HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS METHODS OF WORK

The Human Rights Committee held a public meeting this morning in which it discussed its methods of work, focusing on the report from Sarah Cleveland, a Committee Member, on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights meeting. The Committee also addressed the issue of the “Paper Smart Policy”.

SARAH CLEVELAND, Committee Member, informed the Committee of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights meeting, which had taken place during three days in November 2016, and which had been attended by six Members of the Human Rights Committee and the full Inter-American Court. The first day of the meeting had consisted of a public panel discussion where the work of the Human Rights Committee had been discussed, including the principles of examination, sexual and reproductive rights, the right to life, in-vitro fertilization, and the Committee’s General Comments. The Inter-American Court was well-informed of the Committee’s jurisprudence, and had a wealth of experience in the area of the rights of indigenous peoples. The following two days had consisted of a Latin-America-wide consultation process regarding the Human Rights Committee’s methods of work, organized by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. The Committee Experts who had attended the meeting were Mr. Politi, Mr. Shany, Mr. Rodrigues-Rescia, Mr. Salvioli, and Ms. Cleveland, all of whom had secured their own funding for those purposes. The meeting had been modeled on the meeting with the European Court of Human Rights in June 2016. During the two-day consultation, issues discussed had included strengthening of the Committee’s communication with the Court, including through contact points, the possibility of having embedded staff exchanges and another potential dialogue in 2018. Most of the participants had been human rights experts from Latin America, with a discussion on a wide-range of human rights mechanisms and the long-term future of the system, as well as near-term initiatives, including improving visibility, election procedures, the role of the Secretariat, and resource needs commensurate with future needs. The draft paper of the meetings would be circulated to all members of the Committee.

The Committee was then briefed by SIMON WALKER, Chief of the Human Rights Treaty Body Section of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the “Paper Smart Policy,” which had been launched by the Secretary General in 2011 via a paper on a digital secretariat with the aim to move towards paper-less meetings throughout the United Nations. In 2015, the Secretary General had informed that the paperless move would start in 2017. Four Treaty Bodies were already paper-less, including the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In the ensuing discussion, while some Experts commended the paper-less move and agreed that the Committee had to make an effort to help the environment, they felt that the move was going to the other extreme. Smart had to mean that it had to be adopted in line with the purposes and functions of the Committee, and not to cripple the work of the Committee. If the paperless move had a negative effect on the work of the Committee, it would be counter-effective. Underlining that the health of Experts was equally important as the environment, some Experts added that it was sometimes impossible to follow without having the documents printed. Additionally, some Experts considered it necessary to have non-governmental organization information in printed form; the same was the case for draft observations and draft conclusions. All Experts agreed to discuss that matter further, and draft a list of documents which had to be printed, including views and observations. Other documents should also be able to be printed on demand, by individual Experts. Committee Experts agreed to make a standing request for the documents that they wanted to have printed, so as not have to reiterate them session after Session.

The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. today, to discuss the second periodic report of Thailand (CCPR/C/THA/2).



For use of the information media; not an official record

CT17/007E