Human Rights Committee
102nd session
Geneva, 11-29 July 2011
Provisional agenda and annotations
Note by the Secretary-General*
1.The 102nd session of the Human Rights Committee will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 11 to 29 July 2011. The first meeting will be convened (Palais Wilson, ground floor conference room) on Monday 11 July 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 102nd 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 7 , which contain the tentative timetable for the consideration of reports during the 102nd 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.As established under rule 95 of its rules of procedure, a working group should meet for a period of one week prior to its 102nd session. The pre-sessional working group will meet from 4 to 8 July 2011.
Provisional agenda
1.Opening of the session by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or her representative.
2. Adoption of the agenda.
3. Organizational and other matters, including the report of the pre-sessional working group on individual communications.
4.Meeting with representatives of United Nations bodies and specialized agencies on States parties whose reports will be examined during the session.
5. Meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations,and national human rights institutions on improving cooperation with the Committee.
6. Submission of reports by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant.
7. Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant.
8.Consideration of country situations in the absence of reports, pursuant to rule 70 of the Committee’s rules of procedure.
9. Follow-up to concluding observations on State reports and to Views under the Optional Protocol.
10. General comments of the Committee.
11. Consideration of communications under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.
12.Adoption of the annual report to the General Assembly.
Annotations
1.Opening of the session by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or her representative
The High Commissioner for Human Rights or her representative will open the 102nd 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, including the report of the pre-sessional working group on individual communications
Under this item, the Committee will adopt the report from the working group on individual communications and will consider miscellaneous issues relevant to the Committee’s business.
4.Meeting with representatives of United Nations bodies and specialized agencies on States parties whose reports will be examined during the session.
At each session, the Committee hears representatives of United Nations bodies and specialized agencies represented at the United Nations Office at Geneva on the human rights situation in States parties whose reports will be examined during the session.. A meeting has accordingly been scheduled for the morning meeting on Monday 11 July, from 10.30 to 11 a.m...
5.Meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions on improving cooperation with the Committee.
During the previous session, the Committee decided to meet with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and national human rights institutions (NHRIs) during the 102nd session, to consider ways in which cooperation between the Committee and these bodies could be improved. A meeting has accordingly been scheduled for the morning meeting on Monday 11 July, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
6.Submission of reports by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant
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 annexes III and IV of the Committee’s annual report to the General Assembly for 2010 (A/65/40, vol. I).
7.Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant
The reports to be considered during the 102nd session are those of Ethiopia, Bulgaria, and Kazakhstan.
A tentative timetable for the consideration of reports at the 102nd session, prepared in consultation with the Committee, is given below:
Timetable for consideration of reports under article 40 of the Covenant
|
Ethiopia |
Initial report(CCPR/C/ETH/1) |
Monday, 11 July 2011, p.m.Tuesday, 12 July, a.m. and p.m. |
|
Bulgaria |
Third periodic report (CCPR/C/BGR/3) |
Wednesday, 13 July, p.m. Thursday, 14 July, a.m. |
|
Kazakhstan |
Initial report (CCPR/C/KAZ/1) |
Thursday, 14 July, p.m. Friday, 15 July, a.m.and 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 102nd session.
Country report task forces will examine and adopt lists of issues on the reports of Maldives, Turkmenistan and Iceland, as well as on the situation in Mozambique (in the absence of a report).
8.Consideration of country situations in the absence of reports, pursuant to rule 70 of the Committee’s rules of procedure.
The Committee will also consider the situation of civil and political rights protected under the Covenant in Dominica in the absence of a report on Monday 18 July 2011, a.m.
9.Follow-up to concluding observations on State reports and to Views under the Optional Protocol
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; she will provide a progress report on her activities during the 102nd session. The Special Rapporteur for follow-up on Views will also provide a progress report on his activities.
10.General comments of the Committee
Under this item, the Committee will continue considering a draft general comment on article 19 of the Covenant.
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.
A total of 330 communications are pending before the Committee as of 28 April 2011 . 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 88 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, this agenda item will be considered in closed meetings.