HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CLOSES ITS ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVENTH SESSION

Adopts Concluding Observations on the Reports of Belgium, Cabo Verde, Czech Republic, Mexico and Senegal

The Human Rights Committee this afternoon closed its one hundred and twenty-seventh session after adopting concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Belgium, Cabo Verde, Czech Republic, Mexico and Senegal.

The consideration of the report of the Central African Republic, which was also scheduled for this session, did not take place due to the absence of the delegation. The Committee will review this report at its next session in March 2020.

Ahmed Amin Fathalla, Committee Chairperson, said the Committee had had a productive session. It had reviewed the situation in five States parties and the advance unedited versions of the concluding observations and recommendations were available on the webpage of the Committee.

The Committee had adopted three lists of issues prior to reporting, for Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ukraine; two lists of issues in relation to periodic reports for Croatia and Spain; and a follow-up report on concluding observations that highlighted the important progress made in four countries across the regions.

With regard to individual communications, the Committee had considered 44 draft decisions, five of which had been considered in dual chambers. Out of the 44 decisions adopted, 16 were decided on the merits, 14 cases were declared inadmissible and 11 were discontinued. Regarding the cases decided on the merits, the Committee had found violations in 12 of them and non-violation in four, said the Chair.

On 7 November, the Committee had concluded the first reading of its draft General Comment No. 37 on article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the right of peaceful assembly. The draft text would be shared with all stakeholders and the second reading would start at the Committee’s next session, with the view to adopting the final text at the end of 2020, Mr. Fathalla added.

Together with the its sister Committee, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Human Rights Committee had adopted a joint statement on freedom of association, including the right to form and join trade unions. The statement had been issued on the occasion of the one hundredth anniversary of the International Labour Organization.

During the session, the Committee had held a half-day colloquium with judges of the European Court for Human Rights to share views on common human rights issues and challenges.

The Committee adopted the session report as a whole.

All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Public meetings of the Human Rights Committee are webcast live at http://webtv.un.org/, while meeting summaries in English and French can be accessed at the United Nations Office at Geneva’s News and Media page.

The one hundred and twenty-eighth session of the Human Rights Committee will take place from 2 to 27 March 2020, during which the Committee will review the reports of Bolivia, Botswana, Central African Republic, Chad, Germany, Nicaragua, Peru, Ukraine and Uruguay.


For use of the information media; not an official record


CCPR19.038E