COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS OPENS THIRTY-SEVENTH SESSION

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights opened its thirty-seventh session this morning, hearing an address from the Director of the Human Rights Procedures Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Committee also adopted its agenda for the session.

Addressing the Committee, Bacre Waly Ndiaye, Director of the Human Rights Procedures Division, said since the May session, important developments had occurred related to the Committee in particular and the United Nations human rights system in general. Advances had been seen on several areas of relevance to the work of the Committee, including the elaboration of an Optional Protocol to the Covenant, and the Working Group on the Optional Protocol was now entering the critical drafting stage. The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights had continued its pioneering work on economic, social and cultural rights. This year was a milestone in the work of the United Nations in the field of human rights, with the new Human Rights Council replacing the former Commission, and having already concluded two sessions and two special sessions.

The Committee also adopted its agenda, and briefly discussed its organization of work over the session, namely with regards to the procedure for the adoption of the annual report of the Committee.

The next public meeting of the Committee will be at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it will hear submissions by non-governmental organizations on substantive issues arising in the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the countries whose reports it will consider at this session.

Statement

BACRE WALY NDIAYE, Director of the Human Rights Procedures Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said since the May session, important developments had occurred related to the Committee in particular and the United Nations human rights system in general. Advances had been seen on several areas of relevance to the work of the Committee, including the elaboration of an Optional Protocol to the Covenant, and the Working Group on the Optional Protocol was now entering the critical drafting stage. A draft International Convention and an Optional Protocol on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities had been adopted. The draft Convention and its Optional Protocol established a new treaty monitoring body with authority to consider periodic reports and individual communications, as well as to undertake inquiries upon receipt of reliable information indicating grave or systematic violations of the Convention.

The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights had continued its pioneering work on economic, social and cultural rights, and at its fifty-eighth session had adopted a resolution introducing far-reaching draft guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights, including state responsibilities related to the exercise of individual rights to food, health, drinkable water, housing, education and culture, employment and justice. According to the draft guidelines, corruption, food smuggling, theft of international humanitarian aid, wilful adulteration of food intended for the general public, distribution of perished foodstuffs and similar misconduct should be regarded as criminal behaviour of the gravest order and made subject to exemplary punishment. A resolution had also been adopted on the promotion of the realisation of the right to drinking water and sanitation.

This year was a milestone in the work of the United Nations in the field of human rights, with the new Human Rights Council replacing the former Commission, and having already concluded two sessions and two special sessions. On treaty body reform, a Working Group on reform proposals was currently scheduled for November 2006. In addition, a meeting of two days would be organised in 2007 to allow States parties to meet with the Chairpersons of treaty bodies, and therefore promote further consultations. This meeting had been requested by States parties in order to strengthen the dialogue with treaty bodies. Further, an inter-Governmental consultation with States parties would be convened at a date to be determined.

The Committee had before it a heavy agenda with the consideration of five reports, continued deliberations on the draft General Comments on articles 2.2 and 9 of the Covenant, continued discussion on the working methods of the Committee and treaty body reform, a review of the first draft text for an Optional Protocol to the Covenant, the Joint Expert Group with the UNESCO Committee on Conventions and Recommendations, and the adoption of the annual report. In addition, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was very pleased that the Committee had decided to resume its in-depth examination of a vast field with profound implications for the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, namely global trade, during the days following the session.

Finally, Mr. Ndiaye said that the High Commissioner viewed the protection and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights almost as her personal hobby, as an avenue for creating more accountability and respect for human rights. With regards to the Convention on the rights of disabled persons, this would be based in Geneva, and this would be important for interaction between the different Conventions and the treaty bodies. The theme of International Human Rights Day this year was human rights and extreme poverty, and the Committee would be working on the strong linkage between extreme poverty and access to human rights.