Mideast situation/Human rights questions – Third Cttee report

Human rights questions

    Report of the Third Committee *

   Rapporteur : Ms. Oksana Boiko (Ukraine)

 I.  Introduction 

1.   At its 19th plenary meeting, on 20 September 2002, the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the General Committee, decided to include in the agenda of its fifty-seventh session the item entitled:

“Human rights questions:

“(a)   Implementation of human rights instruments;

“(b)   Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms;

“(c)   Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives;

“(d)   Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action;

“(e)   Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights” and to allocate it to the Third Committee.

2.   For its consideration of the item, the Committee had before it the following documents:

Item 109
Human rights questions

Letter dated 27 September 2002 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the Sudan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, transmitting the final communiqué adopted at the annual coordinating meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, held at United Nations Headquarters on 17 September 2002 (A/57/458-S/2002/1125)

Letter dated 29 October 2002 from the Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (A/57/594)

Letter dated 1 October 2002 from the Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, transmitting the Andean Charter for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, adopted by the Presidents of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela at Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 26 July 2002 (A/C.3/57/2)

Item 109 (a)
Implementation of human rights instruments

Relevant sections of the report of the Economic and Social Council for 2002 ¹ 

Report of the Human Rights Committee ² 

Report of the Committee against Torture ³ 

Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (A/57/268)

Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (A/57/291)

Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery (A/57/308)

Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (A/57/400)

Report of the Secretary-General on the effective implementation of international instruments on human rights, including reporting obligations under international instruments on human rights (A/57/476)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies on their thirteenth meeting (A/57/56)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the question of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (A/57/173)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the chairpersons of the human rights treaty bodies on their fourteenth meeting (A/57/399 and Corr.1)

Letter dated 1 October 2002 from the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (A/57/445)

   Item 109 (b)
Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms

Report of the Secretary-General on the protection of migrants (A/57/134)

Report of the Secretary-General on the question of enforced or involuntary disappearances (A/57/140)

Report of the Secretary-General on globalization and its impact on the full enjoyment of all human rights (A/57/205 and Add.1)

Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the rule of law (A/57/275)

Report of the Secretary-General on the role and achievement of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in assisting the Government and people of Cambodia in the promotion and protection of human rights (A/57/277)

Report of the Secretary-General on regional arrangements for the promotion and protection of human rights (A/57/283)

Report of the Secretary-General on human rights and cultural diversity (A/57/311 and Add.1)

Report of the Secretary-General on human rights and extreme poverty (A/57/369)

Report of the Secretary-General on human rights and unilateral coercive measures (A/57/371)

Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening United Nations action in the field of human rights through the promotion of international cooperation and the importance of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity (A/57/385)

Report of the Secretary-General on the Subregional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa (A/57/394)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (A/57/138)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of his Special Representative on human rights defenders (A/57/182)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on freedom of religion or belief (A/57/274)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education (A/57/323)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the right to food (A/57/356)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (A/57/357)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Timor-Leste (A/57/446)

Letter dated 1 October 2002 from the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (A/57/445)

Item 109 (c)
Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives

Report of the Secretary-General on the human rights situation in Myanmar (A/57/484)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of his Special Representative for human rights in Cambodia (A/57/230)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Sierra Leone (A/57/284)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Myanmar (A/57/290 and Corr.1)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation on the human rights of migrants (A/57/292)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan (A/57/309)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Iraq (A/57/325)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Sudan (A/57/326)

Note by the Secretary-General on the human rights situation of Lebanese detainees in Israel (A/57/345)

Note by the Secretary-General on the mission report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and a member of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (A/57/349)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967 (A/57/366 and Add.1)

Note by the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in Burundi (A/57/435)

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (A/57/437)

Letter dated 24 September 2002 from the Permanent Representative of the Sudan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (A/57/433)

 Item 109 (d)
Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action

No documentation was submitted under this sub-item.

 Item 109 (e)
Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights ⁴ 

 II.   Consideration of a draft decision proposed by the Chairman

3.   At its 57th, 58th and 59th meetings, on 21, 22 and 25 November, on the proposal of the Chairman, the Committee decided to recommend to the General Assembly that it take note of documents considered in connection with the question of human rights (see para. 4).

 III.   Recommendation of the Third Committee

4.   The Third Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft decision:

    Documents considered by the General Assembly in connection with the question of human rights

  The General Assembly takes note of the following documents:

   Under sub-item 109 (a):

  (a)   Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture; ⁵

 (b)   Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery; ⁶ 

 (c)   Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; ⁷ 

    Under sub-item 109 (b):

 (a)   Report of the Secretary-General on the protection of migrants; ⁸ 

 (b)   Report of the Secretary-General on the role and achievement of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in assisting the Government and people of Cambodia in the promotion and protection of human rights;⁹

 (c)   Report of the Secretary-General on human rights and cultural diversity; ¹⁰ 

 (d)   Report of the Secretary-General on human rights and unilateral coercive measures;¹¹

 (e)   Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening United Nations action in the field of human rights through the promotion of international cooperation and the importance of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity; ¹² 

 (f)   Report of the Secretary-General on the Subregional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central Africa; ¹³

 (g)   Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of his Special Representative on human rights defenders; ¹⁴ 

 (h)   Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities; ¹⁵ 

 (i)   Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Timor-Leste; ¹⁶

   Under sub-item 109 (c):

  (a)   Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Sierra Leone;¹⁷

 (b)   Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Myanmar;¹⁸

 (c)   Note by the Secretary-General on the human rights situation of Lebanese detainees in Israel; ¹⁹

 (d)   Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967; ²⁰ 

    Under sub-item 109 (e):

  Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. ²¹ 

____________

 *   The report of the Committee on this item will be issued in six parts, under the symbol A/57/556 and Add.1-5.

Notes

¹A/57/3 (Parts I and II); to be issued in Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 3 (A/57/3/Rev.1).

²Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 40 (A/57/40), vols. I and II.

³Ibid., Supplement No. 44 (A/57/44).

⁴Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 36 (A/57/36).

⁵A/57/268.

⁶A/57/308.

⁷A/57/400.

⁸A/57/134.

⁹A/57/277.

¹⁰A/57/311 and Add.1.

¹¹A/57/371.

¹²A/57/385.

¹³A/57/394.

¹⁴A/57/182.

¹⁵A/57/357.

¹⁶A/57/446.

¹⁷A/57/284.

¹⁸A/57/290 and Corr.1.

¹⁹A/57/345.

²⁰A/57/366 and Add.1.

²¹Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 36 (A/57/36).