COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CONCLUDES EIGHTY-EIGHTH SESSION

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today concluded its eighty-eighth session after adopting its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of the Holy See, Lithuania, Egypt, Slovenia, Mongolia and Turkey on how those countries implement the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations on the six country reports are available on the Committee’s webpage.

Committee Chairperson Jose Francisco Cali Tzay said that the session had been a memorable one. During the session, the Committee marked the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention by holding a full-day event at the Palais des Nations entitled “International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination: Fifty Years of Fighting Racial Discrimination.” Reports had been reviewed and concluding observations adopted on six States parties in different parts of the world. He thanked all States parties which had participated in the constructive dialogues with the Committee. Positive developments, as well as challenges and shortcomings, had been identified. The interaction had contributed to increasing the accountability of States parties. A case had been considered under the communications procedure, and situations had been looked at under the Committee’s early warning procedures. Four States parties had been considered under the follow-up procedures. The Committee had also discussed its working methods and addressed other ongoing important issues related to the Committee’s work. The Chairperson expressed heartfelt thanks to the outgoing Committee Members Patricia Nozipho January-Bardill, Ion Diaconu, Yong’an Huang, Dilip Lahiri and Carlos Manuel Vazquez.

A number of Committee Members took the floor to express the Committee’s appreciation for their departing colleagues.

Comprehensive meeting coverage of all public meetings held this session, including the country reviews, can be found here.

The eighty-ninth session of the Committee will be held from 25 April till 13 May 2016. The reports of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Namibia, Oman, Rwanda and Spain, which will be considered during the session, can be accessed here.


For use of the information media; not an official record

CERD15/037E