HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

Seventy-third session

Geneva

15 October-2 November 2001

PROVISIONAL AGENDA AND ANNOTATIONS

Note by the Secretary-General

1.The seventy-third session of the Human Rights Committee will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 15 October to 2 November 2001. The first meeting will be convened at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais Wilson, Ground Floor Conference Room, on Monday, 15 October 2001 at 10.30 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-third 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 5 which contain the tentative timetable for the consideration of reports at the seventy-third session. In accordance with rule 68 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, representatives of States parties are supposed to be present at the meetings of the Committee when their reports are examined.

5.At its seventy-second session, the Committee decided that a working group, established under rules 62 and 89 of its rules of procedure, should meet for a period of one week prior to its seventy-third session. The working group is scheduled to meet at the United Nations Office at Geneva, Palais Wilson, Ground Floor Conference Room, from 8 to 12 October 2001. The first meeting of the Working Group will be convened on 8 October 2001, at 10.30 a.m.

GE.01-44202 (E) 050901

PROVISIONAL AGENDA

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

2.Adoption of the agenda.

3.Organizational and other matters.

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

(b)Working methods;

(c)Follow-up to the Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World

Conference against Racism.

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

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

6.General Comment of the Committee.

7.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-third session of the Committee.

2.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.

3.Organizational and other matters

Under this item, the Committee will (a) consider the report of the Chairperson/Rapporteur of the working group; (b) continue the examination of working methods; and (c) discuss the follow-up, if any, which the Committee may wish to devote to the Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, on 7 September 2001.

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

A. Reports received

In addition to the reports which are scheduled for consideration by the Committee at its seventy-third session (see the timetable for consideration of reports under item 5 below), the Secretary-General has received the reports of the following States parties:

Initial reports

State party	Symbol	Date due	Date received
Moldova	CCPR/C/MDA/2001/1	1994	17 January 2001
Second periodic reports
Georgia Viet Nam	CCPR/C/GEO/2000/2 CCPR/C/VNM/2001/2	2000 1991	9 August 2000 3 April 2001
Third periodic reports
Togo Yemen	CCPR/C/TGO/2001/3 CCPR/C/YEM/2001/3	1995 1998	19 April 2001 17 July 2001
Fourth periodic reports
Hungary Yugoslavia New Zealand	CCPR/C/HUN/2000/4 CCPR/C/YUG/99/4 CCPR/C/NZL/2001/4	1995 1993 1995	12 December 2000 (retransmittal of report submitted in 1999) 5 March 1999 7 March 2001
Fifth periodic reports
Sweden Ukraine	CCPR/C/SWE/2000/5 CCPR/C/UKR/99/5	1999 1999	23 October 2000 20 September 1999

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 2001 annual report to the General Assembly (A/56/40, vol. I).

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

Covenant

A tentative timetable for the consideration of reports at the seventy-third 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

Ukraine	Fifth periodic report (CCPR/C/UKR/99/5)	Monday 15 October 2001 p.m. Tuesday 16 October 2001 a.m.
United Kingdom and Overseas Territories	Fifth period report (CCPR/C/UK/99/5) (CCPR/C/OKOT/99/5)	Wednesday 17 October 2001 a.m./p.m. Thursday 18 October 2001 a.m.
Switzerland	Second period report (CCPR/C/CH/99/2)	Friday 19 October 2001 a.m./p.m.
Afghanistan	Second periodic report (CCPR/C/57/Add.5)	Tuesday 23 October 2001 p.m. Wednesday 24 October 2001 a.m.
Azerbaijan	Second periodic report (CCPR/C/AZE/99/2)	Friday 26 October 2001 a.m./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-third session. These States parties are the United Kingdom (including Overseas Territories), Switzerland, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.

6.General Comments of the Committee

Under this item, the Committee may begin consideration of a draft general comment on article 2 (provision of effective remedies for violations of the Covenant). Scheduling of any discussion on a draft general comment would be subject to the availability of a draft prior to the beginning of the seventy-third session; otherwise discussion would be deferred to the seventy‑fourth session.

7.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.

One hundred and ninety-four 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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