Fourth Inter-Committee Meeting of the human rights treaty bodiesGeneva, 20-22 June 2005

PROVISIONAL AGENDA AND ANNOTATIONS

Note by the Secretary-General

1.The fourth Inter-Committee Meeting of the human rights treaty bodies will be held from 20 to 22 June 2005, pursuant to a recommendation of the chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies made during their sixteenth meeting held from 23 to 25 June 2004.

2.The present document contains the provisional agenda and annotations for the fourth Inter‑Committee Meeting.

PROVISIONAL AGENDA

1.Opening of the meeting and report of the Chairperson of the third Inter-Committee Meeting on the implementation of its recommendations.

2.Election of officers.

3.Adoption of the agenda.

4.Organizational matters.

5.Follow-up to the recommendations of the third Inter-Committee Meeting.

6.Enhancing the effectiveness of the treaty bodies: a coordinated approach to the work of the treaty bodies.

7.Enhancing the effectiveness of the treaty bodies: streamlining reporting requirements.

8.Meeting with United Nations specialized agencies, funds, programmes and other entities.

9.Meeting with non-governmental organizations.

10.Meetings with national human rights institutions.

11.Adoption of the report.

ANNOTATIONS

Item 1. Opening of the meeting and election of officers and report of the Chairperson of the third Inter-Committee Meeting on the implementation of its recommendations

The meeting will convene at the United Nations Office at Geneva (Palais Wilson) on Monday, 20 June 2005, at 10 a.m. In accordance with the recommendation of the sixteenth meeting of chairpersons, the chairperson-rapporteur of the third Inter-Committee Meeting, Mr. Kariyawasam, will report on implementation of the recommendations, prior to the election of a new Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson.

Item 2: Election of officers

The meeting will elect aChairperson and a Vice-Chairperson.

Item 3. Adoption of the agenda

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

Item 4. Organizational matters

Under this agenda item, the meeting will consider and adopt a programme of work.

Item 5. Follow-up to the recommendations of the third Inter-Committee Meeting

Participants will consider follow-up to the recommendations of the third Inter‑Committee Meeting, held on 21 and 22 June 2004. A report by the secretariat on implementation of the recommendations of the third Inter-Committee meeting and the sixteenth meeting of chairpersons of human rights treaty bodies (HRI/MC/2005/2), which provides information on the follow-up actions taken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Division for the Advancement of Women and the treaty bodies with regard to these recommendations, will be provided to participants.

Item 6. Enhancing the effectiveness of the treaty bodies: a coordinated approach to the work of the treaty bodies

Under this agenda item, the participants will discuss the working methods of treaty bodies, including coordination and possibilities for harmonization.

Item 7. Enhancing the effectiveness of the treaty bodies: streamlining reporting requirements.

Under this agenda item, strengthening support to, and enhancing the effectiveness of, the treaty bodies and streamlining treaty body reporting procedures and requirements will be considered. The meeting will consider a report (HRI/MC/2005/6) prepared by Mr Filali, rapporteur of the third Inter-Committee Meeting, on the discussions that have taken place during the past year in each treaty body regarding the document on provisional guidelines for reporting with an expanded core document and treaty-specific targeted reports (HRI/MC/2004/3) as well as revised draft of the guidelines (HRI/MC/2005/3) prepared by the Secretariat on the basis of comments and suggestions made by each committee during the course of the year, as well as those received from States parties, national human rights institutions and non-governmental organizations,, in accordance with the recommendation of the third Inter-Committee Meeting. The meeting will also have before it a report on the working methods of the human rights treaty bodies (HRI/MC/2005/4) and a report on reservations to human rights treaties (HRI/MC/2005/5).

Item 8. Meeting with the United Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes and other entities

Under this item, United Nations departments, specialized agencies, funds and programmes, and other entities such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union, that work with the treaty bodies are requested to provide information on best practices, difficulties and problems with the implementation of the concluding observations/comments, and ratification strategies at the national level.

Item 9. Meeting with non-governmental organizations

Under this agenda item, non-governmental organizations will provide information on interaction with human rights treaty bodies, including how treaty body recommendations in concluding observations are being followed up at the national level.

Item 10. Meeting with national human rights institutions

Under this agenda item, national human rights institutions will provide information on interaction with human rights treaty bodies, including how treaty body recommendations in concluding observations are being followed up at the national level.

Item 11. Adoption of the report

Participants will adopt a report on their meeting, including conclusions and recommendations which will be transmitted to the seventeenth meeting of chairpersons of human rights treaty bodies, to be held in Geneva from 23 to 24 June 2005.

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