HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE OPENS ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVENTH SESSION

The Human Rights Committee this morning opened its one hundred and twenty-seventh session at the Palais Wilson in Geneva, hearing a statement from Simon Walker, Chief of the Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Section at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Committee adopted the agenda and programme of work for the session and held a minute of silence for Waleed Sadi of Jordan, an Expert on the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights who died in Geneva on 7 October.

Mr. Sadi had also served on the Human Rights Committee, from 1978 to 1982 and again from 1990 to 1994, and had been one of the few individuals who had made a significant contribution to both Committees, said Yuval Shany, Vice-Chair of the Human Rights Committee.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Walker stressed the importance of the Committee’s work and in particular its concluding observations and General Comments – particularly on article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on freedoms of opinion and expression, and on article 25 concerning the right to participate in public affairs. Those guided the work of States and human rights organizations working in the field, Mr. Walker stressed.

Updating the Committee on the September 2019 session of the Human Rights Council, Mr. Walker said that in her opening statement, High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet had referred to the landmark decision in Paraguay concerning the uncontrolled and unlimited use of pesticides. The decision had set a precedent that States had an obligation under international human rights law to conduct investigations into similar environmental harms, sanction those responsible, and provide reparations to victims.

The Council had adopted a resolution on the death penalty, which had made a reference to the Committee’s interpretations articulated in the General Comment on the right to life, while in a resolution against reprisals, the Council had reaffirmed the right of everyone to unhindered access to international bodies, including treaty bodies. This resolution provided significant political support to the Committee’s work in responding to and preventing reprisals in accordance with the San José Guidelines.

Turning to the 2020 review of the treaty body system and the current funding crisis in the United Nations system, Mr. Walker said that the overall cash flow situation remained critical and that the situation for 2020 and beyond – whether in relation to funding of sessions or staffing – was uncertain. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was aware of the challenges facing the work of this Committee, particularly in relation to petitions.

Stressing the importance of seizing the opportunity of the 2020 review to bring as much stability and resourcing to the treaty body system as possible, Mr. Walker welcomed the common vision adopted by the treaty body chairpersons at their recent annual meeting, which highlighted, inter alia, the need to address the resource gap as a priority.

Yadh Ben Achour, Committee Expert, briefed the Committee on the work of the Working Group on communications and said that of the 28 communications considered, the Working Group had declared 11 inadmissible and two admissible. The Working Group had noted violations of the Covenant in nine communications and non-violations in three, while another three had been referred to the plenary for further discussion.

The Committee adopted the report of the Working Group on communications.

The Committee’s one hundred and twenty-seventh session will be held from 14 October to 8 November 2019, during which it will consider the reports of Senegal, Belgium, Mexico, Czech Republic, Central African Republic and Cabo Verde. The Committee will also continue the elaboration of the draft General Comment No. 37 on article 21 of the Covenant on the right of peaceful assembly.

The States parties reports, the agenda and programme of work, and other relevant documentation can be found on the session’s webpage. All public meetings of the Human Rights Committee are webcast live at http://webtv.un.org/ while the meeting summaries in English and French can be accessed at the United Nations Office at Geneva’s News and Media page.

The Committee this morning will next meet in private with national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations in relation to the situation in Senegal, Belgium, Mexico and Czech Republic, whose reports will be reviewed this week. At 3 p.m. today, 14 October, the Committee will examine the fifth periodic report of Senegal (CCPR/C/SEN/5).



For use of the information media; not an official record


CCPR19.25E