Human Rights Committee Closes One Hundred and Forty-Fourth Session
The Human Rights Committee this afternoon closed its one hundred and forty-fourth session in Geneva after adopting its concluding observations on the reports of Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Latvia, North Macedonia, Spain and Viet Nam, which were reviewed during the session.
Changrok Soh, Committee Chairperson, said the Committee had come to the end of a productive session and commended the Committee members for their commitment and professionalism. The Committee had held constructive dialogues with Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Latvia, North Macedonia, Spain and Viet Nam. The concluding observations would be issued on the Committee’s webpage later today.
Mr. Soh said also during the session, the Committee adopted nine lists of issues prior to reporting related to Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Denmark, Ghana, Liechtenstein, Morocco, Sweden and Switzerland.
On individual communications, the Committee considered 22 drafts, including one draft decision prepared in accordance with the simplified format adopted by the Committee at its one hundred and fortieth session. The drafts related to 51 communications: 26 were decided on the merits, 12 communications were declared inadmissible, and 13 communications were discontinued. Regarding the communications decided on the merits, the Committee found violations in 25 of them.
The Committee also adopted the follow up report on concluding observations of Armenia and Germany.
Mr. Soh said the Committee’s one hundred and forty-fifth session was scheduled to take place in March 2026, instead of October 2025 as originally planned, due to the financial crisis. The Committee greatly regretted the cancellation of the October session, which was unprecedented in the Committee’s 50-year history. As a result, the Committee had convened an emergency meeting with States parties at this session and he expressed appreciation for the 60 States that had attended and were committed to finding solutions which enabled the Committee to fulfil its mandate.
At its next session from 2 to 19 March 2026, the Committee is scheduled to review the periodic reports of Andorra, Canada, Chad, Republic of Moldova and Slovakia, and adopt lists of issues prior to reporting on Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cabo Verde, Czechia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Hungary, Mexico and Senegal, as well as the list of issues on Rwanda.
In closing, Mr. Soh expressed appreciation to members of the bureau as well as the members of the Secretariat, the Petitions Section, United Nations entities, civil society and all those who made the session possible.
Before the meeting closed, several Committee Members took the floor, discussing the unique and challenging situation which the Committee had found itself in, and the impact that the financial crisis had on the work of the Committee. Despite the constraints, the current session had still been productive, and the Committee would continue to strive to ensure the human rights of people all around the world. Experts thanked all those responsible for the success of the current session. It was hoped Member States could come together to solve the current challenges, and that all sessions could take place next year as planned.
The Committee’s next session is scheduled to be held from 2 to 19 March 2026, during which it will review the reports of Andorra, Canada, Chad, Republic of Moldova and Slovakia.
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CCPR25.019E