HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE OPENS ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH SESSION IN GENEVA

The Human Rights Committee this morning opened its one hundred and twenty-fifth session, hearing a statement by Ibrahim Salama, Chief of the Human Rights Treaties Branch at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Committee heard solemn declarations by six newly elected members of the Committee, elected a new Chairperson and other officers of the Committee, and adopted the agenda and programme of work for the session.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Salama underlined the relevance of human rights treaties and the importance of the work of treaty bodies in today’s challenging environment and reaffirmed the commitment of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to work with all relevant stakeholders on the long-term sustainability of the treaty body system. Mr. Salama urged the Committee to make use of every possible opportunity to contribute to the treaty body strengthening process during this critical time leading towards the conclusion of the Review in April 2020.

During the meeting, the Committee elected Ahmed Amin Fathallah (Egypt) as its new Chairperson; Tania Maria Abdo Rocholl (Paraguay), Photini Pazartzis (Grèce), and Yuval Shany (Israel) as Vice-Chairpersons; and Brands Kheris (Estonia) as Committee Rapporteur. New members pronounced their solemn declarations in accordance with Article 38 of the Covenant: Christopher Arif Bulkan (Guyana), Shuichi Furuya (Japan), Herman Quezada Cabrera (Chile), Vasilka Sancin (Slovenia), Hélène Tigroudja (France), and Gentian Zyberi (Albania).

During the one hundred and twenty-fifth session, to be held from 4 to 29 March, the Committee will review the reports of Estonia, Niger, Angola, and Viet Nam, and will examine the situation of civil and political rights in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and in Eritrea in the absence of a report. All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage.

The Committee’s public meetings are webcast live at http://webtv.un.org/metings-events/.

The Committee will reconvene at 3 p.m. today, 8 October, to start the consideration of the fourth periodic report of Estonia (CCPR/C/EST/4).

Opening Statement

IBRAHIM SALAMA, Chief of the Human Rights Treaties Branch at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, in his opening remarks, welcomed new members of the Committee and noted that they were joining the Committee at the moment when the human rights agenda was being subjected to “increased hostility” and the very raison d’être of human rights was being tested. Recalling the Secretary-General’s words at the opening of the Human Rights Council the previous week, his acknowledgement of troubling trends and an expression of hope as we see powerful movements for human rights and social justice. In this context, the Committee’s work contributed to the reinforcing basic human rights principles. As the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet had noted, human rights treaties and the work of treaty bodies were even more relevant in today’s challenging environment, he said and reaffirmed the High Commissioner’s commitment to continue to work with all relevant stakeholders on the long-term sustainability of the treaty body system.

In her 2019 Annual Appeal, High Commissioner Bachelet stressed the continued focus on supporting the outcomes of human rights mechanisms, as well as strengthening the rule of law and accountability, protecting and expanding civic space for greater participation, countering discrimination, integrating human rights more strongly into sustainable development policies and programmes, supporting early warning and prevention, and protecting rights in situations of conflict and insecurity. The High Commissioner, Mr. Salama continued, was also aware of the challenges faced by treaty bodies, particularly the Human Rights Committee, due to financial and human resource shortfalls, which particularly affected its work in responding to individual complaints in a timely manner due to serious consequences for the concerned persons.

The 2019 meeting of the Chairs of the treaty bodies from 24 to 28 June in New York would be the last formal opportunity to consult before the 2020 Review of the treaty body system, Mr. Salama said and urged the Committee to make use of every possible opportunity to reflect and consult, both internally and with other treaty bodies, on issues they might wish to contribute to the process during this critical time leading towards the Review in April 2020. To support the process, a dedicated extranet page on the 2020 Review had been created, with all available information and background documentation.

In advance of the Review, the United Nations Secretary-General would submit biennial report on the status of the treaty body system in January 2020, as requested by the General Assembly resolution 73/162 of December 2018. The report would address those procedures and activities that were not adequately funded, or for which resources were underestimated or simply not included in the formula. Mr. Salama reminded that the outcome of the 2020 Review process would bring necessary solutions to allow the system to function effectively and to make a difference where it matter the most, at the national level. In closing, Mr. Salama thanked the outgoing Bureau which had ensured an efficient work of the Committee over the past two years.

Swearing in of New Members and Election of the Committee Officers

MAJA ANDRIJAŠEVIĆ-BOKO, Acting Chief of the Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Section of the Human Rights Treaties Branch at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, proceeded to invite the new members of the Committee to make their solemn declarations. The following newly elected members of the Committee pronounced their solemn declarations as in accordance with Article 38 of the Covenant: Christopher Arif Bulkan (Guyana), Shuichi Furuya (Japan), Herman Quezada Cabrera (Chile), Vasilka Sancin (Slovenia), Hélène Tigroudja (France), and Gentian Zyberi (Albania).

The Committee subsequently proceeded to the Election of Chairperson and other officers of the Committee, electing Ahmed Amin Fathallah as its Chairperson, who then addressed the Committee and emphasized that the cooperation of all members was needed for the successful work and noted that new members would bring new energy and surely further improve the Committee’s work.

The Committee then elected Tania Maria Abdo Rocholl (Paraguay), Photini Pazartzis (Grèce), and Yuval Shany (Israel) as Vice-Chairpersons; and Brands Kheris (Estonia) as Committee Rapporteur.

The Committee proceeded to adopt the provisional agenda and the proposed programme of work, and heard Mr. Fathallah present the report of the Working Group on Individual Communications, which had met from 25 February to 1 March and had adopted 31 of 33 draft communications it had examined.



For use of the information media; not an official record

CCPR/19/01E