Lebanon to face review by UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination

GENEVA (4 August 2016) – Lebanon’s record on tackling racial discrimination will face scrutiny by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on 10 and 11 August. Lebanon 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 Lebanese Government are:

• Discrimination in transmission of Lebanese nationality;
• Plans or gradual elimination of political denominationalism;
• Measures to combat and punish acts of racial discrimination;
• Legislative framework to protect rights of refugees;
• Situation of Palestinian refugees, including their access to employment, housing, health care and education;
• Impact of project established in response to Syrian crisis, on enjoyment of economic and social rights by Syrian refugees;
• Protection of migrant workers against abuse and exploitation.

The review will take place on 10 August from 15:00 to 18:00 (16:00 to 19.00 in Beirut) and on 11 August from 10:00 – 13:00 (11.00 to 14:00) at Palais Wilson in Geneva, and will be webcast at http://webtv.un.org/

The Committee will also hear from other UN entities and NGOs. More information here: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1073&Lang=en

The Committee will hold a news conference at the Palais des Nations in Geneva at 13:30 on 26 August to discuss its findings on Lebanon and the other countries being reviewed – Greece, the UK, Paraguay, South Africa, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The findings, officially termed concluding observations, will be published here:  http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=1073&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/hrbodies/cerd/pages/cerdindex.aspx

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/HRBodies/CERD/50/Pages/Icerd50.aspx

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