COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS TO HOLD WINTER SESSION IN GENEVA, 18 NOVEMBER - 6 DECEMBER
Press Release
HR/4308
COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS TO HOLD WINTER SESSION IN GENEVA, 18 NOVEMBER - 6 DECEMBER
19961113 Background Release To Review Treaty Compliance by Dominican Republic, Portugal (Macau), Belarus, Finland, United Kingdom (Hong Kong)GENEVA, 13 November (UN Information Service) -- The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights meets in Geneva from 18 November to 6 December to review measures taken on the Dominican Republic, Portugal (Macau), Belarus, Finland and the United Kingdom (Hong Kong) to implement the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The Covenant, which entered into force in 1976, recognizes, among others, the rights to work, to form and join trade unions, to social security, to the widest possible protection and assistance for the family, to an adequate standard of living, to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, and to an education.
The countries coming before the committee at this session are among 135 States parties to the Covenant. In acceding to the treaty, States agree to submit periodic reports to the Committee on how they give effect to its provisions. The panel, now on its fifteenth session, evaluates the reports and makes observations and recommendations on improving the promotion and protection of the rights enshrined in the Covenant. In the absence of scheduled reports, the Committee may review the implementation of the treaty in a given country based on available information. Such is the case at this session with Honduras, which has not submitted any report since ratifying the Covenant in 1981.
In addition to the consideration of State party reports, the Committee will also devote a good part of the three-week meeting to concluding work on a draft optional protocol to the Covenant that would permit the submission of communications by individuals alleging that their economic, social or cultural rights have been violated. The Committee has discussed the issue over a number of sessions, and decided during its spring meeting in Geneva to conclude its work on the instrument at this session, in order to forward it to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights for further action.
As it opens the fifteenth session, the panel will discuss other substantive issues arising in the implementation of the Covenant, an exercise during which it is scheduled to hear from non-governmental organizations.
The Committee has drawn up the following provisional programme of work for the fifteenth session:
Monday, 18 November: Substantive issues arising in the implementation of the Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights -- non-governmental organization hearings; 19 November: report of the Dominican Republic; concerning articles 1 to 15 (document E/1990/6/Add.7); 20 November: report of Portugal (Macau) and report of Dominican Republic (continued); 21 November: Report of Portugal (Macau) (continued) and report of Belarus; 22 November: Belarus (continued).
It will being the second week of the session on Monday, 25 November, with the report of Finland. Thereafter: 26 November: report of the United Kingdom (Hong Kong); Finland (continued); 27 November: report of the United Kingdom (Hong Kong) (continued); 28 November: Review of the implementation of the Covenant in Honduras, discussion on the draft optional protocol to the Covenant; 29 November and 4-6 December: discussion on the draft optional protocol (continued) and closing discussion.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The General Assembly adopted and opened the Covenant for signature, ratification and accession in 1966. It entered into force on 3 January 1976.
Among its provisions the Covenant states that the right to self-determination is universal and calls upon States to promote the realization and respect of that right. The equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all human rights is reaffirmed and States are enjoined to make that principle a reality is reaffirmed. Safeguards are provided against the destruction or undue limitation of any human right or fundamental freedom, and against misinterpretation of any provision of the Covenant as a means of justifying infringement of a right or freedom or its restriction to a greater extent than provided in the Covenant. States are prevented from limiting rights already enjoyed within their territories on the ground that such rights are not recognized, or are recognized to a lesser extent, in the Covenant.
Other articles recognize the right to work; to the enjoyment of just and favourable conditions of work; to form and join trade unions; to social security, including social insurance; to the widest possible protection and assistance for the family, mothers, children and younger persons; to an adequate standard of living; to the enjoyment of the highest attainable
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standard of physical and mental health; to an education; and to take part in cultural life.
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The Economic and Social Council established the Committee in 1985. Elected by secret ballot from a list of persons nominated by States parties to the Covenant, its 18 members are human-rights experts serving in their personal capacity. The Committee is currently composed of the following members: Ade Adekuoye (Nigeria), Madoe Virginie Ahodikpe (Togo), Philip Alston (Australia), Juan Alvarez Vita (Peru), Mahmoud Samir Ahmed (Egypt), Virginia Bonoan-Dandan (Philippines), Dumitru Ceausu (Romania), Abdessatar Grissa (Tunisia), María de los Angeles Jiménez Butragueño (Spain), Valeri I. Kouznetsov (Russian Federation), Jaime Marchán Romero (Ecuador), Kenneth Osborne Rattray (Jamaica), Bruno Simma (Germany), Nutan Thapalia (Nepal), Chikako Taya (Japan), Philippe Texier (France), Margerita Vysokajova (Czech Republic) and Javier Wimer Zambrano (Mexico).
States Parties to Covenant
The Covenant has been ratified or acceded to by 135 States: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan and Latvia.
Also: Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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