Thirty-ninth session

23 July to 10 August 2007

Report of the Working Group on Communications under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on its ninth session

1.The Working Group on Communications under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women held its ninth session from 5 to 7 February 2007. Magalys Arocha Dominguez, Cees Flinterman, Pramila Patten and Anamah Tan attended the session. Dorcas Coker-Appiah did not attend.

2.Ms. Tan was elected Chairperson of the Working Group. Mr. Flinterman was elected Vice-Chairperson.

3.The Working Group adopted its agenda as set out in the annex.

4.The Working Group discussed correspondence that had been received by the secretariat since its eighth session and reviewed the status of five pending communications. It discussed correspondence from an author who had requested that her case be reopened, and decided that the grounds for inadmissibility still applied and that the author should be so informed. The Working Group also turned down one request for interim measures.

5.The Working Group continued to review its working methods, which should henceforth take into account the work being undertaken by the human rights treaty bodies to harmonize their working methods. It held a discussion of a number of rules of procedure that might need revision.

6.The Working Group held a preliminary discussion on reservations related to individual communications and used the report of the meeting of the Working Group on Reservations (HRI/MC/2007/5) as its starting point.

7.The Working Group noted that the databases of Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (http://sim.law.uu.nl) and the human rights index (http://www.universalhumanrightsindex.org/) developed by the Institute of Public Law of the University of Bern, Switzerland, provided access to collections of information on human rights, including decisions of human rights treaty bodies under individual complaints procedures.

Action taken

8.The Working Group:

(a)Decided that its tenth session would be held from 18 to 20 July 2007 and adopted the provisional agenda for that session;

(b)Registered communications 12/2007, 13/2007 and 14/2007;

(c)Requested its secretariat to make arrangements for it to hold an informal two-day session, with one day of interpretation, for work on draft recommendations on communications, to be held immediately following the thirty-eighth session of the Committee;

(d)Requested its secretariat to provide, as might be relevant, monthly updates on new correspondence received as well as on the status of pending cases. The secretariat should also provide the Working Group at its tenth session with statistical information on correspondence received and cases registered, by region and country;

(e)Recommended that the Committee appoint Ms. Tan and Ms. Patten as Rapporteurs on follow-up to the views on communication 4/2004, Ms. A.S. v .  Hungary;

(f)Recommended that the Committee request the United Nations Secretariat to make continuous efforts to further disseminate information about and develop training materials, including leaflets and checklists, on the Optional Protocol, in cooperation with entities of the United Nations system, including regional commissions and United Nations country teams;

(g)Recommended that the Committee consider amending its rules of procedure as follows:

(i)Rule 60. In paragraph 1, replace the word “may” with the word “shall”;

(ii)Rule 63. In paragraphs 2, 3 and 4, delete the words “or rapporteur”;

(iii)Rule 64. In paragraph 2, replace the words “provided that it is composed of five members and all of the members so decide” with the words “provided that all members eligible to participate so decide”;

(iv)Rule 69. Throughout the rule, replace the words “explanation or statement” with the words “explanations or statements” in order to bring the rule into line with article 6, paragraph 2, of the Optional Protocol.

Annex

Agenda of the ninth session of the Working Group

1.Election of officers.

2.Adoption of the agenda and organization of work.

3.Review of steps and activities undertaken since the last session.

4.Review and discussion of working methods.

5.Update of communications.

6.Any other matters.

7.Adoption of the provisional agenda and dates for the tenth session of the Working Group, and of the report of the Working Group on its ninth session.