GA/SHC/3601

SPEAKERS IN THIRD COMMITTEE URGE INTER-CULTURAL TOLERANCE; INDIVISIBILITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Removing absolute poverty would improve the human rights situation remarkably in most countries, Nepal's representative told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon, as it met to begin considering human rights issues, starting with human rights instruments.

Human rights was not a zero-sum game but a common cause, the speaker continued. In countries like his, the principal obstacles to promoting human rights were illiteracy, disease and poverty. Lofty human rights norms did not bring bread to the table. They did not give young people jobs. The most fundamental right was the right to live. The widely touted freedom to choose meant nothing to those who had no options. Conditions that sustained life and options from which to choose were the most basic human rights.

The representative of Egypt said a long time would pass before the lofty purposes set out in the United Nations Charter were achieved, but it could already be agreed that all human rights were equal, and all must be treated by the international community in an equitable manner. He urged the international community to establish a high level of tolerance between all cultures.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated countries, the representative of France agreed that the treaty body system needed more work to improve both it and its credibility. He stressed the need to provide adequate financing to keep the instruments alive and vital. He called for intensified consideration of how the reporting process could be simplified and resources better mobilized.

Addressing the Committee, the Deputy to the Director of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Elissavet Stamatopoulou, said the Secretary-General's initiative for �treaty actions� during the Millennium Summit had proved successful. An unprecedented 273 actions had occurred over the three days.

Also this afternoon, the Committee heard the representative of Denmark introduce a draft resolution on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.

The representatives of Peru, Cuba and China also spoke.

The Committee will meet again at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 24 October, to continue considering human rights instruments.

Third Committee - 2 - Press Release GA/SHC/3601 31st Meeting (PM) 23 October 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to begin considering questions related to human rights, including that of implementing human rights instruments.

The Committee has before it the relevant sections of the Economic and Social Council's 2000 report. It has before it the Secretary-General's report on cultural diversity, and an interim report on eliminating religious intolerance, prepared by the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Commission on that issue and transmitted by a note of the Secretary-General.

The Committee also has before it the report of the Human Rights Committee and that of the Committee against Torture. It has reports of the Secretary- General on: the status of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide; implementing international instruments of human rights; the Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture; the status of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; the status of the International Convention on the Protection of Migrant Workers and Their Families; and status of the Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.

In addition, notes by the Secretary-General transmit reports of: the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on torture; the twelfth meeting of the persons chairing United Nations human rights treaty bodies; and the independent expert on enhancing the human rights treaty monitoring system.

The Economic and Social Council's interim report for 2000 (document A/55/3) reports on action taken by the Council during its organizational and resumed organization sessions, and its substantive session for 2000. The resolutions approved by the Council and approved by the Assembly concerning human rights include those on the draft optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, procedure for dealing with communications concerning human rights, the right to food, human rights defenders and racial intolerance. Also covered are the establishment of a permanent forum on indigenous issues, strengthening the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the use of mercenaries to impede human rights, the right to development and the relation of human rights and extreme poverty. Finally included are Council resolutions pertaining to human rights situations.

A note by the Secretary-General transmits the report on the elimination of all forms of religious intolerance in three parts (documents A/55/280, Add.1 and Add.2). Those interim reports were prepared by the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion. The first report summarizes the work of the Special Rapporteur for the period May-June 2000; the second concerns his visit to Turkey from 30 November to 9 December, 1999, and the third concerns his visit to Bangladesh of 15 to 24 May, 2000.

The report itself covers a total of 39 communications (including one urgent appeal) transmitted to States during the reporting period. It also concerns the replies to those communications. The report concludes that the situation with regard to intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief is alarming. The global trend towards increasing contacts in the social, cultural and economic spheres was accompanied by the growth of extremism as well as policies and practices detrimental to society, particularly minorities and women. Globalization also posed a challenge. The report also concludes that the protection of religious freedom was closely related to the promotion of democracy and development.

