Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights opens sixty-fourth session in Geneva

GENEVA (24 September 2018) - The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this morning opened its sixty-fourth session in Geneva, hearing a statement by Peggy Hicks, Director of the Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and adopting its agenda and programme of work for the session.

Ms. Hicks briefed the Committee on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights new management plan 2018-2021, noting that, across all of its work in the period, the Office had committed to three major shifts: prevention, civic space and expanding the global constituency for human rights, and stressed the intention to elevate the work on housing and land rights, and the right to health.  The management plan’s core priority was integrating human rights in sustainable development, said Ms. Hicks, and welcomed the Committee’s possible general comment on human rights and sustainable development.  Turning to the High-level Political Forum of Sustainable Development which had taken place in July 2018 in New York, the Director noted that many interventions had focused on the States’ Voluntary National Review reports and that at least 13 Review reports had highlighted how recommendations from the human rights mechanisms had, or would be incorporated into domestic policies of Member States.  However, in the debates, a number of Member States had been less positive about linking human rights and development, urging for those two mechanisms to be kept separate, in their respective fora in New York and in Geneva.  

The Human Rights Council, the Director continued, had mandated the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare the Council’s inter-sessional meeting on the theme of human rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  The first meeting was likely to be in November 2018, she said.  The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, she added, during its sixty-fourth session, would examine the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in six States parties.  In the context of increasing the United Nations’ cooperation with regional mechanisms, the Director welcomed the Committee’s recent meeting with the European Committee of Social Rights, and indicated that the Committee would hold one day of discussions on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, and the other provisions of article 15 on the relationship between science and economic, social and cultural rights.   She looked forward to the outcomes of these discussions, which should weigh up the benefits and challenges that such scientific progress could bring.  In concluding, the Director paid tribute to the work of four members of the Committee whose term was at an end, and congratulated those members who had been re-elected to the Committee.

In her introductory remarks, Maria Virginia Bras Gomes, Chair of the Committee, said that the Committee would examine the implementation of the Covenant in six States parties, including the initial reports of Mali, South Africa, and Cabo Verde.  Introducing the changes to the agenda, the Chair said that the Committee would meet with States on 5 October and would hold a day of general discussion on 8 October.

Waleed Sadi, Committee Expert, suggested the Committee to find time in the agenda to pronounce on the global issues of the day, including on the ongoing trade war.

The Committee then adopted the provisional agenda and organization of work for the sixty-fourth session, which takes place from 24 September until 12 October in Room XVI of the Palais des Nations in Geneva.  During the session, the Committee will review the reports of Germany, Mali, Argentina, Turkmenistan, South Africa, and Cabo Verde.  All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties can be found at the session’s webpage.

The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. today, 24 September, to hold a public meeting with national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations with respect to Germany, Mali, and Argentina, whose reports the Committee will review this week.

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For use of the information media; not an official record