Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Forty-ninth session

Summary record (partial)* of the 33rd meeting

Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva, on Wednesday, 14 November 2012, at 10 a.m.

Chairperson:Mr. Pillay

Contents

Consideration of reports

Reports submitted by States parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant (continued)

Combined initial, second and third periodic reports of the United Republic of Tanzania (continued)

The meeting was called to order at 10 .10 a.m.

Consideration of reports

(a)Reports submitted by States parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant (continued)

Combined initial, second and third periodic reports of the United Republic of Tanzania (continued) (E/C.12/TZA/1-3; E/C.12/TZA/Q/1-3 and Add.1; HRI/CORE/TZA/12)

At the invitation of the Chairperson, the delegation of the United Republic of Tanzania took places at the Committee table.

Ms. Kairuki (United Republic of Tanzania) said that her delegation was not able to respond to the Committee’s pending questions at such short notice, but she promised to provide answers in writing by Friday, 16 November 2012. She hoped that the Committee was satisfied with the frankness and openness of the dialogue with her delegation. Some of the issues raised required in-depth consideration by both the Government and the general public, and consultations on those issues would continue, particularly on those involving traditional customs and religious beliefs. The Government did not have the financial or human resources required to solve certain problems, but it would take gradual steps to address those issues.

Her Government would keep the momentum going by fulfilling its reporting obligations to the Committee and to other treaty bodies, and would continue to value the technical and financial support from its development partners and the United Nations system that allowed it to do so. In the coming days the Government would disseminate the outcome of the dialogue to all relevant stakeholders and would carefully consider the Committee’s concluding observations and recommendations.

The Chairperson thanked the delegation for its useful and frank interaction with the Committee, but noted that the report had been submitted well after the due date. He hoped that in the future the dialogue between the Committee and the State party would not only continue but be enhanced. He invited the Government to improve the legal protection of all rights enshrined in the Covenant, including by incorporating in the Bill of Rights the right to social security, education, health and an adequate standard of living. He asked the Government to take into consideration the various recommendations from human rights treaty bodies, special procedures mandate holders and the universal periodic review when drafting the National Human Rights Action Plan. The principal areas of concern that the Committee would highlight in its concluding observations included the very limited social security coverage provided, the ineffective enforcement of labour standards, the acute shortage of low-cost housing, forced evictions, and the high maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. He hoped that the Government would not only consider those observations and recommendations but also implement them.

The discussion covered in the summary record ended at 10.20 a.m.