Human Rights Committee

10 9 th session

Geneva, 14 October – 1 November 2013

Item 2 of the provisional agenda

Adoption of the agenda

Provisional agenda and annotations

Note by the Secretary-General

1.The 109th session of the Human Rights Committee will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 14 October to 1 November 2013. The first meeting will be convened (Palais Wilson, ground floor conference room) on Monday, 14 October 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 109th 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 6 which contains the tentative timetable for the consideration of reports during the 109th 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 the Committee’s rules of procedure, a working group should meet for a period of one week prior to the 109th session. The pre-sessional working group will meet from 7 to 11 October 2013.

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 adoption of the report of the pre-sessional working group on individual communications.

4.Meeting with representatives of United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations.

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

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

7.Follow-up to concluding observations on State party reports.

8.Follow-up to Views under the Optional Protocol.

9.Consideration of communications under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant.

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 109th 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 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.

4.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 United Nations bodies, specialized agencies, national human rights institutions (NHRIs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) represented at the United Nations Office at Geneva. The following meetings have accordingly been scheduled: United Nations organizations and specialized agencies on 14 October from 10.45 a.m.to 11.45 a.m.; NHRIs and NGOs on Djibouti, Bolivia (Plurinational State of) and the United States of America on 14 October from 11.45 a.m. to 1 p.m.; NHRIs and NGOs on Uruguay, Mozambique and Mauritania on 21 October from 11.30 to 1 p.m.

5.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 2013 (A/68/40, vol. I).

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

The reports to be considered during the 109th session are those of Bolivia Plurinational State of), Djibouti, Mauritania, Mozambique, the United States of America and Ukraine. A tentative timetable for the consideration of reports during the 109th session, prepared in consultation with the Committee, is given below:

Timetable for consideration of reports under article 40 of the Covenant

Bolivia ( Plurinational State of)	Third periodic report (CCPR/C/ BOL / 3 )	Monday, 14 October , p.m. Wednesday, 1 6 October , a.m .
Djibouti	Initial report (CCPR/C/ DJI / 1 )	Wednesday, 1 6 October , p.m. Thursday, 1 7 October , a.m .
U nited S tates of A merica	Fourth periodic report (CCPR/C/ USA / 4 )	Thursday , 1 7 October , p.m. Friday , 1 8 October , a.m .
Mauritania	Initial repo rt (CCPR/C/ MRT / 1 )	Monday, 2 1 October , p.m. Tuesday, 22 October , a.m.
Mozambique	Initial report (CCPR/C/ MOZ / 1 )	Tues day , 22October , p.m. Wedn esday , 23October , a.m.
Uruguay	Fifth periodic report (CCPR/C/ URY / 5 )	Wedn esday , 23 October , p . m . Thursday , 24 October , 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 109th session.

Country report task forces will examine and adopt lists of issues on the reports of Burundi, Georgia, Ireland, Japan, Latvia and Sudan.

7.Follow-up to concluding observations on State reports

At its seventy-fourth session, the Committee adopted decisions governing the procedure for following up on concluding observations. The Special Rapporteur will provide an oral progress report on his/her activities during the 109th session.

8.Follow-up to Views under the Optional Protocol

The Special Rapporteur for follow-up on Views will provide a progress report on his/her activities.

9.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 356 communications are pending before the Committee as of 20 July 2013. 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 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.