Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Fift y- six th session

21 September-9 October 2015

Item 1 of the provisional agenda

Adoption of the agenda

Annotated provisional agenda

Provisional agenda

1.Adoption of the agenda.

2.Organization of work.

3.Substantive issues arising in the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

4.Follow-up to the consideration of reports under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant.

5.Relations with United Nations organs and other treaty bodies.

6.Consideration of reports:

(a)Reports submitted by States parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant;

(b)Reports submitted by specialized agencies in accordance with article 18 of the Covenant.

7.Submission of reports by States parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant.

8.Formulation of suggestions and recommendations of a general nature based on the consideration of reports submitted by States parties to the Covenant and by the specialized agencies.

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

10.Miscellaneous matters.

Annotations

1.Adoption of the agenda

Under rule 5 of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the first item on the agenda of any session shall be the adoption of the agenda, except when the election of officers is required under rule 14. In accordance with rule 6, the Committee may revise the agenda during a session and may, as appropriate, add, delete or defer items.

The provisional agenda for the fifty-sixth session was prepared by the Secretary-General, in accordance with rule 4 of the rules of procedure.

2.Organization of work

The fifty-sixth session of the Committee, established in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1985/17, will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva (Palais des Nations, room XVI) from 21 September to 9 October 2015. The first meeting will be convened on Monday, 21 September at 10 a.m.

In accordance with rule 8 of its rules of procedure, at the beginning of each session, the Committee shall consider appropriate organizational matters, including its meetings schedule. The attention of States parties is drawn to the tentative programme of work for the session set out in the present document, which was prepared by the Secretary-General in consultation with the Chair of the Committee in accordance with established practice.

3.Substantive issues arising in the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

In accordance with rule 65 of its rules of procedure, the Committee may prepare general comments based on the various articles and provisions of the Covenant with a view to assisting States parties in fulfilling their reporting obligations. The Committee decided at its fourteenth session (28 April-17 May 1996) that, as from its fifteenth session, its discussions relating to the implementation of the Covenant (days of general discussion, consideration and adoption of general comments, methods of work, submissions by non-governmental organizations, etc.), would be conducted under this agenda item.

During the session, the Committee will discuss methods of work, general comments under preparation and other matters.

4.Follow-up to the consideration of reports under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant

The Committee has been discussing follow-up consistently at its sessions, and the issue of follow-up to previous concluding observations is included as an item for discussion during dialogues with delegations, and during the consideration of subsequent periodic reports and of working methods.

5.Relations with United Nations organs and other treaty bodies

Under this agenda item, the Committee will continue to consider, as required, matters arising from the meetings of the chairs of the human rights treaty bodies, the most recent of which was held from 22 to 26 June 2015. Documentation relating to that meeting is being made available to Committee members. Members will also be informed of activities undertaken by other treaty bodies where relevant to their work.

6.Consideration of reports

(a)Reports submitted by States parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant

In accordance with rule 61, paragraph 2, of its rules of procedure, the Committee shall normally consider the reports submitted by States parties under article 16 of the Covenant in the order in which they have been received by the Secretary-General. Representatives of the reporting States are invited to the meetings of the Committee when their reports are examined. Such representatives should be able to make statements on the reports submitted by their governments and reply to questions that may be put to them by the members of the Committee.

In accordance with rule 62, paragraph 2, of the Committee’s rules of procedure, the Secretary-General has informed the States parties, through notes verbales, of the opening date and duration of the fifty-sixth session of the Committee, and invited them to send representatives to attend the meetings of the Committee at which their reports would be considered. A tentative timetable for consideration of those reports has been prepared by the Secretary-General in consultation with the Chair of the Committee.

As at 1 July 2015, 23 reports as listed below had been received by the Secretary-General and were pending consideration by the Committee. Reports of the States parties that are tentatively scheduled for consideration at the fifty-sixth session (21 September-9 October 2015), fifty-seventh session (February/March 2016) and fifty-eighth session (June 2016) of the Committee are set out in the last columns of the tables that follow. The reports to be scheduled for consideration by the Committee at its fifty-ninth and subsequent sessions, subject to approval by the Committee, will be the next reports received by the Committee, generally in chronological order of receipt, and in accordance with the duration of the session.

