Human Rights Committee

116th session

7-31 March 2016

Item 2 of the provisional agenda

Adoption of the agenda

Annotated provisional agenda

Provisional agenda

1.Opening of the session.

2.Adoption of the agenda.

3.Organizational and other matters, including the adoption of the report of the working group on individual communications.

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

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

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

7.Follow-up to Views under the first Optional Protocol to the Covenant.

8.Consideration of communications under the first Optional Protocol to the Covenant.

Annotations

1.Opening of the session

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or the representative of the High Commissioner will open the 116th session of the Committee.

2.Adoption of the agenda

Under rule 8 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the first item on the provisional agenda for any session shall be the adoption of the agenda, except for the election of officers when required under rule 17. Under this item, the Committee will adopt the agenda for the session.

In accordance with rule 6 of the rules of procedure, the present provisional agenda has been prepared by the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee. 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 working group on individual communications

The 116th session of the Committee will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 7 to 31 March 2016. The first meeting will be convened at Palais Wilson, in the ground floor conference room, on Monday, 7 March, at 10 a.m.

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 is apparent from the relevant provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or its Optional Protocols that the meetings should be held in private.

Under the present 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 and non-governmental organizations based in Geneva. Accordingly, the following meetings have been scheduled: with United Nations organizations and specialized agencies on 7 March, from 10.45 to 11:30 a.m., and with national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations, from 11.30 a.m. to 1 p.m., on South Africa, Namibia, Sweden and Rwanda, and on 14 March, from noon to 1 p.m., on New Zealand, Slovenia and Costa Rica.

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

The reports to be considered during the 116th session are those of Costa Rica, Namibia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Slovenia, South Africa and Sweden. A tentative schedule for the consideration of reports during the 116th session, prepared in consultation with the Committee, is given below.

Schedule for consideration of reports under article 40 of the Covenant

State	Report	Date
South Africa	Initial report(CCPR/C/ZAF/1)	Monday, 7 March, afternoonTuesday, 8 March, morning
Namibia	Second periodic report(CCPR/C/NAM/2)	Tuesday, 8 March, afternoonWednesday, 9 March, morning
Sweden	Seventh periodic report(CCPR/C/SWE/7)	Wednesday, 9 March, afternoonThursday, 10 March, morning
Rwanda	Fourth periodic report(CCPR/C/RWA/4)	Thursday, 10 March, afternoonFriday, 11 March, morning
New Zealand	Sixth periodic report(CCPR/C/NZL/6)	Monday, 14 March, afternoonTuesday, 15 March, morning
Slovenia	Third periodic report(CCPR/C/SVN/3)	Tuesday, 15 March, afternoonWednesday, 16 March, morning
Costa Rica	Sixth periodic report(CCPR/C/CRI/6)	Wednesday, 16 March, afternoonThursday, 17 March, morning

In accordance with rule 68 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, representatives of States parties may be present at the meetings of the Committee when their reports are examined. Accordingly, 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 116th session.

Country report task forces will examine and adopt lists of issues on the reports of Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Jamaica, Morocco and Slovakia and a list of issues prior to reporting for Estonia.

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

The Special Rapporteur and Deputy Rapporteur for follow-up on concluding observations will provide a progress report on their activities.

7.Follow-up to Views under the first Optional Protocol to the Covenant

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

8.Consideration of communications under the first Optional Protocol to the Covenant

Mindful of the provisions under rule 95 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the working group on individual communications will meet for a period of one week, from 29 February to 4 March 2016, prior to the 116th session.

In accordance with the provisions of chapter XVII of its rules of procedure, the Committee will consider communications that have been or appear to have been submitted to it under the Optional Protocol.

A total of 525 communications were pending before the Committee as at 2 December 2015.

In accordance with article 5 (3) of the Optional Protocol and rule 88 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the present agenda item will be considered in closed meetings.