Further, the report recommends that the Assembly devote the fullest attention to religious extremism. States and the international community must condemn and combat that phenomenon unequivocally in order to preserve the human right to peace. The report notes, however, that on the question of sects or religious communities, State intervention in matters of religion or belief must be limited, in conformity with international law. It cannot be the State's role to supervise, favour, impose or censure a religion or belief, nor can any religious or spiritual community supervise people's personal conscience.

According to the report on the Special Rapporteur's visit to Turkey (A/55/280/Add.1), attention focused on examining legislation and policies in the area of freedom of religion and beliefs, and on the situation of non-Muslim communities. The Special Rapporteur was pleased to note that Turkey's legislation and, particularly, its constitutional legislation provides absolute guarantees of freedom of religion and protects its manifestations -- particularly freedom of worship -- while imposing certain limitations. Some of those constitutional limitations contain vague expressions that could be interpreted broadly and lead to extensive intervention by the State. The Special Rapporteur, therefore, recommends that precise terminology be devised and that legislation, including constitutional provisions, be interpreted in a manner consistent with international standards of human rights. The Special Rapporteur further recommends that authorities take steps to make education an effective vehicle for promoting human rights values so as to build a culture of tolerance.

According to the report on the Special Rapporteur's visit to Bangladesh (A/55/280/Add.2), attention was focused on the legal aspects of freedom of religion or belief, on the influence of politics on the freedom of religion, as well as on the status of women. With regard to legislation, the report concludes that constitutional measures guarantee the freedom of religious belief and their manifestations, in accordance with international law. Regarding legal provisions, the penal code protects freedom of religion or belief. With regard to the influence of the political sphere on religion, the Special Rapporteur concluded that the State does, in general, respect freedom of religion. The report recommends that religion be protected from all forms of political exploitation. It further recommends the State to take necessary measures to protect mosques and religious schools from all efforts at indoctrination on the part of extremists, so that places of prayer and contemplation do not become instruments of intolerance or discrimination.

In a report on human rights and cultural diversity (document A/55/296 and Add.1), the Secretary-General summarizes reports received on the issue from the Governments of Chile, Iran and Libya. He also includes communications from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), as well as from the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The report concludes that there is an increasing need to emphasize the common core values shared by all cultures. Those include human dignity, freedom from want and fear, and protection of human rights through the rule of law. Those being reflected in the international human rights principles, the link has now been established between international cultural cooperation, development and human rights. The report summarizes activities undertaken by the United Nations system for advancing cultural rights. The Addendum provides additional information from the governments of Guatemala and Libya.

The Committee also has before it the report of the Committee against Torture (document A/55/44) which covers the work of the Committee during its twenty-third (8 to 19 November 1999) and twenty-fourth sessions (1 to 19 May 2000). According to the report, as of 19 May, there were 119 States parties to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The list of States which have signed, ratified or acceded to the Convention is contained in an annex to the report. The list of States parties that have made declarations with respect to the Convention is also included in an annex to the report. The report further notes that the Committee's Working Group in Geneva considered the question of a draft optional protocol to the Convention during the reporting period.

Further to the report, the Committee considered and made recommendations on reports submitted by 16 States parties to the Convention during its twenty-third and twenty-fourth sessions. During the reporting period, the Committee expressed a general concern at the number of States parties which did not comply with their reporting obligations. The report also states that the Committee expressed views on 11 communications of complaints for violations under Article 22 of the Convention. It also made decisions on the admissibility of six communications. Also included in the report is information on the participation of Committee members in other meetings and relevant action taken by the Assembly at its fifty- fourth session.

The report of the Human Rights Committee (document A/55/40) is to be issued.

The Secretary-General's report on the status of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (document A/55/207) lists the States that have signed, ratified, acceded or succeeded to the Convention. As at 1 July, it had been ratified or acceded to by 130 States. In addition, three States had signed it.

