COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION CONCLUDES ITS NINETY-SECOND SESSION

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today closed its ninety-second session after adopting its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Finland, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, Kenya, Cyprus and Bulgaria 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.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Committee adopted the annual report of the Committee to the General Assembly after Committee Rapporteur Alexei Avtonomov summarized its contents.

Committee Chairperson Anastasia Crickley, in closing remarks, said that they had had a very busy three weeks, in the middle of the toxic global discourse that was creating conditions for people, including people on the move, of extreme racial discrimination. The concluding observations and recommendations of the six countries reviewed were on the website of the Committee. The Committee had held meetings of a number of task forces and working groups during the session. The early warning and urgent action working group had considered cases in seven countries which would be made public next week. The Rapporteur on follow-up had conducted five follow-up processes, which would become public in due course. The communications group had considered one case. The Committee had held a very fruitful meeting with States parties.

Ms. Crickley said that the Committee had established a task force on people of African descent, and another on late and non-reporting States. A lot of work had been undertaken and it was clear that the Committee was working in very challenging times, and therefore the significance of their work and of the role of the Convention could not be underestimated. The Chairperson regretted that a considerable number of States parties did not systematically present their reports to the Committee, or only presented them late. She also regretted the lack of resources that the Committee faced.

The ninety-second session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was held from 24 April to 12 May 2017 at the Palais Wilson in Geneva. Comprehensive meetings coverage of all public meetings held during the session can be found here.

The ninety-third session of the Committee will be held from 31 July to 25 August 2017, during which the Committee will consider the reports of Canada, Djibouti, Ecuador, Kuwait, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates. Documentation on the ninety-third session can be found here.



For use of the information media; not an official record

CERD17/012E