COMMITTEE ON ELIMINATION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION TO MEET AT PALAIS DES NATIONS FROM 1 TO 19 MARCH 1999

BACKGROUND RELEASE


HR/CERD/99/1
25 February 1999



The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is to meet at the Palais des Nations from 1 to 19 March 1999 to review measures to fight discrimination by Austria, Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Lesotho, Mongolia, Peru, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the Syrian Arab Republic and Kuwait.

These countries are among the 150 States parties to the 1969 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The 18-member Committee, the first body created by the United Nations to review actions by States in fulfilling their obligations under a specific human rights agreement, examines reports submitted periodically by States parties on their compliance with the Convention. Representatives of the Governments are invited to introduce their country reports and respond to questions from Committee members.

At this fifty-fourth session of the Committee, the experts are also scheduled to review the implementation of the Convention in Bangladesh, which has previously submitted reports but whose periodic reports have been deemed excessively overdue. In addition, the Committee has scheduled a review of the implementation of the Convention in Bahrain, Congo and Slovenia, whose initial reports were seriously overdue.

Continuing efforts to prevent racial discrimination, the Committee is set to examine, under its early warning and urgent action procedures, the situations in Australia, the Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, the Sudan, and Yugoslavia.

In addition to considering States parties' reports, the Committee will study, in closed session, communications from individuals claiming to be victims of racial discrimination. Only complaints against the 25 States parties that have recognized the competence of the Committee under article 14 of the Convention are admissible.

Submission of Reports

Under article 9 of the Convention, States undertake to report to the Committee on legal, judicial and other measures they have adopted to ensure effective protection against racial discrimination within their jurisdiction. States parties to the Convention agree to condemn and seek to eliminate racial discrimination in their territories; to review their policies in order to amend or nullify any regulations which create or perpetuate such discrimination, based on racial superiority or hatred; and to prohibit organizations and activities which promote or incite racial discrimination. They also agree to provide remedies for victims of racial discrimination and to adopt measures to combat prejudice and promote understanding among different national, racial and ethnic groups.

In addition, States parties undertake to guarantee the right of everyone to equality before the law without distinction to race, colour, or national and ethnic origin.

In the past, the Committee has called upon the Secretary-General to bring to the attention of States parties, at their annual meeting, the unfortunate consequences of delays in the submission of reports and to encourage them to consider ways and means by which all parties might be brought to fulfil their reporting obligations. The Committee has also instituted a procedure to review the implementation of the Convention in those States parties responsible for the longest delays in submitting periodic reports. In a letter addressed to the Governments of those States, the Committee said that delays in the submission of reports hampered its efforts to monitor the implementation of the Convention.

Communications under Article 14

Under article 14 of the Convention, the Committee considers communications from individuals or groups of individuals claiming to be victims of a violation by States parties of any of the rights set forth in the Convention, provided the States concerned have recognized the competence of the Committee in this regard. The following 27 States parties have already done so: Algeria, Australia, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay.


States Parties to Convention

At present, the following 153 States are parties to the Convention: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgystan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania.

Also, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Committee Membership and Officers

The members of the Committee, elected in their individual capacity, are: Mahmoud Aboul-Nasr (Egypt); Michael Parker Banton (United Kingdom); Theodoor van Boven (Netherlands); Ion Diaconu (Romania); Eduardo Ferrero Costa (Peru); Ivan Garvalov (Bulgaria); Régis de Gouttes (France); Carlos Lechuga Hevia (Cuba); Yuri A. Rechetov (Russian Federation); Shanti Sadiq Ali (India); Agha Shahi (Pakistan); Michael E. Sherifis (Cyprus); Zou Deci (China); Luis Valencia Rodriguez (Ecuador); Rüdiger Wolfrum (Germany); Mario Jorge Yutzis (Argentina); Peter Nobel (Sweden); and Gay McDougall (United States).

Mr. Aboul-Nasr is Chairperson. Mr. Yutzis, Mr. Diaconu and Mr. Sherifis are Vice-Chairpersons. In addition, Mr. Banton is Rapporteur.


Provisional Calendar for Examination of Reports


Monday 1 March 1999

Austria
Eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth periodic reports (CERD/C/319/Add.5)

Tuesday 2 March 1999

Austria
(continued)

Republic of Korea
Ninth and tenth periodic reports (CERD/C/333/Add.1)

Wednesday 3 March 1999

Republic of Korea
(continued)

Finland
Thirteenth and fourteenth periodic reports (CERD/C/320)/Add.2)

Thursday 4 March 1999

Finland
(continued)

Congo
Under review procedure: initial, second, third, fourth and fifth periodic reports

Portugal
Fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth periodic reports (CERD/C/314/Add.1)

Friday 5 March 1999

Portugal
(continued)

Slovenia
Under review procedure

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Tenth periodic report (CERD/C/278/Add.1)


Rwanda
Under early warning measures.


Monday 8 March 1999

Yugoslavia
Under early warning measures: Special report (CERD/C/364)

Italy
(CERD/C/317/Add.1)

Tuesday 9 March 1999

Italy
(continued)

Peru
Twelfth and thirteenth periodic reports (CERD/C/298/Add.5)

Wednesday 10 March 1999

Peru
(continued)

Syrian Arab Republic
Twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth periodic reports (CERD/C/338/Add.1/Rev.1)

Thursday 11 March 1999

Syrian Arab Republic (continued)

Czech Republic
Under early warning measures: Special report (CERD/C/348)

Costa Rica
Twelfth to fifteenth periodic reports (CERD/C/338/Add.4)


Friday 12 March 1999

Costa Rica (continued)

Australia
Under early warning measures: Special report (CERD/C/347)

Kuwait
Thirteenth and fourteenth periodic reports (CERD/C/299/Add.16 and Corr.1)


Monday 15 March 1999

Kuwait (continued)

Mongolia Eleventh to fourteenth periodic reports (CERD/C/338/Add.3)


Tuesday 16 March 1999

Mongolia (continued)

Lesotho Seventh to fourteenth periodic reports (CERD/C/337/Add.1)


Wednesday 17 March 1999

Lesotho (continued)

Sudan