The report by the Secretary-General on effective implementation of international instruments on human rights (document A/55/278) includes information on compliance with reporting obligations under international instruments of human rights. It also provides information on activities of the Commission on Human Rights, meetings of persons chairing human rights treaty bodies and work output of the treaty bodies. Also covered are the report of the independent expert on enhancing the long-term effectiveness of the United Nations human rights treaty monitoring system, and results of the analytical study comparing the provisions of the six principal international human rights treaties. Included is information on the payment of honorariums, steps taken to insure financing, staff and resources for operations of the treaty bodies, and steps taken to address increases in the number of overdue reports and those awaiting examination.

Also before the Committee is the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (document A/55/178). That annual report contains a description of the Fund's mandate and notes that it is administered by the Secretary-General through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and with the advice of the Fund's Board of Trustees. The report also lists contributions to the Fund by governments, non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and private individuals that were received and considered in time for allocation during the Board's nineteenth session (15 to 26 May 2000). The report indicates that sums received during the reporting period would be allocated at the Board's twentieth session in May 2001. Pledges of contributions are not considered, but outstanding pledges as at 13 July are listed. After reserve and support costs were deducted, the amount available on 15 May 2000 came to a little over $7 million.

The Board recommended that the entire amount be allocated, with priority given to those organizations providing medical, psychological, economic, social, legal and other forms of direct humanitarian aid to victims of torture and members of their families. A few grants were given to training programmes for health professionals and for meetings. The Board also recommended that a portion of the above-mentioned amount be reserved for emergency grants. The first category of grants, totalling $100,000, is available to meet requests for urgent assistance from victims of torture in countries lacking appropriate facilities and to assist victims of amputation and mutilation coming from Sierra Leone. A second category of grants, totalling $400,000, has been set aside for organizations that might experience financial difficulties prior to the Board's next session. Finally, the report notes that the demand for assistance to torture victims was constantly increasing. If current estimates hold true, some $12 million would be needed to meet the anticipated requirements for the year 2001.

The Secretary-General's report on the status of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (document A/55/208) states that, as of 1 July, the Convention has been ratified or acceded to by 119 States. In addition, nine States have signed the Convention. The report contains a list of States that have signed, ratified or acceded to the Convention, as well as the dates of their signature, ratification or accession.

The Secretary-General's report on the status of the international Convention on the protection of migrant workers and their families (document A/55/205) states that, as at 1 July, the Convention had been ratified or acceded to by Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Colombia, Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Senegal, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Uganda. It had been signed by Bangladesh, Chile and Turkey. The convention will enter into force when at last 20 States have ratified it. The report also states that the Convention will be taken up in a series of workshops, to be held through 2001 at the subregional and national levels, for strengthening human rights. Further, the report outlines activities of the International Steering Committee of the Global Campaign for Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Migrants.

A note by the Secretary-General transmits the interim report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on torture and other degrading treatment (document A/55/290). The report states that issues of especial concern were related to gender-specific forms of torture, torture and children, torture and human rights defenders, reparation for victims of torture and, finally, torture and poverty.

Briefly, the Special Rapporteur states that he has continued to receive information on women being subjected to gender-specific forms of torture and about a significant number of victims being children. While there is no evidence that human rights defenders are subjected to particular forms of torture or ill treatment, the issue demands attention because such persons are on the front line for defence of human rights and play a key role in denouncing violations. The Special Rapporteur describes interventions he undertook on behalf of human rights defenders as well as actions to advance the cause within the United Nations system.

Also contained in the report is a listing of the Special Rapporteur's efforts with States to obtain reparation for victims of torture. He also comments on developments such as the ruling regarding General Pinochet of Chile and responsibility for human rights abuses. Finally, the Special Rapporteur states that, by far, the most victims of torture are common criminals from the lowest strata of society, who cannot afford legal or other protections. Thus, until the issue of the marginalized is addressed, their fate contributes to the vicious circle of brutalization threatening human dignity.

