Twenty- fifth meeting of chairpersons

of the human rights treaty bodies

Geneva, 24–28 June 2013

Item 2 of the provisional agenda

Adoption of the agenda

Provisional agenda and annotations

Note by the Secretary-General

1.The twenty-fifth meeting of chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies will be held from 24 to 28 June 2013, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 49/178 of 23 December 1994.

2.The present document contains the provisional agenda and annotations for the twenty-fifth meeting.

Provisional agenda

1. Opening of the meeting and election of officers.

2.Adoption of the agenda.

3.Organizational matters.

4.Follow-up to the recommendations of the twenty-fourth meeting of chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies, including harmonization of the working methods and implementation ofrecommendations included in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the strengthening of the treaty body system (A/66/860).

5. Treaty bodies and the intergovernmental process on treaty body strengthening:

(a)Meeting with the co-facilitators of the intergovernmental process on treaty body strengthening (General Assembly 66/254);

(b)Informal consultation with States;

(c)Informal consultation with civil society organizations and the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.

6.Treaty bodies and the post-2015 development agenda.

7. Thepromotion of equitable geographical distribution in the membership of the human rights treaty bodies (General Assembly 66/153).

8.Other matters.

9.Adoption of the report and setting of dates for the twenty-sixth meeting of chairpersons.

Annotations

1.Opening of the meeting and election of officers

The meeting will convene in Geneva on Monday 24June2013, at 10 a.m. The meeting will elect its Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, based on the principle of rotation among chairpersons.

2.Adoption of the agenda

The meeting will adopt its agenda on the basis of the provisional agenda contained in the present document.

3.Organizational matters

Under this agenda item, the meeting will consider and adopt a programme of work. The meeting will then receive an update from the Chairperson of the twenty-fourth meeting on relevant developments since the last annual meeting.

4. Follow-up to the recommendations of the twenty-fourth meeting of chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies, including harmonization of the working methods and implementation of recommendations included in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the strengthening of the treaty body system (A/66/860)

At their twenty-fourth meeting, the Chairpersons recommended that each treaty body should carefully review the recommendations addressed to the treaty bodies in the High Commissioner’s report on the strengthening of the treaty body system (A/66/860) and compare them with their current working methods in order to determine what steps were required for the implementation of the recommendations. As agreed during the twenty-fourth annual meeting of chairpersons, participants will also review the possibility and feasibility of developing a register of interests for each treaty body. The meeting will have before it a report on the implementation by the treaty bodies of the recommendations contained in the High Commissioner’s report and an updated report on the working methods of the human rights treaty bodies.

5.Treaty bodies and the intergovernmental process on treaty body strengthening

(a) Meeting with co -facilitators of the intergovernmental proce ss on treaty body strengthening

Participants will meet with co-facilitators of the intergovernmental process on treaty body strengthening, Gréta Gunnarsdóttir, Permanent Representative of Iceland, and Desra Percaya, Permanent Representative of Indonesia, to discuss the current status of the process, as well as treaty bodies’ views on and contribution to the process.

(b) Informal consultation with States

Under this agenda item, participants will meet with representatives of States. It is proposed that the topic of discussion during this informal consultation be the strengthening of support to and enhancing the effectiveness of the treaty bodies, including through harmonization and rationalization of their working methods and strengthening the States parties’ reporting capacity, as well as treaty bodies’ engagement with the intergovernmental process on the strengthening of the treaty bodies.

(c) Informal consultation with civil society organizations and the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

Under this agenda item, participants will meet with representatives of the International Coordinating Committeeand with civil society organizations. It is proposed that the topic of discussion during this informal consultation be the engagement of treaty bodies with civil society organizations and national human rights institutions, as well as the treaty body strengthening process and their effective interaction with treaty bodies.

6.Treaty bodies and the post-2015 development agenda

Under this agenda item, participants will be briefed on the status of the process for defining the post-2015 development agenda, and the engagement of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the process. As part of the briefing, participants will be updated on two recent OHCHR publications, namely,Who will be accountable? Human Rights and the Post-2015 Development Agenda andHuman Rights Indicators: A Guide to Measurement and Implementation.Participants will present initiatives which their treaty bodies are undertaking with respect to the post-2015 development agenda and discuss the possible contribution of treaty bodies to the process, with the objective of advancing the integration of human rights into its outcome.

7.The promotion of equitable geographical distribution in the membership of the human rights treaty bodies (General Assembly resolution 66/153)

The General Assembly has requested the Chairpersons of the treaty bodies to consider the content of its resolution 66/153 and to submit, through the High Commissioner for Human Rights, specific recommendations for the achievement of the goal of equitable geographical distribution in the membership of the human rights treaty bodies, as well as an update on the implementation of the resolution in their respective bodies.

8.Other matters

Under this item, Chairpersons will discuss any other matter relating to the work of treaty bodies, as considered necessary.

9. Adoption of the report and setting of dates for the twenty-sixth meeting of chairpersons

The Chairpersons will adopt a report on their meeting, including conclusions and recommendations, to be submitted to the General Assembly at its sixty-eighthsession.

In addition, the chairpersons will determine the dates and venue of their twenty-sixth meeting, to be held in 2014.