Committee
on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination opens eighty-fourth session
3
February 2014
The
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination opened its eighty-fourth
session this morning, hearing an address by Simon Walker, Chief of the Civil,
Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Section at the Human Rights
Treaty Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The
Committee elected a new Chairperson, three Vice-Chairpersons and a Rapporteur,
and adopted its agenda and programme of work as proposed. The programme of work
included the review of reports submitted by Honduras, Montenegro, Belgium,
Poland, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg and Switzerland during the session.
In his
opening statement, Simon Walker, Chief of the Civil, Political, Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights Section at the Human Rights Treaty Division of the
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, invoked the legacy of Nelson
Mandela and said that the Committee played an essential role in speaking out
against prejudice and racial discrimination around the world. He expressed hope
that the General Assembly would be able to reach a comprehensive agreement on
the strengthening of treaty bodies, which would go a long way in allowing all
the Committees to fulfill their mandates effectively and efficiently. With
regard to the outreach activities since the previous session, Mr. Walker noted
that members of the Committee had been participating in a number of meetings
where they had had the opportunity to brief others on pertinent issues, and in
particular combatting racist hate speech.
Jose
Francisco Cali Tzay was elected the Chairperson of the Committee, as the first
indigenous person to hold that post. The Committee proceeded to elect Anastasia
Crickley, Alexei Avtonomov and Amir Noureddine as Vice-Chairpersons, while
Dilip Lahiri was elected as Rapporteur.
The
Committee will next meet in public at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 4 February, when it
will hold an informal meeting with non-governmental organizations. At 3 p.m.
tomorrow, the Committee will start its consideration of the combined initial to
fifth periodic report of Honduras (CERD/C/HND/1-5).
Opening Statement
SIMON
WALKER, Chief of the Civil, Political,
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Section at the Human Rights Treaty
Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, welcomed
the newly elected members of the Committee. He invoked the legacy of Nelson
Mandela and said that the Committee played an essential role in speaking out
against prejudice and racial discrimination around the world. The largest
challenge remained in the implementation of the rights and obligations set out
in the Convention, especially when it came to the contemporary forms of racism.
Mr.
Walker addressed the issue of the treaty body strengthening process, on which a
cost assessment had been finalized in November 2013, and had been subsequently
shared with the Committee. The General Assembly was giving importance to issues
such as additional meeting time and staff for the Committees, and it was the
hope of the High Commissioner that the General Assembly would be able to reach
a comprehensive agreement this month, which would go a long way in allowing all
the Committees to fulfill their mandates effectively and efficiently.
Mr.
Walker also spoke about the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, which would
take place in New York on 22 and 23 September 2014, and should result in the
adoption of a concise, action-oriented outcome document to realize the rights
of indigenous peoples. He recalled that the sixth annual session of the Forum
on Minority Issues had taken place in Geneva on 26 and 27 November with a focus
on religious minorities, and the Working Group of Experts of People of African
Descent had undertaken a visit to Brazil from 3 to 13 December 2013. In the
annual report to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary
forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance had
focused on the links between poverty and racism, underlining the obligation of
Governments to prevent marginalization, and highlighting initiatives taken to
prevent poverty and discrimination, such as programmes aimed at increasing
educational opportunities.
With
regard to the outreach activities since the previous session, Mr. Walker noted
that members of the Committee had been participating in a number of meetings
where they had had the opportunity to brief others on pertinent issues, and in
particular combatting racist hate speech.
Speaking
on the agenda of the Committee in the current session, Mr. Walker said that
during the session, the Committee would convene an informal meeting with States
parties, and would examine the implementation of the Convention in eight States
parties, several countries under the follow-up procedure, an individual
communication under article 14 of the Convention, and a number of country
situations under the Committee’s early warning and urgent action procedure, as
well as the adoption of the Committee’s annual report. He assured the Committee
of the full support of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Election of Officers
Nine
newly elected or re-elected members of the Committee undertook a solemn
declaration under rule 14 of the rules of procedure. The Committee elected, by
consensus, Jose Francisco Cali Tzay as the Chairperson of the Committee, and
thanked the outgoing Chairperson, Alexei Avtonomov. Mr. Cali Tzay thanked the
Committee Experts for their support and said that he belonged to an indigenous
group in Guatemala, which was why his election carried a particular weight.
Chief
Wilton Little Child, Chairperson of the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples, said that today had witnessed a significant first
for the indigenous peoples and the United Nations, with the election of Mr.
Cali Tzay as the Chairman of the Committee. Mr. Little Child said that Mr. Cali
Tzay had worked very hard, living the dreams of the elders in a way that was
consistent and implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples and the International Convention on the Elimination of all
Forms of Racial Discrimination. In a collective effort to eliminate racial
discrimination, all groups had to work as partners, which should help improve
the overall situation faster. The Chairperson was then presented with a blanket
by the representatives of the International Indian Council, which was an
expression of great honour in the Cree way.
Anastasia
Crickley, Alexei Avtonomov and Amir Noureddine were elected Vice-Chairpersons,
while Dilip Lahiri was elected as Rapporteur, also by consensus.
The
Committee adopted the agenda and the programme of work as proposed.
_________
For use
of the information media; not an official record
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