The following tables do not include States parties that were requested to submit reports by a specific deadline, failing which the Committee would proceed to examine the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights in their territories in the absence of a report.

Initial reports	Symbol	Date received	Date due	Scheduled for consideration at
1.Burkina Faso	E/C.12/BFA/1	25 Feb. 2015	30 June 2000	Fifty-eighth session
2.Burundi	E/C.12/BDI/1	16 Jan. 2013	30 June 1992	Fifty-sixth session
3.Namibia	E/C.12/NAM/1	13 Oct. 2014	30 June 1997	Fifty-seventh session

Second periodic reports	Symbol	Date received	Date due	Scheduled for consideration at
4.Greece	E/C.12/GRC/2	31 Aug. 2012	30 June 2009	Fifty-sixth session
5.Guyana (second to fourth periodic reports)	E/C.12/GUY/2-4	10 Sept. 2012	30 June 2000	Fifty-sixth session
6.Honduras	E/C.12/HND/2	5 May 2014	30 June 2006	Fifty-eighth session
7.Kenya (second to fifth periodic reports)	E/C.12/KEN/2-5	1 July 2013	30 June 2013	Fifty-seventh session
8.Sudan	E/C.12/SDN/2	27 July 2012	30 June 2003	Fifty-sixth session
9.The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (second to fourth periodic reports)	E/C.12/MKD/2-4	17 Feb. 2014	30 June 2008	Fifty-eighth session

Third periodic reports	Symbol	Date received	Date due	Scheduled for consideration at
10.Tunisia	E/C.12/TUN/3	1 June 2015	20 June 2000	Fifty-ninth session
11.Yemen	E/C.12/YEM/3	11 July 2013	30 June 2013	Fifty-ninth session

Fourth periodic reports	Symbol	Date received	Date due	Scheduled for consideration at
12.Angola (fourth and fifth periodic reports)	E/C.12/AGO/4-5	26 Feb. 2014	30 June 2013	Fifty-eighth session
13.France	E/C.12/FRA/4	23 May 2013	30 June 2011	Fifty-eighth session
14.Iraq	E/C.12/IRQ/4	22 May 2013	30 June 2000	Fifty-sixth session
15.Morocco	E/C.12/MAR/4	24 Jan. 2013	30 June 2009	Fifty-sixth session

Fifth periodic reports	Symbol	Date received	Date due	Scheduled for consideration at
16. Costa Rica	E/C.12/CRI/5	24 Oct. 2014	30 June 2012	Fifty-ninth session
17. Italy	E/C.12/ITA/5	9 Aug. 2012	30 June 2009	Fifty-sixth session
18. Philippines	E/C.12/PHL/5-6	24 Nov. 2014	30 June 2013	Fifty-ninth session

Sixth periodic reports	Symbol	Date received	Date due	Scheduled for consideration at
19.Canada	E/C.12/CAN/6	17 Oct. 2012	6 June 2010	Fifty-seventh session
20.Cyprus	E/C.12/CYP/6	15 Oct. 2014	30 June 2014	Fifty-ninth session
21.Poland	E/C.12/POL/6	8 Jan. 2015	30 June 2014	Fifty-ninth session
22.Sweden	E/C.12/SWE/6	26 July 2013	30 June 2013	Fifty-eighth session
23.United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	E/C.12/GBR/6	17 June 2014	30 June 2014	Fifty-eighth session

(b)Reports submitted by specialized agencies in accordance with article 18 of the Covenant

In accordance with rule 67 of its rules of procedure, the Committee is entrusted with the task of considering the reports submitted by specialized agencies pursuant to article 18 of the Covenant.

In accordance with rule 68 of the rules of procedure, the representatives of the specialized agencies concerned may make statements on matters falling within the scope of the activities of their respective organizations. The Secretary-General has invited the specialized agencies concerned to designate representatives to provide information.

