HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONCLUDES ONE-HUNDREDTH AND SIXTH SESSION

The Human Rights Committee concluded this afternoon its one hundredth and sixth session after adopting its concluding observations and recommendations on reports submitted by the Philippines, Turkey, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Portugal on how they implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The full text of the Committee's concluding observations on the reports submitted by the five States parties can be accessed at the following link.

At the opening of the session, Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that this year was a significant one for the treaty body system, whose growth had never been matched by a proportionate increase in resources from the General Assembly. Ms. Pillay said her Office constantly relied on the work of the Committee to inform its research and policy guidance, and she herself relied on the Committee’s concerns and recommendations in her own meetings with States in Geneva and abroad. The Human Rights Council and its Special Procedures also drew heavily on the work of the Committee.

Also during the session, the Human Rights Committee held its second joint meeting with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, in which they discussed current practices and challenges concerning their individual complaints procedures, the decision to move the spring sessions of the two Committees from New York to Geneva and the treaty body strengthening process.
The Committee also discussed its working methods in relation to the treaty body strengthening process, follow-up to concluding observations, follow-up to views, and held a half day General Discussion on Article 9 concerning liberty and security of person, and its relation with national human rights institutions.

At the final meeting this afternoon, Zonke Zanela Majodina, the Chairperson of the Committee, said this had been a productive session. She had engaged in the first ever interactive dialogue with the General Assembly in New York on 23 October and she was hopeful, even though the possibility of getting extra funding was very slim at the moment, that this would lead the way to further engagement with the General Assembly. The Committee had adopted concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of five States parties - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, the Philippines, Portugal and Turkey - and also adopted lists of issues for five States. They had also dealt with 27 communications, adopting 1 admissibility decision, 5 inadmissibility decisions, 15 decisions on merit, and declared 6 cases discontinued. The bureau had made a number of decisions concerning the work of the Committee. She bade farewell to the four members of the Committee who would not be with them at the next session, thanking them for their substantial work. This was also the last meeting in which she would be Chairperson and Ms. Majodina said it had been a privilege, at times stressful, but she had learnt a lot. She also thanked the secretariat for all their hard work.

In the brief public afternoon meeting, the Committee Experts discussed working methods and issues relating to proposals from non-governmental organizations suggesting an amendment to a General Comment dealing with persons with disabilities; and a proposed letter from the Committee to the Secretary-General concerning the move of the Committee’s 2013 spring session from New York to Geneva.

During its next session, to be held from 11 to 28 March 2013, the Human Rights Committee is scheduled to consider reports from Angola, Macao, Paraguay, Peru and Hong Kong, and Belize in the absence of a report.


For use of the information media; not an official record

CT12/026E