COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS OPENS FORTY-SECOND SESSION

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights this morning opened its forty-second session, hearing an address by Bacre Waly Ndiaye, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Body Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Committee also elected its new Bureau and adopted its agenda and programme of work.

In his statement, Mr. Ndiaye said that in a resolution the Human Rights Council had expressed its support to the Committee, and encouraged it to continue its efforts for the protection and promotion and full realisation of the rights in the Covenant, and had subsequently reaffirmed this resolution, calling on all States to take the necessary measures for its implementation in order to improve the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights. The programme of work of the Committee was once more a demanding one.

Following his statement, nine new or re-elected members of the Committee took a solemn oath to discharge their duties as a member of the Committee impartially and conscientiously. The Committee then elected by consensus the new Chairperson of the Committee, Jaime Marchan Romero of Ecuador. The Committee also elected three Vice-Chairpersons, Maria Virginia Bras Gomes of Portugal, Mohamed Ezzeldin Abdel-Moneim of Egypt, Walid Sadi of Jordan, and Zdislaw Kedzia as Rapporteur, all for two years. It then met in private to discuss organisational and other matters.

During its three-week session, from 4 to 22 May 2009, the Committee will examine measures taken by Australia, Brazil, Cyprus, Cambodia and the United Kingdom to comply with the standards of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The next public meeting of the Committee will be this afternoon at 3 p.m., when it will consider item seven on its agenda, relations with United Nations organs and other treaty bodies, following which it will take up agenda item five, substantive issues arising in the implementation of the Covenant, submissions by non-governmental organizations.

Statement

BACRE WALY NDIAYE, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Body Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, opening the session, said there had recently been progress which had a considerable impact on the work of the treaty bodies. This session of the Committee closely followed the closing of the Durban Review Conference on racism, the Outcome Document of which set up a project on how to achieve concrete changes for the millions of victims of racism throughout the world. It was important that all the treaty bodies consider how to incorporate these recommendations into their work, including in the examination of States party reports and dialogue with the States party. The Committee had also shown particular interest in the unanimous adoption of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by the General Assembly on 10 December 2008. The next step would be the elaboration of an internal procedure which would govern this Optional Protocol, and the Committee would no doubt take up the consideration of this mechanism at this session.

In a resolution adopted on 23 March 2007, the Human Rights Council expressed its support to the Committee, and encouraged it to continue its efforts for the protection and promotion and full realisation of the rights in the Covenant, and had subsequently reaffirmed this resolution, calling on all States to take the necessary measures for its implementation in order to improve the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights. The recommendations made by the treaty bodies were one of the strongest pillars of the Council's Universal Periodic Review - and, in parallel, it was vital that the treaty bodies pay particular attention to the commitments and promises made by States, as well as the recommendations issued during the Universal Periodic Review. The eighth Inter-Committee Meeting was held last December, and had focused exclusively on harmonisation of methods of works and the guiding lines specific to the revised treaties. Participants also proposed the establishment of a working group with the aim of identifying best practices and eventual areas for harmonisation.

With regards to the Committee specifically, in December 2009, the Bahamas became the 160th State party, and since the last session in November, three new State party reports had been submitted. The programme of work of the Committee was once more a demanding one. It would begin with the consideration of the report of Australia, followed by those of Brazil and Cyprus, the initial report of Cambodia, and finally the report of the United Kingdom. During its second week, the Committee would continue its deliberations on the adoption of two General Comments on non-discrimination, and on the right of all to participate in cultural life. These two General Comments raised issues of crucial importance for the full enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. The Committee would also discuss its methods of work. There would also be a meeting with Catarina Albuquerque, United Nations Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Mr. Ndiaye concluded by wishing the Committee a very fruitful session.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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