Committee on Enforced Disappearances
Thirteenth session
4-15 September 2017
Item 4 of the provisional agenda
Adoption of the agenda
Annotated provisional agenda
Provisional agenda
1.Opening of the session.
2.Solemn declaration by the newly elected members of the Committee.
3.Election of the officers.
4.Adoption of the agenda.
5.Minute of silence in remembrance of victims of enforced disappearance.
6.Information received by the Committee.
7.Matters relating to the Committee’s methods of work:
(a)Methods of work relating to articles 29-34 of the Convention;
(b)Strategy to increase ratification of the Convention;
(c)Other matters.
8.Consideration of reports of States parties to the Convention.
9.Follow-up to concluding observations on reports of States parties.
10.Consideration of lists of issues.
11.Consideration of requests for urgent action (art. 30 of the Convention).
12.Consideration of individual communications (art. 31 of the Convention).
13.Annual meeting with the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
14.Thematic discussion on the obligation under the Convention to search for and locate disappeared persons.
15.Meeting with States Members of the United Nations.
16.Meeting with United Nations agencies and mechanisms and intergovernmental organizations.
17.Meeting with national human rights institutions.
18.Meeting with non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders.
19.Provisional agenda for the fourteenth session.
Annotations
1.Opening of the session
The thirteenth session of the Committee will be opened by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or his representative.
2.Solemn declaration by the newly elected members of the Committee
In accordance with rule 11 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, upon assuming their duties, the newly elected members of the Committee will make the following solemn declaration:
“I solemnly declare that I shall perform my duties and exercise my powers as a member of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances independently, objectively, honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously.”
3.Election of the officers
In accordance with rule 15 of the rules of procedure, the Committee will elect from among its members a Chair, three Vice-Chairs and a Rapporteur, with due regard to equitable geographical representation. In electing its officers, the Committee shall also give consideration to appropriate gender balance and, to the extent possible, rotation among members.
4.Adoption of the agenda
In accordance with rule 8 of the rules of procedure, the first item on the provisional agenda for any session shall be the adoption of the agenda, except for the election of the officers. Under this item, the Committee will consider and adopt the agenda for its thirteenth session.
5.Minute of silence in remembrance of victims of enforced disappearance
The Committee will hold a minute of silence in remembrance of victims of enforced disappearance.
6.Information received by the Committee
The Committee will consider any information received in relation to articles 33 and 34 of the Convention.
7.Matters relating to the Committee’s methods of work
(a)Methods of work relating to articles 29-34 of the Convention
The Committee will continue to develop a methodology and working procedures for the implementation of articles 29-34 of the Convention.
(b)Strategy to increase ratification of the Convention
The Committee will examine the rate at which the Convention is being ratified and discuss strategies to encourage both ratification of the Convention and acceptance of the competence of the Committee under articles 31 and 32 of the Convention.
(c)Other matters
The Committee will discuss any other matters relating to its methods of work.
8.Consideration of reports of States parties to the Convention
The Committee will consider the reports of Lithuania and Gabon, submitted pursuant to article 29 (1) of the Convention.
Tentative timetable for the consideration of reports:
Lithuania (CED/C/LTU/1): Monday, 4 September 2017 (afternoon) and Tuesday, 5 September 2017 (morning);
Gabon (CED/C/GAB/1): Tuesday, 5 September 2017 (afternoon) and Wednesday, 6 September 2017 (morning).
In accordance with rule 51 of its rules of procedure, the Committee, through the Secretary-General, has informed the States parties concerned of the dates on which their respective reports are scheduled to be considered.
9.Follow-up to concluding observations on reports of States parties
The Committee will review information received from Burkina Faso, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Montenegro and Tunisia on follow-up to the concluding observations.
10.Consideration of lists of issues
The Committee will examine and adopt lists of issues in relation to the reports submitted by Albania (CED/C/ALB/1), Honduras (CED/C/HND/1) and Austria (CED/C/AUT/1), pursuant to article 29 (1) of the Convention.
11.Consideration of requests for urgent action (art. 30 of the Convention)
The special rapporteur appointed to consider urgent action requests under article 30 of the Convention will report to the Committee on requests received and the follow-up actions taken since the previous session.
12.Consideration of individual communications (art. 31 of the Convention)
The Committee will examine individual communications pursuant to article 31 of the Convention.
13.Annual meeting with the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
The Committee will hold its annual meeting with the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances with a view to maintaining strong and effective cooperation between the two mechanisms, avoiding duplication of duties, achieving the common goal of eradicating the practice of enforced disappearance and ensuring the right to truth, justice and reparation for victims.
14.Thematic discussion on the obligation under the Convention to search for and locate disappeared persons
The Committee will hold a thematic discussion on the obligation under the Convention to search for and locate disappeared persons, with the participation of relevant stakeholders such as intergovernmental organizations, United Nations programmes and agencies, human rights mechanisms, civil society and academics.
15.Meeting with States Members of the United Nations
The Committee will hold a meeting with States parties and States signatories to the Convention and other States Members of the United Nations to discuss relevant topics under the Convention.
16.Meeting with United Nations agencies and mechanisms and intergovernmental organizations
The Committee will meet with United Nations agencies and mechanisms and with intergovernmental organizations that work on issues related to enforced disappearance.
17.Meeting with national human rights institutions
The Committee will hold a meeting with national human rights institutions on matters relating to the implementation of the Convention.
18.Meeting with non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders
The Committee will hold a meeting with non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders on matters relating to the implementation of the Convention.
19.Provisional agenda for the fourteenth session
The Committee will discuss the list of items to be included in the provisional agenda for its fourteenth session, to be held in March 2018 (exact dates to be confirmed).