HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF COMMENT ON ARTICLE 3, CONCERNING EQUAL CIVIL, POLITICAL RIGHTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN
Press Release
HR/CT/552
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONTINUES CONSIDERATION OF COMMENT ON ARTICLE 3, CONCERNING EQUAL CIVIL, POLITICAL RIGHTS FOR MEN AND WOMEN
20000320The 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 12 through 19.
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 Committees 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 limiting or to attribute any priority to different aspects of the Covenant. Comments might, from time to time, be followed by others.
Also this afternoon, the Committee elected Christine Chanet (France) as rapporteur on the follow-up for communications.
The Committee, as a monitoring body, periodically examines reports submitted by States parties 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 Committees 18 members, who serve in their personal capacity. The four countries presenting reports during the current session - Republic of the Congo, United Kingdom, Mongolia and Guyana - are among 144 States parties to the International Covenant. (For further background on the current session, see Press Release HR/CT/544 of 9 March.)
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 21 March, to hear a briefing on the World Conference on Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance to be held in South Africa in 2001.
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