Also before the Committee is a note by the Secretary-General on the effective implementation of international instruments on human rights, including reporting obligations under international instruments on human rights (document A/55/206). The note transmits the report of the persons chairing the human rights treaty bodies on their twelfth meeting in Geneva from 5 to 8 June 2000. The participants at that meeting included the chairpersons of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Committee against Torture, the Human Rights Committee, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

According to the report, the chairpersons briefed the meeting on recent developments in the work of their respective treaty bodies. Notably, the Committee on the Rights of the Child had recently begun to examine as many as nine reports during each session in an effort to reduce its backlog. Attention was also drawn to recent denunciations of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Concern was expressed regarding the difficulties relating to the non-appearance of States parties at several meetings of the Human Rights Commission. A positive development has been the submission of periodic reports by another State party that had attempted to withdraw from the Covenant. The workload of the Committee against Torture was steadily growing, particularly as a result of the increased use of the inquiry provision of the Convention. The chairpersons also stressed continued cooperation of the human rights treaty bodies with United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, as well as NGOs.

A note by the Secretary-General summarizes the report of the independent expert on enhancing the long-term effectiveness of the United Nations human rights treaty monitoring system (document A/55/313). The expert's report was presented to the Commission on Human Rights at Geneva in March to April. The Secretary- General's note states that it summarized comments received from States, the United Nations system and other interested parties on how to improve the treaty monitoring system. It also contains the Secretary-General's own views on the legal, administrative and other implications of the expert's recommendations.

The Secretary-General's report of the Status of the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery (document A/55/204) states that the Fund was established to provide financial assistance to representatives of regional NGOs dealing with issues of contemporary slavery to participate in deliberation of the Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery. The Fund also provides humanitarian, legal and financial aid to individuals whose human rights have been violated as a result of contemporary forms of slavery. The Fund is administered by the Secretary-General through the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights with the advice of a Board of Trustees.

The report states that during its fifth session (7 to 10 February 2000), the Board examined information prepared by the Secretariat on 43 applications for travel grants to attend the twenty-fifth session of the Working Group and 25 project grants. The Board recommended 17 of those travel grants (amounting to $30,800) as well as 17 project grants (amounting to $83,500) for a total of $114,300. The report also notes that, in the Board's view, in order to fulfil its mandate, the fund will need $300,000 more before its sixth session in January 2001.

Draft resolution

The Committee has before it a draft expected to be introduced on the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People (1994-2004) (document A/C.3/55/L.19). By that draft, the Assembly would welcome the Economic and Social Council's July decision to establish a Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues as a subsidiary organ of the Council. It would encourage Governments to support the Decade by such actions as preparing programmes, establishing national committees and contributing to the Trust Fund for the Decade and the Voluntary Fund for participation of indigenous representatives in the Working Group on Indigenous Populations, and in the working group charged with developing a draft declaration on the rights of indigenous people. It would invite the United Nations system to give priority and resources to improving the conditions of indigenous people, to launch projects and designate focal points for coordination of activities. Finally, it would emphasize the importance of indigenous people participating in world conferences, in particular, the 2001 World Conference Against Racism to be held in South Africa.

The draft is sponsored by Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.

Introduction of Draft

The representative of Denmark introduced the draft resolution on the International Decade of the World�s Indigenous People (document A/C.3/55/L.19), with a number of oral technical amendments.

The following were added as co-sponsors: Armenia, Austria, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Introduction of Reports

ELISSAVET STAMATOPOULOU, Deputy Director, New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, introduced the reports before the Committee. She recalled that one of the major goals of the Millennium Assembly was to support the universal ratification of the core human rights treaties. That initiative proved to be most successful, as an unprecedented 273 treaty actions -- signatures, ratifications and accessions -- took place during that historic meeting. At present, 143 States were parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and 147 were States parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In addition, there were now 97 States that had become parties to the Optional Protocol to that Covenant. While those and other instruments had seen welcome action, the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families had been ratified or acceded to by only 14 States. That Convention, therefore, required another six States to adhere to its provisions before it became operational.

