UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination to review Namibia

GENEVA (29 April 2016) – Namibia’s record on tackling racial discrimination will face scrutiny by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on 4 and 6 May in meetings that will be webcast live. Namibia is one of the 177 States that have ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and so is reviewed regularly by the Committee of 18 international independent experts. 

Among the possible issues for discussion between CERD members and a delegation from the Namibian Government are

·    Measures to eliminate discrimination against women and girls from certain ethnic groups regarding inheritance and marriage;
·    Impact of land reform policies on vulnerable groups;
·    Assessment of Affirmative Action (Employment) Act and measures taken to ensure black people’s access to managerial and supervisory posts;
·    Participation and consultation of indigenous communities, in particular the San, in policy-making process of issues affecting them;
·    Situation of indigenous people, including their access to education, employment and health care;
·    Rape of San women – investigation of cases, sentences pronounced, compensation granted and measures taken to address the root causes.

The review will take place on 4 May from 15:00 – 18:00 (14:00 – 17:00 in Windhoek) and on 6 May from 10:00 – 13:00 (09:00 – 12:00) at Palais Wilson in Geneva and will be webcast at www.treatybodywebcast.org

The Committee will also hear from other UN entities and NGOs. More information here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1072&Lang=en

The Committee will publish its findings on Namibia and the other countries being reviewed – Spain, Oman, Rwanda, Georgia and Azerbaijan - on 13 May here:
http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1072&Lang=en

ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact Liz Throssell - +41 22 917 9466 / ethrossell@ohchr.org

Background
Members of CERD are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties. The Committee’s concluding observations are an independent assessment of States’ compliance with their human rights obligations under the treaty. More information on the Committee: http://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/cerd

The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 21 December 1965. More information on the Convention’s 50th anniversary here: http://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/cerd/international-convention-elimination-all-forms-racial-discrimination-50-years-fighting-racism

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