COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION TO HOLD FORTY-NINTH SESSION AT GENEVA, 5-23 AUGUST
Press Release
RD/872
COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION TO HOLD FORTY-NINTH SESSION AT GENEVA, 5-23 AUGUST
19960801 Background Release GENEVA, 31 July (UN Information Service) -- The efforts of 26 countries to battle racism will be considered by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination when it holds its forty-ninth session from 5 to 23 August, at Geneva.The 18-member Committee is the oldest of a number of expert bodies established to review compliance by States parties with international human rights agreements.
Bolivia, Brazil, China, Guatemala, India, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Panama, Republic of Korea, Swaziland, Venezuela and Zaire have submitted periodic reports on their efforts to put into effect the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The countries are among 146 to have ratified the Convention, which took effect in 1969. Government delegations have been invited to introduce the reports and answer questions from Committee members. The Committee is expected to approve a programme of work on 5 August, setting out when each report is to be considered.
The Committee has also decided to consider situations in 13 countries which are parties to the Convention, but whose reports are long overdue. These are the Bahamas, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Fiji, Gabon, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands, Somalia and Togo.
The Committee will consider, among others, taking early warning measures aimed at preventing problems of racial discrimination from escalating into conflicts; survey the progress of the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination; and review, in closed session, complaints received from individuals. Such complaints may be filed against States which have authorized the Committee to consider them under the terms of article 14 of the Convention.
Submission of Reports
Under article 9 of the Convention, States report to the Committee on legal, judicial and other measures they have adopted to ensure effective protection against racial discrimination within their jurisdictions. States
parties to the Convention agree to condemn and seek to eliminate racial discrimination in their territories; to review their policies in order to amend or nullify any regulations which create or perpetuate such discrimination, based on racial superiority or hatred; and to prohibit organizations and activities which promote or incite racial discrimination. They also agree to provide remedies for victims of racial discrimination and to adopt measures to combat prejudice and promote understanding among different national, racial and ethnic groups.
In addition, States parties undertake to guarantee the right of everyone to equality before the law without distinction as to race, colour, or national or ethnic origin.
In the past, the Committee has called upon the Secretary-General to bring to the attention of States parties, at their annual meeting, the unfortunate consequences of delays in the submission of reports and to encourage them to consider ways and means by which all parties might be brought to fulfil their reporting obligations. The Committee has also instituted a procedure to review the implementation of the Convention in those States parties responsible for the longest delays in submitting periodic reports.
Communications under Article 14
Under article 14 of the Convention, the Committee considers communications from individuals or groups of individuals claiming to be victims of violations by States parties of any of the rights set forth in the Convention, provided the States concerned have recognized the competence of the Committee to review such complaints. The following States parties have done so: Algeria, Finland, Australia, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay.
States Parties to Convention
The following 147 States are parties to the Convention: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya.
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Also, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Membership, Officers
The members of the Committee, elected in their individual capacity, are Mahmoud Aboul-Nasr, of Egypt; Hamzat Ahmadu, of Nigeria; Michael Parker Banton, of the United Kingdom; Theodoor van Boven, of the Netherlands; Ion Diaconu, of Romania; Eduardo Ferrero Costa, of Peru; Ivan Garvalov, of Bulgaria; Régis de Gouttes, of France; Andrew Chigovera, of Zimbabwe; Carlos Lechuga Hevia, of Cuba; Yuri A. Rechetov, of the Russian Federation; Shanti Sadiq Ali, of India; Agha Shahi, of Pakistan; Michael E. Sherifis, of Cyprus; Zou Deci, of China; Luis Valencia Rodriguez, of Ecuador; Rüdiger Wolfrum, of Germany; and Mario Jorge Yutzis, of Argentina.
Mr. Banton is Chairman. Vice-Chairmen are Mrs. Sadiq Ali, Mr. Ferrero Costa, and Mr. Garvalov. Mr. Chigovera is Rapporteur.
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