Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Seventy-third session
Summary record (partial)* of the 1st meeting
Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva, on Monday, 13 February 2023, at 10 a.m.
Chair:Mr. Abdel-Moneim
Contents
Opening of the session
Statement by the representative of the Secretary-General
Solemn declaration by new members of the Committee
Election of the Chair and other officers of the Committee
Adoption of the agenda
The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m.
Opening of the session
The Chair declared open the seventy-third session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Statement by the representative of the Secretary-General
Ms. Lee (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)) said that the state of economic, social and cultural rights at the beginning of 2023 was reflected in the year’s United Nations Human Rights Appeal, which highlighted the global socioeconomic crisis, the deepening inequalities within and between countries, the issue of impunity, the rising cost of living and the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals had stalled, in part as a consequence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The year ahead would provide the international community with an opportunity to address broader issues as part of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had underscored the need to work together better to place human rights at the core of sustainable development and to infuse economies with them. The discussion at the fifth intersessional meeting of the Human Rights Council on human rights and the 2030 Agenda had focused on delivering the 2030 Agenda through an economy that enhanced human rights.
Against that backdrop, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights looked to the Committee and the guidance it provided to States. During the current session, the Committee would hold a day of general discussion to provide input for the first draft of its general comment on economic, social, and cultural rights and sustainable development. At a time when multiple crises continued to throw into stark relief the links between human rights and the economy, an area in which the Office planned to scale up its activities, the work of the Committee was more relevant than ever.
The Office was continuing its work to strengthen the treaty body system and finalize an implementation plan to give effect to the conclusions of the meeting of the Chairs of the human rights treaty bodies held in June 2022. The plan would include the introduction of a predictable review cycle, with which the Committee had already agreed to proceed as soon as the relevant resources were made available. Beyond human and financial resources, the Committee would also require additional meeting time and state-of-the-art digital tools that were accessible to persons with disabilities. The chronic underfunding of the treaty body system had contributed to significant backlogs of State party reports and individual communications. The High Commissioner was committed to doing his utmost to secure greater funding for human rights mechanisms during his tenure.
Solemn declaration by new members of the Committee
Mr. Fiorio Vaesken, Ms. Lee and Ms. Rossi made the solemn declaration provided for in rule 13 of the Committee ’ s rules of procedure.
Election of the Chair and other officers of the Committee
The Chair invited nominations for the offices of Vice-Chair.
Ms. Lemus de Vásquez nominated Ms. Ravenberg.
Mr. Nonthasoot nominated Ms. Saran.
Ms. Ravenberg and Ms. Saran were elected Vice-Chairs by acclamation.
Adoption of the agenda ( E/C.12/73/1 )
The agenda was adopted.
The discussion covered in the summary record ended at 10.20 a.m.