HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS GENERAL COMMENT ON COVENANT ARTICLE CONCERNING EQUAL CIVIL, POLITICAL RIGHTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN

Press Release
HR/CT/548

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS GENERAL COMMENT ON COVENANT ARTICLE CONCERNING EQUAL CIVIL, POLITICAL RIGHTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN

The Human Rights Committee this afternoon continued its consideration of its draft general comment on article 3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by reviewing paragraphs 17, 18, and 21.

Article 3 states that States Parties to the Covenant undertake to ensure the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil and political rights set forth in the present Covenant. The last general comment (General Comment 4) on this article was in 1981, at the Committee’s thirteenth session.

General comments are recommendations made by the Committee on various articles of the Covenant. Through their adoption, the Committee reiterates its desire to assist States parties in fulfilling their reporting obligations. The comments draw attention to some aspects of the treaty, but do not purport to be limitative or to attribute any priority to different aspects of the Covenant. Comments might, from time to time, be followed by others.

The Committee was also informed that Venezuela, as communicated by its Permanent Representative to the Committee Chairman, would not be presenting its third periodic report on compliance with the Covenant at the current session, due to the constitutional changes in that country and natural disasters it experienced at the end of 1999.

Following Afghanistan’s inability to present its second periodic report during the session as scheduled, Venezuela’s non-presentation of its own report elicited a variety of responses from members of the Committee. It was finally decided that country should submit a letter to the Committee explaining its reasons. The withdrawal of the item from the current agenda would then be the responsibility of the State Party, and not the Committee.

The Acting Chairman of the Committee, Elizabeth Evatt, of Australia, said that the issue of States parties not presenting scheduled reports was one that needed to be investigated, possibly by the working group. An expert also drew

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* In Press Releases HR/CT/545, 546 and 547, the meeting numbers should have been 1812th, 1813th and 1814th, respectively.

Human Rights Committee - 2 - Press Release HR/CT/548 1815th Meeting (PM) 14 March 2000

the Committee’s attention to the fact that under the terms of article 40 of the Covenant, States parties did not have to present their reports to the Committee in person. That was another area that needed to be looked at.

[Under consolidated guidelines for States reports under the Covenant, the Committee intends its consideration of a report to take the form of constructive discussion with the delegation, the aim of which is to improve the situation pertaining to Covenant rights in the State.]

Also this afternoon, the Committee took up the follow-up progress report, which was introduced by Fausto Pocar, of Italy, the Special Rapporteur for Follow-up on Views. The report focuses on cases for which, by the end of February, no or incomplete follow-up information had been received from States parties, or where follow-up information challenges findings and recommendations of the Committee. The cases originate from communications received by the Committee requesting action against a State party felt to have violated articles of the Covenant and remedies.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 15 March, to continue its review of the general comments on article 3 and 4.

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