She then turned to introduce and briefly highlight the following reports: the report of the Human Rights Committee (document A/55/40, to be issued); the report of the Committee against Torture (document A/55/44); and the report on the effective implementation of human rights instruments (document A/55/206). On the implementation of human rights instruments, she noted that the problem of under- resourcing of the treaty bodies had again been a major subject at the meetings of chairpersons of those bodies. She also noted that the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in addition to its main function of considering reports submitted by States parties, continued to develop jurisprudence by elaborating and adopting General Comments on substantial provisions of the Covenant.

Statements

DIDIER LE BRET (France), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said the two Covenants, along with the Conventions on the rights of the child, elimination of discrimination against women, elimination of racial discrimination and against torture, represented 900 ratifications. Roughly 100 countries had signed all of the above instruments, with the Millennium Summit having served as a strong catalyst for such signings. The 2001 World Conference Against Racism should be such a target for that Convention. Similarly, the special session, next year, on the rights of the child would be a good target for ratifying the optional protocols to that convention.

The ratification of treaties was important but not enough, he said. Reservations to the conventions must be removed, particularly on those relating to human rights and optional protocols, such as that to the convention against torture, referring to the application of the death penalty and banning the use of that measure against minors. In addition, treaties must be implemented. The best way to implement them was to do so in a practical way by adapting national legal measures to match.

Finally, he said the human rights instruments were most effective when kept alive. That was achieved through ongoing interaction between the monitoring bodies responsible for overseeing implementation and the States responsible for implementing the instruments. That was also brought about by additional instruments, such as the optional protocol to the Convention on eliminating discrimination against women, which related to individual communications. Of course, adequate financing was required to keep the instruments alive and vital. Also, additional work was needed to improve the system and its credibility. He called on the Committee to intensify consideration of how to simplify the treaty body reporting process and how better to mobilize resources.

YEHIA ODA (Egypt) said a long time would pass before the lofty purposes set out in the United Nations Charter were achieved. However, it could already be agreed that all human rights were equal, and all must be treated by the international community in an equitable manner. Civil and political rights should receive the same attention as economic and social rights.

The foremost responsibility for safeguarding human rights fell to governments themselves, he said. Yet, the international community must follow certain principles to ensure equitable treatment of all rights of all people. First, human rights should never be politicized or used to bring pressure to bear on a party. They should not be a pretext to interfere in internal affairs, or to bring about commercial objectives. No double standards should exist, as they did in the case of the Palestinians whose rights were being abused in violation of all international norms and standards. The kind of double-standard situation that existed in the occupied territories cast doubts on all human rights.

Further, he said, the international community needed to establish a high level of tolerance between all cultures. It needed to reaffirm in everyday life that human rights were one, indivisible unit. Egypt had acceded to 19 instruments and was constantly adapting its legislature in line with the international instruments. Its NGOs were an important component in protecting human rights. Like the majority of those in developing countries, Egypt supported the rights of individuals as well as the rights of the larger group.

MURARI RAJ SHARMA (Nepal) said political and economic rights were not mutually exclusive. Rather, they reinforced each other. Human rights norms should not be allowed to become subject to errors of judgment. Nothing was worse than when the error in judgment was made with the intention of advancing goals extraneous to human rights.

He said the treaty bodies found themselves at odds with a number of developing countries at times. Often, those countries had difficulty meeting their human rights pledges because of conflicts or lack of capacity. A chorus of criticism went up against such slackers. Yet, the same countries that pointed a finger at the poorer countries quickly snubbed the treaty bodies when they themselves were put in the dock for human rights violations. Such a condition gave the impression that the mechanisms existed to chastise the poor and weak. The treaty bodies must do their work without fear or discrimination to maintain their integrity and credibility intact. �If we are all living in glass houses, let us not throw stones�, he said, adding that blame served no purpose.

