Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Seventy-s event h session

2–27 August 2010

Implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

List of themes to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the seventh and eight periodic reports of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CERD/C/BIH/7-8)

The following is a list of themes identified by the Country Rapporteur in connection with the consideration of the seventh and eight periodic reports of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The list is meant to guide the dialogue between the State party delegation and the Committee and does not require written replies. This is not an exhaustive list as other issues will be raised in the course of the dialogue.

1.Reliable statistics on composition of the population

(a)Update on measures taken by the State party to understand its demographic composition and determine progress and trends in the elimination of racial discrimination, such as: identification surveys to assess the situation of all ethnic groups residing in the State party; social surveys and development of measurable indicators and their analysis (CERD/C/BIH/7-8, paras. 9–11, 51–52).

2.The Convention in domestic law and human rights framework for its implementation (arts. 1, 2, 4 and 6)

(a)Progress in the implementation of existing legal, policy, and institutional frameworks to combat racial discrimination (CERD/C/BIH/7-8, paras. 13–21, 94–100 ff.);

(b)Measures taken by the State party towards amending its constitutional laws with a view to abolishing distinctions in law and in practice that favour and grant special privileges and preferences to certain ethnic groups (“constituent peoples” vs. “others”) (CERD/C/BIH/7-8, paras. 26–32);

(c)Detailed information on the content of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination adopted in July 2009, including its full compliance with article 4 of the Convention and its effective implementation;

(d)Measures taken by the State party to establish adequate mechanisms for monitoring acts of ethnically motivated discrimination and violence among its different ethnic groups (CERD/C/BIH/7-8, paras. 13–21);

(e)Update on measures taken by the State party to ensure effective judicial recourse and compensation for racial discrimination complaints (CERD/C/BIH/7-8, paras. 98, 103, 131–133 and 234–253).

3.Segregation of minorities, especially Roma (arts. 3 and 5)

(a)Measures taken to strengthen financially and institutionally the Roma Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CERD/C/BIH/7-8, paras. 82, 89–93);

(b)Progress in addressing substantive discrimination experienced by Roma in employment, housing and health care (CERD/C/BIH/7-8, paras. 35, 43–46, 58, 89–93, 204–206, 255, 257, 259 and 261–284);

(c)Progress in addressing substantive discrimination experienced by Roma children in schools (CERD/C/BIH/7-8, paras. 299 and 302).

4.Elimination of segregated education (arts. 3, 5 and 7)

(a)Update on measures carried out to eliminate mono-ethnic schools and schools structured as “two schools under one roof”, and to remove ethnically discriminatory elements from textbooks and school programmes, as a means to forge a multi-ethnic concept of citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CERD/C/BIH/7-8, paras. 315 and 316).