UNITED
NATIONS
Distr.
GENERAL
E/C.12/1996/3
1 August 1996
Original: ENGLISH
Note by the Secretary-General
1. The fifteenth session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, established in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1985/17, will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 18 November to 6 December 1996. The first meeting will be convened on Monday, 18 November 1996 at 10.30 a.m.
2. The attached provisional agenda and annotations for the fifteenth session of the Committee have been prepared by the Secretary-General in accordance with rule 4 of the rules of procedure of the Committee.
3. The attention of the States parties is drawn, in particular, to the annotations to item 4 containing the list of reports that will be before the Committee at its fifteenth session.
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. Consideration of reports:
(b) Reports submitted by specialized agencies in accordance with article 18 of the Covenant.
5. Submission of reports by State parties in accordance with articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant.
6. General discussion: "Draft optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights".
7. Relations with United Nations organs and other treaty bodies.
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. Adoption of the report.
1. Adoption of the agenda
Under rule 5 of the rules of procedure, the first item on the provisional agenda of any session shall be the adoption of the agenda, except for the election of its officers when required under rule 14. In accordance with rule 6 the Committee, during a session, may revise the agenda and may, as appropriate, add, delete or defer items.
2. Organization of work
In accordance with rule 8 of its rules of procedure, at the beginning of each session, the Committee shall consider appropriate organizational matters, including the schedule of its meetings. In this connection, the attention of the members of the Committee is drawn to the draft programme of work for the session, prepared by the Secretary-General in consultation with the Chairperson of the Committee and in accordance with established practice (E/C.12/1996/L.2).
3. Substantive issues arising in the implementation of the international Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
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 (NGOs' hearings, methods of work, etc.) would be conducted under this agenda item.
4. 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 entitled to be present at 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 which may be put to them by the members of the Committee.
At its fourteenth session, the Committee requested the Secretary-General to schedule five reports from five States parties for consideration at its fifteenth session. The Committee also decided to conduct at its fifteenth session a review of the implementation of the provisions of the Covenant in Honduras, which has not submitted any report since ratifying the Covenant in 1981, on the basis of any information that may be available to it.
In accordance with rule 62, paragraph 2, of the Committee's rules of procedure, the Secretary-General has informed the States parties concerned of the opening date and duration of the fifteenth session of the Committee as well as of the dates at which their respective reports will be examined and has invited them to send representatives to attend the meetings of the Committee.
As at 1 August 1996, the reports listed below had been received by the Secretary-General. The reports of the States parties which are scheduled for consideration by the Committee at its fifteenth session are identified by an asterisk. The tentative timetable for consideration of those reports, prepared by the Secretary-General in consultation with the Chairperson of the Committee, is contained in document E/C.12/1996/L.2.
Initial reports concerning articles 1 to 15 of the Covenant
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya E/1990/5/Add.26
Guyana E/1990/5/Add.27
Zimbabwe E/1990/5/Add.28
Peru E/1990/5/Add.29
Azerbaijan E/1990/5/Add.30
Nigeria E/1990/5/Add.31
Sri Lanka E/1990/5/Add.32
Switzerland E/1990/5/Add.33
Second periodic reports concerning articles 1 to 15 of the Covenant
Dominican Republic* E/1990/6/Add.7 [1]
Portugal (Macao)* E/1990/6/Add.8
Luxembourg E/1990/6/Add.9
Uruguay E/1990/6/Add.10
Netherlands E/1990/6/Add.11, 12, 13
Third periodic reports concerning articles 1 to 15 of the Covenant
Belarus E/1994/104/Add.6
Finland* E/1994/104/Add.7
Russian Federation E/1994/104/Add.8
Iraq E/1994/104/Add.9
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Hong Kong*
E/1994/104/Add.10
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
E/1994/104/Add.11
Cyprus E/1994/104/Add.12
Poland E/1994/104/Add.13
Germany E/1994/104/Add.14
(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 organization in the course of the discussion by the Committee of the report of each State party to the Covenant. The representatives of the States parties presenting reports to the Committee shall be free to respond to, or take into account, the statements made by the specialized agencies. The Secretary-General has invited the following specialized agencies, UN organs and financial institutions to send representatives to attend the meetings of the Committee: International Labour Organization (ILO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.
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.
5. 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 article 16 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 documents:
(b) A note by the Secretary-General on the States parties to the Covenant and the status of submission of reports (E/C.12/1996/2).
6. General discussion: "Draft optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights"
At its fourteenth session, the Committee decided that Monday, 4 December 1996 would be a day of general discussion devoted to the Draft optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In this connection, the Committee requested Mr. Philip Alston to submit a revised report which should provide the basis upon which the Committee could complete its consideration of this matter, with a view to forwarding a final report to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-third session.
7. Relations with United Nations organs and other treaty bodies
The Committee decided at its sixth session to nominate individual members to follow the work of each of the other treaty bodies. Such members are to follow as closely as possible the work of the relevant committees, to liaise where possible with members of these committees and to present an oral report on developments of both a procedural and substantive nature in their work which appeared to be of specific relevance to the work of the Committee (E/1992/23, paras. 371-373).
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 the 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. Report of the Committee to the Economic and Social Council In accordance with rule 57 of its rules of procedure, the Committee shall submit to the Council an annual report on its activities, which shall contain, inter alia, the concluding observations of the Committee relating to each State party's report.
The Committee shall also include in its report suggestions and recommendations of a general nature referred to under rule 64 of the rules of procedure of the Committee.
