Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to hold sixtieth session from 20 to 24 February 2017

BACKGROUND RELEASE

Committee to Hold a General Day of Discussion on Business and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
 
GENEVA (16 February 2017) - The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will hold its sixtieth session at the Palais Wilson in Geneva from 20 to 24 February 2017. The session will focus on substantive issues, including a general day of discussion on the draft general comment on business and economic, social and cultural rights.  
 
At the opening meeting on Monday, 20 February, the Committee will hear an address by a representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, swear in new Committee members, elect officers, and adopt its agenda and programme of work.  During the session, the Committee will focus on substantive issues, which will be discussed in closed meetings.  The Committee will hold a general day of discussion on the draft general comment on business and human rights, as well as an informal meeting with non-reporting States.  
 
The general day of discussion on the draft general comment on State obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the context of business activities will take place on Tuesday, 21 February, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Palais Wilson.  Discussion days provide an opportunity for consultation on draft general comments being developed by the Committee, which aim to contribute to the full implementation of the Covenant. The full text of the draft general comment is available here and the tentative programme of the discussion day here.
 
The sixty-first session of the Committee will be held from 29 May to 23 June during which the Committee will consider the reports of Australia, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Uruguay. 

Detailed meeting coverage can be found in English and French on the United Nations Information Service’s webpage.  Further information about the session can be found here, while the documentation concerning the discussion day, including written submissions, can be accessed via this link. 
 
The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings will be available via the following link:
http://webtv.un.org/live/
 
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights was adopted and opened  for signature, ratification and accession by the General Assembly in 1966.  It entered into force on 3 January 1976.

The right to self-determination is universal, affirms Article 1 of the Covenant, also calling upon States to respect and to promote the realization of this right.  Article 2 states that States Parties should undertake to guarantee that the rights enunciated in the Covenant will be exercised without discrimination of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.  Article 3 reaffirms the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all human rights and asks States to make that principle a reality.  Articles 4 and 5 provide safeguards against the destruction or undue limitation of any human right or fundamental freedom, and against misinterpretation of any provision of the Covenant as a means of justifying infringement of a right or freedom or its restriction to a greater extent than provided in the Covenant.  They also prevent States from limiting rights already enjoyed within their territories on the grounds that such rights are not recognized, or recognized to a lesser extent, in the Covenant.

Articles 6 to 15 recognize the right to work; to the enjoyment of just and favourable conditions of work; to form and join trade unions; to social security, including social insurance; to the widest possible protection and assistance for the family, mothers, children and younger persons; to an adequate standard of living; to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; to an education and to take part in cultural life.

The Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is an international treaty establishing complaint and inquiry mechanisms.  It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 2008, and opened for signature on 24 September 2009.  The Optional Protocol entered into force on 5 May 2013 and has been ratified or acceded to by 22 States:  Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France, Gabon, Italy, Luxembourg, Mongolia, Montenegro, Niger, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain and Uruguay.

States Parties to the Covenant

The Covenant has been ratified or acceded to by 165 States: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, 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, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, State of Palestine, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

The Committee is composed of 18 independent experts who are persons of high moral character and recognized competence in the field of human rights.  Members are elected for a term of four years by States parties to the Covenant.  They serve in their personal capacity and may be re-elected if nominated.
 
During the election of the members of the Committee to replace those whose terms expired on 31 December, which had taken place in April 2016, States had re-elected Mohamed Ezzeldin Adel-Moneim of Egypt, Shiqiu Chen of China, Zdzislaw Kedzia of Poland, Mikel Mancisidor de la Fuente of Spain, Lydia Ravenberg of Suriname and Waleed Sadi of Jordan.  The States had elected three new experts to join the Committee on 1 January 2017: Laura-Maria Craciunean of Romania, Sandra Liebenberg of South Africa and Michael Windfuhr of Germany.
 
The composition of the Committee therefore is as follows: Aslan Khuseinovich Abashidze (Russian Federation); Mohamed Ezzeldin Adel-Moneim (Egypt); Clement Atangana (Cameroon); Maria-Virginia Bras Gomes (Portugal); Shiqiu Chen (China); Laura-Maria Craciunean (Romania); Chandrashekhar Dasgupta (India); Mikel Mancisidor de la Fuente (Spain); Olivier De Schutter (Belgium); Zdzislaw Kedzia (Poland); Azzouz Kerdoun (Algeria); Sandra Liebenberg (South Africa); Lydia Ravenberg (Suriname); Waleed Sadi (Jordan); Heisoo Shin (Republic of Korea); Rodrigo Uprimny (Colombia); Michael Windfuhr (Germany); and Renato Zerbini Ribeiro Leao (Brazil).
 
At its opening meeting on Monday, 20 February, the Committee will swear in the new members and elect its officers.  

Programme of Work

Monday, 20 February
10 a.m.          Opening of the session, adoption of the agenda, solemn declaration by new members, election of officers
3 p.m.            Closed meeting

Tuesday, 21 February
10 a.m.         General Day of Discussion
3 p.m.           General Day of Discussion

Wednesday, 22 February
10 a.m.         Closed meeting
3 p.m.           Closed meeting

Thursday, 23 February
10 a.m.         Informal meeting with non-reporting States  (closed meeting)
3 p.m.           Closed meeting

Friday, 24 February
10 a.m.         Closed meeting
3 p.m.           Closed meeting
                      Public closing of the session

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For use of the information media; not an official record