Human Rights Committee
10 4 th session
New York, 12 to 30 March 2012
Provisional agenda and annotations
Note by the Secretary-General
1.The 104th session of the Human Rights Committee will be held at United Nations Headquarters, New York, from 12 to 30 March 2012. The first meeting will be convened on Monday 12 March at 10 a.m. in Conference Room 4.
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 104th 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 104th 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 104th session. The pre-sessional working group will meet from 5 to 9 March 2012.
Provisional agenda
Opening of the session by the representative of the Secretary-General.
Solemn declaration by the newly elected members of the Committee in accordance with article 38 of the Covenant.
3.Adoption of the agenda.
4.Organizational and other matters, including the adoption of the report of the pre-sessional working group on individual communications.
5.Meeting with representatives of United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations.
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.Consideration of communications under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.
11.Adoption of the annual report to the General Assembly.
Annotations
1.Opening of the session by the representative of the Secretary-General
The representativeof the Secretary-General will open the 104th session of the Committee.
2.Solemn declaration by the newly elected member of the Committeein accordance with article 38 of the Covenant
In accordance with article 38 of the Covenant and rule 16 of the rules of procedure, the member s of the Committee elected at the thirtieth meeting of States Parties to the Covenant on 17 January 2012 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.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.
4.Organizational and other matters, including the adoption of the report of the pre-sessional working group on individual communications
Under this item, the Committee will consider miscellaneous issues relevant to the Committee’s business.
5.Meeting with representatives of United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations
At each session, the Committee hears representatives of non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations represented at the United Nations offices at Geneva and New York. The following meetings have accordingly been scheduled: for specialized agencies on 12 March from 12 to 12.30 p.m.; for NHRIs and NGOs on the Dominican Republic on 12 March from 12.30 to 1 p.m.; for NHRIs and NGOs on Yemen and Turkmenistan on 14 March from 12 to 1 p.m., and for NHRIs and NGOs on Guatemala, Mozambique and Cape Verde on 19 March from 11.30 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 2011 (A/66/40, vol. I).
7.Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 40 of the Covenant
The reports to be considered during the 104th session are those of Dominican Republic, Yemen, Turkmenistan and Guatemala. A tentative timetable for the consideration of reports at the 104th session, prepared in consultation with the Committee, is given below:
Timetable for consideration of reports under article 40 of the Covenant
|
Dominican Republic |
Fifth periodic report(CCPR/C/DOM/5) |
Monday 12 March 2012, p.m.Tuesday 13 March, a.m. |
|
Yemen |
Fifth periodic report (CCPR/C/YEM/5) |
Wednesday 14 March, p.m. Thursday 15 March, a.m. |
|
Turkmenistan |
Initial report (CCPR/C/TKM/1) |
Thursday 15 March, p.m. Friday 16 March, a.m. and p.m. |
|
Guatemala |
Third periodic report (CCPR/C/GTM/3) |
Monday 19 March, p.m. Tuesday 20 March, a.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 104th session.
Country report task forces will examine and adopt lists of issues on the reports of the Philippines, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paraguay, Portugal and Turkey.
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 Mozambique and Cape Verde in the absence of a report on Tuesday 20 March, p.m., and Wednesday 21, 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 his activities during the 104th session. The Special Rapporteur for follow-up on Views will also provide a progress report on his activities.
10.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 340 communications were pending before the Committee as of 1 December 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.