Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

100th session

25 November–13 December 2019

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 combined fourteenth to seventeenth periodic reports of Cambodia

Note by the Country Rapporteur

1.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. The present document contains a list of such themes. It is not an exhaustive list; other issues may also be raised in the course of the dialogue. No written replies are required.

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

2.Statistics on the ethnic composition of the population, including minority groups and non-citizens; data on the socioeconomic situation of indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, and non-citizens (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 12; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, paras. 5–8).

3.Update on the implementation and impact of the definition of racial discrimination and any anti-racial discrimination legislation in the State party; measures taken to bring the definition of racial discrimination in article 31 of the Constitution and in the Criminal Code into line with article 1 of the Convention; update on any existing articles in the Criminal Code criminalizing hate speech, incitement to hatred and hate crimes (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 11; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, paras. 20–21).

4.Update on the implementation and impact of measures taken to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and investigate corruption (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 13; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, paras. 22–25).

5.Update on the status of the draft law to establish a national human rights institution in accordance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles) (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 15; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, paras. 38–39).

Situation of ethnic minorities

6.Update on measures taken to ensure that citizenship documents can be obtained by Khmer Krom in a timely manner and under the same procedures as apply to all Cambodian citizens (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 18; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, paras. 31–33).

7.Measures taken to enable Khmer Krom to record their true name and place of birth in their identification documents (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 19; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, paras. 34–37).

8.Measures taken to ensure access by persons of Vietnamese descent to socioeconomic rights, adequate water and housing, education and health care, in particular those affected by relocations.

9.Measures taken to ensure that citizenship and administrative documents, and birth registrations, can be accessed by ethnic Vietnamese families.

10.Measures taken to protect ethnic Vietnamese persons from race-based violence and attacks.

Situation of indigenous peoples

11.Update on the implementation and impact of measures taken to protect indigenous peoples’ rights to possess, develop, control and use their communal lands (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 16; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, paras. 9–15).

12.Measures taken to protect vulnerable groups against attacks and intimidation as they seek to exercise their rights in relation to communal lands; measures taken to ensure equal access to justice and judicial mechanisms for all, including minorities and indigenous peoples (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 17; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, paras. 26–29).

13.Measures taken to improve the socioeconomic conditions of indigenous peoples and their access to health services and education.

14.Update on efforts to renew and implement action plans such as the Education Strategic Plan 2014–2018 and the National Action Plan on Multi-Language Education 2015–2018, and their impact on improving education for ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 20; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, paras. 16–19).

Non-citizens, including refugees, asylum seekers and stateless persons (arts. 2 and 5)

15.Measures taken to ensure that the law on asylum and other measures are fully implemented to protect asylum seekers with respect to the principle of non-refoulement (CERD/C/KHM/CO/8-13, para. 14; CERD/C/KHM/14-17, para. 30).