HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE REVIEWS REPORT OF SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR FOR FOLLOW-UP ON CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS

The Human Rights Committee this afternoon opened briefly in public meeting to consider a report by Rafael Rivas Posada, the Committee's Special Rapporteur for follow-up on concluding observations.

The report sets out the follow-up information on final concluding observations sought, received and acted upon, as well as steps taken by the Special Rapporteur, pursuant to the Committee’s amended Rules of Procedure. Consultations were held at the current session with representatives of Colombia, El Salvador, Mali, Israel, Sri Lanka and Venezuela. The report contains a chart covering only those countries with respect to which the Committee has not closed its follow-up activities.

Introducing his report, Mr. Rivas Posada said the report referred to the activities that had been undertaken during this session, and the proposals that required a decision by the Committee. For obvious reasons, the report did not cover the country situations where the Committee had already decided to finalise the follow-up procedure. Consultations had been held during the session with six missions: Colombia, El Salvador, Mali, Israel, Sri Lanka and Venezuela. Partial responses had been received from Venezuela following requests from the Committee. In his meeting with the Venezuelan mission, there had been no specific commitment as to when replies could be submitted, and so further consultations would be carried out during the next session. Mr. Rivas Posada suggested that, as the mission said it could not give a date for when future responses would be given, that a note be transmitted saying that Venezuela was receiving particular attention.

On Moldova, during the eighty-second session there had been contacts in New York, and no specific commitment was made by the delegation. He suggested a further note be sent and a further meeting scheduled with the delegation during the next Committee session. With regards to Togo, no response to the invitation to consult had been received, and an attempt to meet with a delegation would have to wait until the next session. Consultations had been held with Mali during the session, and the delegation had said an inter-ministerial commission had been established to prepare follow-up replies which would be submitted as soon as possible, and contact should be re-established at the next session. With regards to El Salvador, contact had taken place during the current session, and the delegation promised to send answers soon. A similar situation was current with Israel, which had received two reminders, and had said it was doing everything possible to respond to the Committee.

Regarding the Philippines, a response was received in July 2005 to the concluding observations, and these were being translated. Reading this response revealed that all questions had been answered, and so Mr. Rivas Posada recommended that no additional action be taken. For Sri Lanka, a response had been received, and this was also being translated, and so the Committee had only to take a decision at the next session once the text and its translations had been distributed. On Colombia, a reply had been received in October 2005, which was being translated, and a decision should be made at the next session. On Suriname, two reminders had been dispatched, and no response had been received. For Uganda, a request to meet with the mission had been sent, and no reply received, which revealed a lack of interest, and the Secretariat should send a note arranging an appointment for consultation at the next session.

Belgium had been reminded that no communications had been received. No special steps needed to be taken with regard to Liechtenstein. A reminder had been sent to Namibia. A reply from Serbia and Montenegro was being translated for circulation, and a decision would have to be taken at the next session. The deadlines of Albania, Benin and Poland had not yet expired, and Albania’s response had just been received. A decision would have to be taken at the next session with regards to the other two countries, Mr. Rivas Posada said.

Committee Members then made brief comments on the report of a mainly technical nature, and the report was agreed upon.

For use of the information media; not an official record

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