Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
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United Nations Human Rights Website - Treaty Bodies Database - Document - Sessio...Page 1 of 142 Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination : . 29/09/99. A/54/18. (Sessional/Annual Report of Committee) Convention Abbreviation: CERD Fifty-fourth Session Supplement No. 18 (A/54/18) Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Fifty-fourth session (1–19 March 1999) Fifty-fifth session (2–27 August 1999) Contents Chapter Paragraphs Letter of transmittal I. Organizational and related matters 1–15 A. States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms 1–2 of Racial Discrimination B. Sessions and agenda 3–4 C. Membership and attendance 5–7 D. Officers of the Committee 8 E. Cooperation with the International Labour Organization and the United Nations 9–10 Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization F. Other matters 11–14 Decision 4 (55) G. Adoption of the report 15 II. Prevention of racial discrimination, including early warning and urgent 16–24 procedures A. Decisions adopted by the Committee at its fifty-fourth session 21 Decision 1 (54) on Yugoslavia Decision 2 (54) on Australia Decision 3 (54) on Rwanda Decision 4 (54) on the Democratic Republic of the Congo Decision 5 (54) on the Sudan http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/1b14be971da31f368025686a00522889?O... 18/01/2007 United Nations Human Rights Website - Treaty Bodies Database - Document - Sessio...Page 2 of 142 B. Statement adopted by the Committee at its fifty-fourth session 22 Statement on the human rights of the Kurdish people C. Decisions adopted by the Committee at its fifty-fifth session 23 Decision 1 (55) on Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) Decision 2 (55) on Australia Decision 3 (55) on the Democratic Republic of the Congo D. Statement adopted by the Committee at its fifty-fifth session Statement on 24 Africa III. Consideration of reports, comments and information submitted by States 25-544 parties under article 9 of the Convention Austria 26–45 Republic of Korea 46–66 Finland 67–87 Portugal 88–107 Congo 108–115 Italy 116–136 Peru 137–166 Syrian Arab Republic 167–184 Costa Rica 185–207 Kuwait 208–229 Mongolia 230–252 Haiti 253–271 Romania 272–290 Antigua and Barbuda 291–293 Islamic Republic of Iran 294–313 Maldives 314–320 Mauritania 321–336 Iraq 337–361 Central African Republic 362–364 Chile 365–383 Latvia 384–414 Uruguay 415–435 Mozambique 436–438 Kyrgyzstan 439–453 Colombia 454–481 Azerbaijan 482–503 Dominican Republic 504–522 Guinea 523–544 IV. Consideration of communications under article 14 of the Convention 545–552 V. Consideration of copies of petitions, copies of reports and other information 553–558 relating to Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories to which General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) applies, in conformity with article 15 of the Convention VI. Action taken by the General Assembly at its fifty-third session A. Annual report submitted by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial 560–561 Discrimination under article 9, paragraph 2, of the Convention B. Effective implementation of international instruments on human rights, 562 including reporting obligations under international instruments on human rights http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/1b14be971da31f368025686a00522889?O... 18/01/2007 United Nations Human Rights Website - Treaty Bodies Database - Document - Sessio...Page 3 of 142 VII. Submission of reports by States parties under article 9 of the Convention A. Reports received by the Committee 563 B. Reports not yet received by the Committee 564 C. Action taken by the Committee to ensure submission of reports by States parties VIII. Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination; World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance Decision 5 (55) IX. Overview of the methods of work of the Committee 575 Annexes I. Status of the Convention A. States parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (155), as at 27 August 1999 B. States parties that have made the declaration under article 14, paragraph 1, of the Convention (28), as at 27 August 1999 C. States parties that have accepted the amendments to the Convention adopted at the fourteenth meeting of States parties (24), as at 27 August 1999 II. Agendas of the fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth sessions A. Fifty-fourth session B. Fifty-fifth session III. Decisions of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination under article 14 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination A. Fifty-fourth session B. Fifty-fifth session IV. Documents received by the Committee at its fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth sessions in conformity with article 15 of the Convention V. General recommendation concerning article 1 of the Convention VI. Country rapporteurs A. Country rapporteurs for reports of States parties considered by the Committee at its fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth sessions B. Country rapporteurs for States parties which have seriously overdue reports and which were considered under the review procedure by the Committee at its fifty- fourth and fifty-fifth sessions C. Country rapporteurs for States parties considered under prevention of racial discrimination, including early warning measures and urgent action procedures, by the Committee at its fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth sessions VII. List of documents issued for the fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth sessions of the Committee VIII. Comments of the Government of Australia on decision 2 (54) adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the special report of Australia http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/1b14be971da31f368025686a00522889?O... 18/01/2007 United Nations Human Rights Website - Treaty Bodies Database - Document - Sessio...Page 4 of 142 IX. Comments of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the concluding observations adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth periodic reports of the Islamic Republic of Iran X. Comments of the Government of Latvia on the concluding observations adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the initial, second and third periodic reports of Latvia XI. Comments of the Government of Mauritania on the concluding observations adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the initial to fifth periodic reports of Mauritania Letter of transmittal 27 August 1999 Sir, In the letter transmitting the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's last annual report, I drew attention to a decision in the first chapter recommending the convening of winter sessions of the Committee in New York in accordance with article 10, paragraph 4, of the Convention. A significant number of States parties to the Convention, virtually all from developing countries, lack diplomatic representation in Geneva while maintaining Permanent Missions in New York. Our experience has demonstrated that many of these States are frequently unable to send representatives to Geneva to present their reports and engage in dialogue with the Committee. I recall this decision because our arguments have not yet been addressed and the Committee has now adopted a further decision, 4 (55), to be found in the present chapter I. As you are aware, the Committee at present includes only one expert from Africa. The Committee hopes that when the States parties meet early in 2000 to elect members to serve a new term of office their attention will be drawn to article 8, paragraph 1, of the Convention, which stipulates that consideration should be given to equitable geographical distribution and to the representation of the different forms of civilization as well as of the principal legal systems. The Committee is alarmed that in many regions of the world political tensions find expression in racial and ethnic conflict. It takes such action as its mandate permits to draw attention to impending ethnic conflict. Chapter II reports our decisions and statements concerning five States parties, the human rights of the Kurdish people, the abuses in Kosovo (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) and the problems in some African States. Chapter III reports on our examination of the reports and information received from States parties. Under the Convention, periodic reports are due every two years, but some States are seriously overdue in their submission of reports. Since it may be important to consider the application of the Convention in non-reporting States, the Committee undertakes a review when a report is overdue by five years or more. By the end of 1998, 95 States had been scheduled for review. In 35 instances, States responded by submitting the overdue report, while others requested deferment to enable them to prepare a report. In 53 instances application of the Convention in a State has been considered in the absence of a report; sometimes, the State has been represented, sometimes it has not. As can be seen from chapter VII, section A, of this report, despite the Convention's relatively short reporting http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/1b14be971da31f368025686a00522889?O... 18/01/2007 United Nations Human Rights Website - Treaty Bodies Database - Document - Sessio...Page 5 of 142 cycle, the Committee has no backlog of reports awaiting consideration. Chapter VIII includes information on the Committee's contribution to preparations for the World Conference against