Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Seventh session
Summary record (partial) ** of the 73rd meeting ***
Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva, on Friday, 20 April 2012 at 3 p.m.
Chairperson:Mr. McCallum
Contents
Other matters
Future meetings
Closure of the session
The discussion covered in the summary record began at 4.30 p.m.
Other matters
The Chairperson, taking stock of the work accomplished, said that the current session had been the most productive to date. He noted the Committee’s dialogue with Peru and adoption of concluding observations (CRPD/C/PER/CO/1), which would shortly be sent to the mission. The Committee had adopted lists of issues for its dialogues with Argentina (CRPD/C/ARG/Q/1), China (CRPD/C/CHN/Q/1) and Hungary (CRPD/C/HUN/Q/1) at the forthcoming session in September. The working group on aviation, chaired by Mr. Al-Tarawneh, had held a very productive meeting with representatives of the International Air Transport Association.
The Committee had endorsed both the outcome document of the Dublin II meeting on the strengthening of the treaty body system and the draft guidelines on the independence and impartiality of members of the human rights treaty bodies. It had also agreed to send a letter to the Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee expressing its views regarding that Committee’s general comment No. 25 on participation in public affairs and the right to vote. It had appointed Mr. Kim Hyung Shik country rapporteur for China and Mr. Gombos chairperson of the working group on article 12. The Committee had decided to request conference services to make every possible effort to ensure the availability of international sign interpretation and captioning services at all its public and closed meetings.
Mr. Tromel (International Disability Alliance (IDA)) said that IDA would inform disabled persons’ organizations in Peru of the adoption of the Committee’s concluding observations so that they could contribute to dissemination activities. It would also encourage relevant organizations in Argentina, China and Hungary to prepare complementary information on the basis of the lists of issues addressed by the Committee to the Governments of those countries. In addition, it would provide support to disabled persons’ organizations in Paraguay to enable them to attend the Committee’s sessions in September 2012 and April 2013.
He asked whether the Committee was planning to request an additional week of meeting time in 2013, given that the current allocation was inadequate. He expressed concern that some Governments were reportedly proposing reforms to the treaty body process that sought to undermine NGO participation. The Committee must be vigilant in ensuring that the high standards it had set in that regard were maintained. His organization, in conjunction with other global bodies, was considering submitting information to the Committee with a view to the initiation of the inquiry procedure provided for in article 6 of the Optional Protocol. He would report on developments in that regard at the forthcoming session. He welcomed the provision of captioning services at the current session and expressed the hope that sign language interpretation services would also be made available at future sessions.
The Chairperson said that the Committee was convinced of the need for sign language interpretation and that its decision to request such services at future sessions had been unanimous. He would reaffirm the Committee’s continuing support for civil society involvement in the treaty body process at the forthcoming meeting of chairpersons of human rights treaty bodies. The Committee was planning to request at least one additional week of meeting time, since it would soon have a 10-year backlog in the consideration of State party reports. However, it was unclear what the outcome of such a request would be.
Ms. Yang Jia said that she would appreciate it if, in future, IDA could make clear in advance of any side events organized by it to discuss State party reports whether it wished any Committee members not to attend in view of their connection with the State party concerned.
Mr. Tromel (International Disability Alliance (IDA)) said that his organization would act on that suggestion.
T he Chairperson said it was his understanding that the guidelines on the independence of members of treaty bodies currently being drafted would address such issues so that potential conflicts of interest could be avoided.
Future meetings
The Chairperson said that the Committee would hold its eighth session from 17 to 28 September 2012, when it would consider the initial reports of Argentina, China and Hungary and adopt a list of issues for its dialogue with Paraguay. At its ninth session, to be held from 15 to 19 April 2013, the Committee would consider the initial report of Paraguay and adopt lists of issues for its meetings with Australia, Austria and El Salvador. A half-day of general discussion would also be held on women and girls with disabilities. The Committee would hold its tenth session from 2 to 13 September 2013, when it would consider the initial reports of Australia, Austria and El Salvador and adopt a list of issues for its dialogue with Sweden.
Closure of the session
After the customary exchange of courtesies, the Chairperson declared the seventh session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities closed.
The meeting rose at 4.50 p.m.