Human Rights Committee

10 1 st session

New York, 14 March-1 April 2011

Provisional agenda and annotations

Note by the Secretary-General

1.The 101st session of the Human Rights Committee will be held at United Nations Headquarters, New York, from 14 March to 1 April 2011. The first meeting will be convened on Monday 14 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 101st 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 101st 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 101st session. The pre-sessional working group will meet from 7 to 11 March 2011.

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.

Election of Chairperson and other officers of the Committee.

4.Adoption of the agenda.

5.Organizational and other matters.

6.Meeting with representatives of non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations.

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

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

9.Consideration of country situations in the absence of reports, pursuant to rule 70 of the Committee’s rules of procedure.

10.Follow-up to concluding observations on State reports and to Views under the Optional Protocol.

11.General comments of the Committee.

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

Annotations

1.Opening of the session by the representative of the Secretary-General

The representativeof the Secretary-General will open the 101st 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 of the Committee elected at the t wenty-eighth m eeting of States Parties to the Covenant on 9 November 2009 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. Election of Chairperson and other officers of the Committee

In accordance with article 39, paragraph 1, of the Covenant and rule 17 of the rules of procedure, the Committee shall elect from among its members a Chairperson, three Vice‑Chairpersons and a Rapporteur. The officers of the Committee shall be elected for a term of two years (rule 18 of the rules of procedure). Under rule 58 of the rules of procedure, elections shall be held by secret ballot, unless the Committee decides otherwise in the case of an election to fill a place for which there is only one candidate.

4.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.

5.Organizational and other matters

Under this item, the Committee will consider miscellaneous issues relevant to the Committee’s business.

6.Meeting with representatives of non-governmental and intergovernmental 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. A meeting has accordingly been scheduled for the morning meeting on Monday 14 March 2011, from 11.30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

7.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 2010 (A/65/40, vol. I).

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

The reports to be considered during the 101st session are those of Togo, Slovakia, Serbia and Mongolia. A tentative timetable for the consideration of reports at the 101st session, prepared in consultation with the Committee, is given below:

Timetable for consideration of reports under article 40 of the Covenant

Togo	Fourth periodic report(CCPR/C/TGO/4)	Monday 14 March 2011, p.m.Tuesday 15 March, a.m.
Slovakia	Third periodic report (CCPR/C/SVK/3)	Wednesday 16 March, p.m. Thursday 17 March, a.m.
Serbia	Second periodic report (CCPR/C/SRB/2)	Thursday 17 March, p.m. Friday 18 March, a.m.
Mongolia	Fifth periodic report (CCPR/C/MNG/5)	Monday 21 March, p.m. Tuesday 22 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 101st session.

Country report task forces will examine and adopt lists of issues on the reports of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Dominican Republic, Norway and Yemen, as well as on the situation in Malawi (in the absence of a report).

9.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 the Seychelles in the absence of a report on Monday 21 March 2011, a.m.

10.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; he will provide a progress report on his activities during the 101st session. The Special Rapporteur for follow-up on Views will also provide a progress report on his/her activities.

11General comments of the Committee

Under this item, the Committee will continue considering a draft general comment on article 19 of the Covenant.

12.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 420 communications were pending before the Committee as of 2 December 2010. 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.