HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE ADOPTS ANNUAL REPORT TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Human Rights Committee this afternoon adopted its annual report to the General Assembly following a discussion among Committee Experts. The annual report covers the period from 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010 and the ninety-seventh, ninety-eight and the ninety-ninth sessions of the Human Rights Committee.

The Annual Report, which was introduced by Committee Expert Iulia Antoanella Motoc, notes that, since the adoption of the last report, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic had become party to the Covenant and Brazil had become party to both the First and Second Optional Protocols. In total, there are now 165 States parties to the Covenant, 113 to the First Optional Protocol (empowering the Committee to consider individual communications concerning violations of the Covenant by States parties) and 72 to the Second Optional Protocol (regarding abolition of the death penalty).

During the period under review, the Committee considered the reports of 13 States parties, and adopted concluding observations on those reports. Under the Optional Protocol procedure, the Committee adopted Views on 35 communications, declared 6 communications admissible, 18 inadmissible and discontinued consideration of 6 communications. A total of 1,955 communications have now been registered since the entry into force of the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.

In the report, the Committee deplored the fact that a large number of States parties had not complied with their reporting obligations. In 2001, it had therefore adopted a procedure to deal with these situations. The Committee decided to continue applying this procedure and sent reminders to several State parties, which would be considered in the absence of report in future sessions if they did not send their overdue reports by a set deadline.

The Committee’s workload had continued to grow. Eleven initial or periodic reports had been received during the period covered by the report, and at the end of the current session 24 reports remained to be examined. The Committee again noted that many States parties had failed to implement the Views adopted under the Optional Protocol. The Committee had continued to seek implementation of its Views through its Special Rapporteur for follow-up on Views who had arranged meetings with representatives of States parties that had not responded to requests for information about measures taken to give affect to its Views, or that had given unsatisfactory replies.

Topics covered by the report included, among other things, methods of work of the Committee and cooperation with other United Nations bodies; submission of reports by States parties; consideration of reports submitted by States parties; consideration of communications under the Optional Protocol; follow-up activities under the Optional Protocol; and follow-up to concluding observations.

Committee Experts reviewed the report on a chapter-by-chapter basis, raised questions and made suggestions for minor amendments to the text. A Committee Expert suggested adding the Committee’s desire to offer webcasts of its meetings, which would allow those unable to physically attend the meetings access to these public sessions and assist in meeting the Committee’s media strategy goals.

The Committee will reconvene in public at 10 a.m. on Friday, 30 July, when it will announce Bureau decisions and make public its concluding observations on country reports considered over the past three weeks before it officially closes its ninety-ninth session.

For use of the information media; not an official record

CT10/012E