[prisoner-rights] CAT 33rd session: Committee Against Torture opens session

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release

xxxxxxxxxx COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE OPENS THIRTY-THIRD SESSION xxxxxxxxxx

Committee against Torture
15 November 2004


Hears Address by Representative of Office of High Commissioner
for Human Rights; Adopts Agenda and Programme of Work


The Committee against Torture this morning opened its thirty-third session by
hearing an address by a representative of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights and adopting its agenda and programme of work.

Jane Connors, Team Leader in the Treaties and Follow-up Unit of the Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights, stressed that High Commissioner Louise Arbour
had repeatedly underlined the crucial importance of upholding the rule of law and
international human rights standards and the role of the treaty bodies in this
respect.

Ms. Connors drew attention to the continued efforts of the Office of the High
Commissioner to implement the Secretary-General's agenda for reform, outlined in his
2002 report "Strengthening the United Nations: an agenda for further change", and
mentioned that related ongoing activities, under the so-called "Action 2 Programme",
were officially launched by the High Commissioner at a ceremony in New York on 27
October.

Among other things, Ms. Connors said the Office of the High Commissioner was
encouraged by the work of the Committee on the drafting of a second General Comment
on article two of the Convention, which stated that protection from torture was a
non-derogable right, and by its decision to dedicate time in plenary to meetings
with international and national non-governmental organizations, United Nations
agencies and funds.

The Committee also adopted its agenda and programme of work and discussed
organizational and other matters, after hearing the views of Committee Experts on
various aspects of the lists of issues on country reports scheduled to be considered
during the current session.

During its two-week session, the Committee will review measures undertaken by
Argentina, the United Kingdom and Greece to prevent and punish acts of torture.
These countries are among the 138 States parties to the Convention against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Also, the Committee's 10 Independent Experts will review, in closed session,
information appearing to contain well-founded indications that torture is
systematically being practiced in some States parties; and complaints from
individuals claiming to be victims of a violation by a State party of the provisions
of the Convention.

The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 16 November to take up the
fourth periodic report of Argentina (document CAT/C/55/Add.7).



Statement by Representative of Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights

JANE CONNORS, Team Leader in the Treaties and Follow-up Unit of the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, stressed that High Commissioner
Louise Arbour had repeatedly underlined the crucial importance of upholding the rule
of law and international human rights standards and the role of the treaty bodies in
this respect. The High Commissioner was aware of the important role of the treaty
bodies and was strongly committed to ensuring that the work of the Committee
received all the necessary support from her Office.

Ms. Connors recalled that at her address to the Biennial Conference of the
International Commission of Jurists "Security under the Rule of Law", held in Berlin
in August of this year, the High Commissioner had reiterated the statement of the
Committee made in November 2001 that reminded States parties to the Convention
against Torture of the non-derogable nature of many of the obligations undertaken by
them in ratifying the Convention.

Ms. Connors drew attention to the continued efforts of the Office of the High
Commissioner to implement the Secretary-General's agenda for reform, outlined in his
2002 report "Strengthening the United Nations: an agenda for further change". She
said the Third Inter-Committee Meeting, held in June this year, had examined draft
guidelines on an expanded core document and treaty-specific targeted reports. In
this connection, she reminded Committee Experts that Kamel Filali, member of the
Committee on the Rights of the Child, who was serving as Rapporteur on this matter,
would be meeting with the Committee on 19 November. Ms. Connors also mentioned the
decision taken allowing any State party wishing to prepare reports using the draft
guidelines to do so, while adding that the Government of Timor Leste had expressed
at the sixtieth session of the Commission on Human Rights its wish to submit its
reports now due to all seven treaty bodies through a consolidated system. In this
regard, she recalled that the sixteenth Chairpersons Meeting and the third Inter-
Committee Meeting also made recommendations related to the harmonization of working
methods so as to produce a consistent approach, including on lists of issues and
questions, follow-up procedures and interaction with United Nations entities, non-
governmental organizations, and national human rights institutions.

Ms. Connors underlined that ongoing activities concerning the Secretary-General's
agenda for reform, under the so-called "Action 2 Programme", were officially
launched by the High Commissioner at a ceremony in New York on 27 October, and aimed
to enhance inter-agency collaboration in promoting human rights at the country
level. The Office of the High Commissioner was actively involved in these activities
and had prepared guidance notes for United Nations Country Teams in how they could
engage in the work of the human rights treaty bodies.


Ms. Connors also indicated that the Secretariat of the Secretary-General's Study on
violence against children was now involved in preparing the regional Study's
consultations that would take place during 2005. Organizing steering committees had
started to work in Cairo, Bangkok, Dakar and Buenos Aires; and one such meeting took
place in Geneva in September for the Central and Eastern European States, the
Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic region.

The Office of the High Commissioner was encouraged by the work of the Committee on
the drafting of a second General Comment on article two of the Convention, which
stated that protection from torture was a non-derogable right, Ms. Connor said, and
hoped that this would develop a deeper understanding of what was a key provision of
the Convention.

The Office of the High Commissioner was also pleased to see a "developing
flexibility" on part of the Committee to particular situations of urgency. This was
an innovation which the Office hoped would develop into a more formal procedure. Ms.
Connors also underscored the work of the Committee in the area of the individual
complaint process and its follow-up to concluding observations which had been
gaining pace, she said.

In closing, Ms. Connor welcomed the decision of the Committee to dedicate time in
plenary to meetings with international and national non-governmental organizations,
United Nations agencies and funds while adding that the contribution of these
entities to the work of the Committee could not be underestimated.