HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

Seventy-seventh session

Geneva, 17 March-4 April 2003

PROVISIONAL AGENDA AND ANNOTATIONS

Note by the Secretary-General

1.The seventy-seventh session of the Human Rights Committee will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 17 March to 4 April 2003. The first meeting will be convened at the Palais Wilson, Ground Floor Conference Room, on Monday, 17 March 2003 at 10 a.m.

2.In accordance with rule 6 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the Secretary‑General has prepared, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Committee, the attached provisional agenda for the seventy-seventh session. Annotations to the provisional agenda are also attached.

3.Pursuant to rule 33 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the meetings of the Committee will be held in public unless the Committee decides otherwise or it appears from the relevant provisions of the Covenant or the Optional Protocol that the meetings should be held in private.

4.The attention of States parties is drawn, in particular, to the annotations to item 8 which contains the tentative timetable for the consideration of reports during the seventy‑seventh session. In accordance with rule 68 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, representatives of States parties are expected to be present at the meetings of the Committee when their reports are examined.

5.At its seventy-sixth session, the Committee decided that a working group, established under rule 89 of its rules of procedure, should meet for a period of one week prior to its seventy‑seventh session from 10 to 14 March 2003. The first meeting of the Working Group will be convened at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais Wilson, Ground Floor Conference Room, on Monday, 10 March 2003, at 10 a.m.

GE.02-46312 (E) 201202

PROVISIONAL AGENDA

1.Opening of the session by the representative of the Secretary-General.

2.Solemn declaration by newly elected members of the Committee in accordance with article 38 of the Covenant.

3.Election of the Chairperson and other officers of the Committee.

4.Adoption of the agenda.

5.Organizational and other matters.

(a)Report of the Chairperson/Rapporteur of the pre-sessional working group;

(b)Miscellaneous.

6.Consultation with representatives of non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations.

7.Submission of reports by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant.

8.Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant.

9.Follow-up on concluding observations.

10.General Comments of the Committee.

11.Consideration of communications under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.

ANNOTATIONS

1.Opening of the session by the representative of the Secretary-General

The Representative of the Secretary-General will open the seventy-seventh session of the Committee.

2.Solemn declaration by the newly elected members of the Committee in accordance with article 38 of the Covenant

In accordance with article 38 of the Covenant and rule 16 of the rules of procedure, the nine members of the Committee elected or re-elected at the Twenty-First Meeting of States Parties to the Covenant on 9 September 2002 and the newly elected member elected at the Twenty-Second Meeting of States Parties to the Covenant on 4 February 2003 will make the following solemn declaration:

“I solemnly undertake to discharge my duties as a member of the Human Rights Committee impartially and conscientiously.”

3.Election of the Chairperson and other officers of the Committee

In accordance with article 39, paragraph 1, of the Covenant and rule 18 of the rules of procedure, the Committee shall elect from among its members a Chairperson, three Vice‑Chairpersons and a Rapporteur. The officers of the Committee shall be elected for a term of two years.

Under rule 58 of the rules of procedure, elections shall be held by secret ballot, unless the Committee decides otherwise in the case of an election to fill a place for which there is only one candidate.

4.Adoption of the agenda

Under rule 8 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the first item on the agenda for any session shall be the adoption of the agenda. In accordance with rule 9, the Committee may revise the agenda during a session and may, as appropriate, defer or delete items.

5.Organizational and other matters

Under this item, the Committee will (a) consider the report of the Chairperson‑Rapporteur of the working group; and (b) consider miscellaneous issues relevant to the Committee’s business, notably the Secretary-General’s proposals relating to reform of the human rights treaty bodies.

6.Consultation with representatives of non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations

At its seventy-sixth session, the Committee decided to hear representatives of non‑governmental and intergovernmental organizations during the first plenary meeting of the Committee. These consultations have accordingly been scheduled for the morning meeting on Monday, 17 March 2003.

7.Submission of reports by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant

A. Reports received

Apart from the reports which are scheduled for consideration by the Committee at its seventy‑seventh and seventy-eighth sessions (see the timetable for consideration of reports under item 7 below), the Secretary-General has received the periodic reports of Philippines, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Germany and Latvia.

B. Reports due

For the situation with regard to the submission of reports by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant reference is made to chapter III and annex IV of the Committee’s annual report to the General Assembly for 2002 (see A/57/40, vol. I).

8.Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant

A tentative timetable for the consideration of reports at the seventy-seventh session, prepared in consultation with the Chairperson and subject to approval by the Committee, is given below:

Timetable for consideration of reports of States parties

Israel	Second periodic report (CCPR/C/ISR/2001/2)	Monday, 17 March 2003 p.m. Tuesday, 18 March 2003 a.m.
Estonia	Second periodic report (CCPR/C/EST/2002/2)	Thursday, 20 March 2003 p.m. Friday, 21 March 2003, a.m.
Luxembourg	Third periodic report (CCPR/C/LUX/2002/3)	Monday, 24 March 2003 a.m./p.m.
Mali	Non-reporting State party (CCPR/C/77/L/MLI)	Tuesday, 25 March 2003 p.m. Wednesday, 26 March 2003 p.m.

In accordance with rule 68 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the Secretary-General has informed the States parties concerned of the dates on which their respective reports are scheduled for consideration by the Committee at its seventy-seventh session. These States parties are Israel, Estonia and Luxembourg. Mali will be considered in the absence of its second, third, fourth and fifth periodic reports, under the new procedure.

The reports to be considered during the seventy-eighth session are those of Slovakia, El Salvador, the Russian Federation and Portugal. The situation of Equatorial Guinea will be considered in the absence of a report, under the new procedure.

9.Follow-up on concluding observations

At its seventy-fourth session, the Committee adopted decisions governing the procedure for following up on concluding observations. During the seventy-fifth session, a Special Rapporteur for follow-up on concluding observations was appointed; he gave a first report on his activities during the seventy-sixth session. He will provide a second report on his activities during the seventy-seventh session.

10.General comments of the Committee

Under this item, the Committee may continue consideration of a draft general comment on article 2 (provision of effective remedies for violations of the Covenant) which was begun at the seventy-fourth session. During the seventh-seventh session the Committee should complete the first reading of the draft general comment, which was begun during the seventh-sixth session.

11.Consideration of communications under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant

In accordance with the provisions of chapter XVII of the rules of procedure, the Committee will consider under this item communications which are or appear to be submitted to it under the Optional Protocol.

Two hundred and ninety-five communications are pending before the Committee. Pursuant to the Committee’s new rules of procedure allowing the joint examination of admissibility and merits in most cases, the Committee’s examination of these communications may result in the adoption of Views, or in decisions declaring the communications admissible or inadmissible.

In accordance with article 5, paragraph 3, of the Optional Protocol and rule 82 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, this agenda item will be considered in closed meetings.

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