Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Eighty- third session

12-30 August 2013

Item 4 of the provisional agenda

Consideration of reports, comments and information submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention

List of themes in relation to the seventeenth to twenty-second periodic reports of Cyprus (CERD/C/CYP/17-22)

Note by the Country Rapporteur*

Summary

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination decided at its seventy-sixth session (A/65/18, para. 85) that the Country Rapporteur would send to the State party concerned a short list of themes with a view to guiding and focusing the dialogue between the State party’s delegation and the Committee during the consideration of the State party’s report. This document contains a list of such themes. This is not an exhaustive list: other issues may also be raised in the course of the dialogue. No written replies are required.

1.The Convention in domestic law, institutional and policy framework for its implementation (arts. 2, 4, 6 and 7)

(a)Effectiveness of the legal framework in combating racial discrimination;

(b)Access to justice for victims of racial discrimination: complaints, legal proceedings and judgements dealing with racial discrimination; impact of the measures taken to enhance the role of the police in the prevention of racial discrimination in the administration of justice (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, paras. 43, 45-46);

(c)Policies for the elimination of racial discrimination and impact of the implementation of the National Action Plan against Racism (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, paras. 8, 12-15);

(d)Capacity of the Ombudsman to discharge its mandate to fight against racial discrimination (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, para. 12(h)); compliance of the Ombudsman with the Paris Principles and steps taken to seek accreditation by the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, para. 23).

2.Situation of members of communities and minorities. Inter-communal and inter-ethnic relations (arts. 2, 3, 5 and 7)

(a)Self-identification by minorities and enjoyment of their cultural rights (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, paras. 73, 135-136);

(b)Discrimination experienced by Turkish Cypriots, including in the field of employment, education and housing, as well as in the use of the Turkish language (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, para. 140);

(c)Impact of measures taken to address residential and schooling segregation of Roma (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, paras. 33-34);

(d)Concrete responses to hate and racist speech and to hate-based violence, including investigation and prosecution;

(e)Promotion of tolerance, understanding and dialogue between the two communities (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, para. 130).

3.Situation of non-citizens including migrants, refugees and asylum seekers (arts. 5, 6 and 7)

(a)Removal of barriers to the acquisition of citizenship for children born of Cypriot citizens (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, paras. 78-79);

(b)Discrimination against non-citizens in the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, paras. 35-36); protection of non-citizen domestic and agriculture workers against violations of their labour rights and exploitation (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, paras. 87-88);

(c)Prevailing negative prejudices against non-citizens and impact of increased anti-immigrant sentiment; measures taken against the use of xenophobic language, including by politicians and in the media.

4.Human rights education (art. 7)

(a)Information on human rights education for the population, law-enforcement officials, politicians, judges, prosecutors, including on non-discrimination based on race, origin, religion or other status (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, paras. 38-41);

(b)Human rights and intercultural education in school curricula (CERD/C/CYP/17-22, paras. 40, 128).