CONSOLIDATION OF REPORTS TO TREATY BODIES, POSSIBLE MERGER OF TREATY BODIES TO CONSIDER COMBINED REPORTS DISCUSSED BY HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERTS

8 April 1998

Press Release
HR/CT/515

CONSOLIDATION OF REPORTS TO TREATY BODIES, POSSIBLE MERGER OF TREATY BODIES TO CONSIDER COMBINED REPORTS DISCUSSED BY HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERTS

19980408 Human Rights Committee Considers Working Methods, Contributions to Fiftieth Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Members of the Human Rights Committee this morning called for improved coordination among human rights treaty bodies in order to reduce duplication of reporting by States parties required under the different instruments.

In reviewing General Assembly resolutions relevant to the Committee's functioning, experts drew attention to provisions that impacted on the Committee's working methods and States parties' obligations. The texts discussed, all adopted on 12 December 1997, were the following: resolution 52/116, on the international covenants on human rights; resolution 52/117, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and resolution 52/118, on the effective implementation of international instruments on human rights, including reporting obligations.

The overlapping reporting obligations to human rights treaty bodies were causing problems for many States, and something had to be done to correct that, one expert said. The Committee should attempt to coordinate its work with that of other treaty bodies and discuss matters of substance with them. It was important to ensure that committees dealing with the same material did not adopt diverging views on the same issues. Perhaps an experimental body, composed of members from the various treaty bodies, should be assembled to examine one consolidated report.

While there was a need to consolidate reports and avoid overlap of the work of the treaty bodies, those measures were temporary, one expert said. Sooner or later, the six treaty bodies should be merged into one committee on State reports and one committee on communications. Other experts said any discussion of a merged committee was premature and would detract attention from the current crisis affecting the treaty bodies. Instead, the Committee should refine and improve its working methods.

__________ * Meetings 1661 through 1666 were closed.

Several experts said the Committee should support efforts to establish a joint working group of the treaty bodies to coordinate guidelines in specific thematic areas and to prepare material that would be relevant to the work of more than one committee. One expert said the Committee, if given the adequate resources, had the capacity to provide technical assistance to States in completing their reports, which might also help to reduce the work required to fulfil their obligations.

The Committee also discussed the need to continue to consider what methods should be used to follow up on State parties' reports. Several experts proposed that the Committee should pursue follow-up efforts only when there were serious problems in the examination of a report. One expert suggested that the Committee seek resources from external sources, including academic institutions and non-governmental organizations, in order to carry out its follow-up efforts.

Echoing the provisions of the resolutions, several members said the Committee should urge the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide badly needed resources to treaty bodies. The Committee should also consider at its next session how to develop specific proposals regarding its contribution to the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Some experts referred to the year 2000 as the target set by the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action for universal ratification of the Covenant, and they cited a number of approaches for achieving the target. A working paper already prepared on reasons why States ratified or not the Covenant was to be considered during the July session of the Committee. Experts would also consider concrete proposals, such as establishing groups to work on specific aspects of ratification, presented in a paper prepared by a consultant. Specific obstacles to ratification should be identified, as, for example, why small States were not ratifying, it was noted.

The Covenant on the Rights of the Child should be used to promote the other human rights treaties, a number of experts said. It contained all the rights and would dramatize the concept that rights given to children would be cut off for adults unless other Covenants were ratified. Finally, it should be emphasized to States that ratification of all human rights Covenants would simplify the process of monitoring and consolidating reports.

Also this morning, the Committee discussed a request by the Human Rights Commission for information on fundamental standards of humanity that were applicable in all circumstances. In its response to the Commission, the Committee emphasized its mandate under the Covenant when situations of armed conflict, internal or external, were considered. The crucial question in those situations related to the power of States parties to derogate from their Covenant obligations in times of public emergency. The Committee expressed

Human Rights Committee - 3 - Press Release HR/CT/515 1667th Meeting (AM) 8 April 1998

its intention to prepare a general comment on the protection of certain procedural rights that were inherent to the Covenant as a whole and essential for the protection of those human rights under which no derogation was allowed.

As a monitoring body, the Human Rights Committee periodically examines reports submitted by States parties to the Covenant on their promotion and protection of civil and political rights. Representatives of those governments introduce their country reports and respond to oral and written questions from the Committee's 18 expert members, who serve in their personal capacity.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 9 April, to discuss its concluding comments for the session.

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