice Chairpersons are Mr. Amir, Mr. Avtonomov and Ms. Crickley. The Rapporteur is Mr. Lahiri.

Timetable for Opening Meeting and Consideration of State Party Reports

Monday, 3 August

10 a.m. Opening of session and adoption of agenda

3 p.m. Intersessional activities

Tuesday, 4 August

10 a.m. Informal meeting with non-governmental organizations

3 p.m. Colombia combined fifteenth and sixteenth periodic report
CERD/C/COL/15-16

Wednesday, 5 August

10 a.m. Colombia (continued)

3 p.m. Costa Rica combined nineteenth to twenty-second periodic report CERD/C/CRI/19-22

Thursday, 6 August

10 a.m. Costa Rica (continued)

3 p.m. Niger combined fifteenth to twenty-first periodic report CERD/C/NER/15-21

Friday, 7 August

10 a.m. Niger (continued)

3 p.m. Closed meeting

Monday, 10 August

10 a.m. Informal meeting with non-governmental organizations

3 p.m. Suriname combined thirteenth to fifteenth periodic report CERD/C/SUR/13-15

Tuesday, 11 August

10 a.m. Suriname (continued)

3 p.m. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia combined eighth to tenth periodic report CERD/C/MKD/8-10

Wednesday, 12 August

10 a.m. The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (continued)

3 p.m. Czech Republic combined tenth and eleventh periodic report
CERD/C/CZE/10-11

Thursday, 13 August

10 a.m. Czech Republic (continued)

3 p.m. Closed meeting

Friday, 14 August

10 a.m. Closed meeting

3 p.m. Closed meeting

Monday, 17 August

10 a.m. Informal meeting with non-governmental organizations

3 p.m. Norway combined twenty-first and twenty-second periodic report
CERD/C/NOR/21-22

Tuesday, 18 August

10 a.m. Norway (continued)

3 p.m. Netherlands combined nineteenth to twenty-first periodic report CERD/C/NLD/19-21

Wednesday, 19 August

10 a.m. Netherlands (continued)

3 p.m. Closed meeting

Friday, 28 August

10 a.m. Closed meeting

3 p.m. Public closing of the session.

For more information and media requests, please contact Liz Throssell (+41 22 917 9466 / ethrossell@ohchr.org) or Ravina Shamdasani (+41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org)

To learn more about CERD visit:
http://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/cerd

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