Any report which may be received from the specialized agencies under article 18 of the Covenant will be made available to the Committee in due course.

7.Submission of reports by States parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant

In accordance with rule 59, paragraph 1, of its rules of procedure, the Committee shall at each session consider the status of submission of reports under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant and may make appropriate recommendations to the Council, including recommendations to the effect that the Secretary-General should send reminders to States parties from which reports have not been received. The Committee will have before it under this item the following document:

•Note by the Secretary-General on the States parties to the Covenant and the status of submission of reports (E/C.12/56/2).

8.Formulation of suggestions and recommendations of a general nature based on the consideration of reports submitted by States parties to the Covenant and by the specialized agencies

Pursuant to rule 64 of its rules of procedure, the Committee may wish to make suggestions and recommendations of a general nature on the basis of its consideration of reports submitted by States parties and reports submitted by specialized agencies, in order to assist the Council to fulfil, in particular, its responsibilities under articles 21 and 22 of the Covenant. The Committee may also wish to make suggestions for consideration by the Council with reference to articles 19, 22 and 23 of the Covenant.

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

In accordance with the provisional rules of procedure under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Committee will consider under this item communications that are, or appear to be, submitted to it under the Optional Protocol.

In accordance with article 8 of the Optional Protocol and rule 19, paragraph 1, of the provisional rules of procedure under the Optional Protocol, the Committee or its Working Group on Communications shall examine communications in closed meetings.

10.Miscellaneous matters

At its twenty-first session (1999), the Committee decided to include in its agenda a standing item, “miscellaneous matters”, under which it may consider any issue falling outside the scope of other standing agenda items.

Annex

Tentative programme of the fifty-sixth session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights(21 September-9 October 2015)

First week: 21-25 September 2015

Monday, 21 September
51st meeting	(public)	Item 1	Adoption of the agenda
		Item 2	Organization of work
		Item 7	Submission of reports by States parties inaccordance with articles16 and 17 of the Covenant
		Item 10	Miscellaneous matters
	(private)	Item 5	Relations with United Nations organs and other treaty bodies
52nd meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Burundi
Tuesday, 2 2 September
53rd meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Burundi (continued)
54th meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Burundi (continued)
Wednesday, 23 September
UN HOLIDAY
Thursday, 24 September
55th meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Greece
56th meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Greece (continued)
Friday, 25 September
57th meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Italy
58th meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Italy (continued)

Second week: 28 September-2 October 2015

Monday, 2 8 September
59th meeting	(public/private)	Item 5	Meeting with partners
60th meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Guyana
Tuesday, 29 September
61st meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Guyana (continued)
62nd meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Iraq
Wednesday, 30 September
63rd meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Iraq (continued)
64th meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Morocco
Thursday, 1 October
65th meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Morocco (continued)
66th meeting	(public)	Item 6	Consideration of reports: Sudan
Friday , 2 October
67th meeting	(public)	Items 3, 6, 8	Consideration of reports: Sudan (continued)
68th meeting	(private)	Items 3, 6, 8	Closed meeting

Third week: 5-9 October 2015

Monday, 5 October
69th meeting	(private)	Items 3, 6, 8	Closed meeting
70th meeting	(private)	Items 3, 6, 8	Closed meeting
Tuesday, 6 October
71st meeting	(private)	Items 3, 6, 8	Closed meeting
72nd meeting	(private)	Item 3, 6, 8	Closed meeting
Wednesday, 7 October
73rd meeting	(private)	Items 3, 6, 8	Closed meeting
74th meeting	(private)	Items 3, 6, 8	Closed meeting
Thursday, 8 October
75th meeting	(private)	Items 3, 6, 8	Closed meeting
76th meeting	(private)	Items 3, 6, 8	Closed meeting
Friday, 9 October
77th meeting	(private)	Item 3	Substantive issues arising in the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
		Item 4	Follow-up to the consideration of reports under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant
		Item 9	Consideration of communications under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant
78th meeting	(private) (public)	Item 10	Miscellaneous matters Close of session