| Fifteenth
Meeting of Chairpersons
of the Human Rights Treaty Bodies
Geneva, Switzerland, 23-27 June 2003
Submission
by International Women’s Rights Action Watch (Asia Pacific)
24 June 2003
The International
Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW Asia Pacific), an international
organisation working towards the realisation of the human rights
of women through the use of the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other international
human rights instruments, adopts the proposals presented in its
intervention dated 19 June 2003 and made during the Second Inter-Committee
Meeting of the Human Rights Treaty Bodies on 18-20 June 2003 in
Geneva. In addition to the submitted proposals, we also wish to
draw the Chairpersons’ attention to the following:
1. As was continuously
acknowledged, strengthening the treaty body system is not only about
enhancing the effectiveness of each treaty body but also of ensuring
the cohesiveness and strengthening of the human rights treaty body
system as a whole. On this matter, we urge treaty bodies to collectively
provide a joint input in the development of new human rights conventions,
e.g. Convention concerning persons with disabilities, incorporating
not only on the substantive discussion surrounding their mandate
but also their procedural/administrative experiences. This expertise,
in addition to the skills in the OHCHR and DAW is also of vital
importance especially with the coming into force of the Convention
on the Protection of Migrant Workers and Member of their Families
this year and the drafting of its working methods and rules of procedure.
We also wish to call the Chairpersons’ attention to the Commission
on Human Rights Session in April 2003 where it was decided that
an open-ended working group will be convened this year to discuss
options for the establishment of an optional protocol on the possibility
of a complaints procedure to the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). We encourage treaty bodies,
as experts, to play a crucial role in this debate. Treaty bodies
can explore the possibility of a joint or parallel statement on
this process with further interventions from the individual Committees
to provide a “value added” component to the statement.
We believe that
strong collaboration on the issues mentioned will lead not only
to the harmonisation of procedures in relation to the new treaties
but a stronger presence of the Committees as promoters of/experts
on the human rights treaty bodies system as a whole.
2. We also urge
the Committees to adopt joint or parallel statements and interventions
in relation to the consistent understanding and promotion of human
rights in the UN system, including the work of specialised agencies,
the Commission on Human Rights and the Sub-commission on the Promotion
and Protection of Human Rights, and process such as the world conferences,
among others. These joint endeavors will provide a set of guidelines
for the individual Committees and the Secretariat to pursue especially
in the area of international cooperation.
3. Collaboration
and partnerships with NGOs are vital in enhancing the effectiveness
of the human rights treaty bodies system. The role of NGOs working
on the implementation of human rights standards should not be limited
to providing input to the reporting process alone; there are various
NGOs at the national, regional and international levels which are
sources of expertise, information and resources (financial and human)
and therefore, can assist in facilitating discussions on the progressive
interpretation of international human rights standards.
With regard
to the preparation of general comments, we feel that, there is a
need for the Secretariats and treaty body members to continue to
consider collaboration with NGOs in convening and coordinating workshops/consultations
on issues already identified as priorities by the treaty bodies.
Such workshops/consultations among NGOs and experts of the treaty
have already been taking place. For example, a collaboration was
made between the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) and
IWRAW Asia Pacific to convene a discussion on Art. 4.1 of CEDAW.
Such meeting was attended by more than 15 members of CEDAW Committee,
representatives of the DAW, academics and NGOs. We believe that
this collaboration should continue. Furthermore, in our view, a
crucial component to streamlining processes and practices of the
treaty bodies is linked to the integration of the agreements and
recommendations arrived at in these workshops/consultations to the
drafting and final approval of general comments.
Back
to top
This
page was last updated on May 31, 2004
“IWRAW
Asia Pacific is an independent, non-profit, NGO in Special consultative
status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.”
©IWRAW Asia Pacific
Contact Us | Site
Map |
