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

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today concluded its eighty-sixth session after adopting its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Sudan, Germany, Guatemala, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Denmark 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 Expert and Rapporteur on Follow-up, Gun Kut, presented a follow-up report concerning the following countries: Albania, Cyprus, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia and Sweden. He said he had consulted with the Committee Rapporteurs for those countries, who had agreed with the suggestions incorporated in the report. The report was adopted.

Committee Expert and Rapporteur, Dilip Lahiri, presented the annual report of the Committee to the General Assembly, which was adopted.

In concluding remarks, the Chairperson of the Committee, Jose Francisco Cali Tzay, said the Committee had had a heavy burden of work this session. In addition to the consideration of six country reports, which had confirmed the importance of the timely examination of reports, the Committee had considered two cases under their communications procedure, and situations under its early warning and urgent action procedure. It had adopted a declaration on the recent crisis of migrants in the Mediterranean with a massive loss of life and suffering. The Committee had also discussed its working methods. Everyone was thanked for their valuable contributions.

During the session the Committee highlighted that 2015 marked the start of the International Decade for People of African Descent, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, under the theme “Recognition, Justice and Development” and stressed that the promotion and protection of human rights of people of African descent was a priority concern for the United Nations. The Committee also held private meetings with non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions from States under consideration during the session, and continued private discussions on its working methods and related matters.

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

The eighty-seventh session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination will take place from 3 to 28 August 2015. The reports of Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Niger, Norway, Suriname and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will be considered and can be found here.


For use of the information media; not an official record

CERD15/011E