Human rights was not a zero-sum game but a common cause, he continued. In countries like his, the principal obstacles to promoting human rights were illiteracy, disease and poverty. Lofty human rights norms did not bring bread to the dinner table. They did not give young people jobs. The most fundamental right was the right to live, while the widely touted freedom to choose meant nothing to those who had no options from which to choose. As globalization held out promise, its fruits remained exclusive. Its only effect in many places was to leave traditional safety nets frayed. Conditions that sustained life and options from which to choose must be provided as the most basic human rights. Thus, he said removing absolute poverty would improve the human rights situation remarkably in most countries. Sharp edges could be easily smoothed once dehumanizing poverty was behind the global community, which would also promote peace and democracy. That was the way to turn the current vicious circle into a virtuous one for all, because the vehicle of society rested and ran stably on the four wheels of democracy, development, justice and human rights. Neglecting any wheel put society in mortal danger. Treaties must be ratified, national, legal and institutional mechanisms put in place, assistance given for those without experience or capacity, and protocols must be constantly elaborated to keep international law alive and relevant to a changing reality.

MANUEL PICASSO (Peru) said that, over the past few decades, States had witnessed the swift and constructive evolution of a set of principles, rules and provisions at both the national and international level. That process had inevitably acknowledged the human being as the ultimate focus of societies, and evinced an awareness of the substantive and important relationships between human rights, national sovereignty, individual freedoms and common welfare. Those issues no longer polarized the international community. Indeed, since the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was followed by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, among others, the international community had reached consensus on subjects such as overcoming poverty, the value of the dignity of the individual and the genuine possibility of achieving and ensuring freedom.

He said that evolution had also presented a burden that must be shared by every member of the international community as well as governments -� the need to achieve a uniformity that would permit the exploration and creation of conditions for an effective regulatory development both on a jurisdictional and non- jurisdictional level. In that regard, the work of the Committee must always aim to reflect the full range of its members� views. It was also important for the Committee to address the issue of inequitable distribution of resources. In that regard, his delegation would submit a draft resolution this year on the item of human rights and extreme poverty. With regard to the implementation of human rights mechanisms, he said that Peru had based its actions on the principles of openness, broad dialogue and cooperation. For example, he said that his country had endorsed words with practice most notable in matters of cooperation.

Mr. REYES RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said that, in Vienna, States had agreed to streamline the work of the treaty bodies. Cuba supported that initiative as well as the Secretary-General�s call to increase the resources available to those bodies, thus recognizing them as the cornerstone of United Nations measures to promote and protect human rights. Cuba was concerned, however, that after more than two years had passed, little had been done to follow-up on those requests. What little had been achieved had been characterized by the specifications of what �experts had done� -- usually university experts from developing countries. That patently excluded a broad range of ideas, suggestions and experiences. The process must be participatory and open; one that would respect the intergovernmental nature of reforming the work of those treaty bodies. Moreover, de-politicization of the bodies and transparency in their working methods must be ensured.

He went on to say that while Cuba recognized the work that had been done by the treaty bodies to integrate a rights-based approach into the implementation of human rights instruments, perhaps that approach would also be helpful if applied

to the work of the bodies themselves. He noted that his delegation was also disturbed by the lack of equitable distribution among the treaty body membership. In fact, several of those bodies had no representation from African countries, while their mandates covered human rights issues that could be considered endemic to that region.

LA YIFAN (China) said that when following up on the implementation of human rights instruments, treaty bodies should pay particular attention to and respect the different conditions within countries. Indeed, implementation depended on cultural habits, traditional practices, and economic and social conditions. He also said that the technological explosion of today gave treaty bodies a particular duty to ensure the materials they received were reliable and truthful; they must make sure to prevent baseless political accusations. They must also attach great importance to the technical and legal nature of their work, in order to help States parties to act within the provisions of international tenets, with respect to State sovereignty.

China, he continued, had always given great weight to the work of human rights treaty bodies. His country had always fulfilled its obligations under the core conventions and had sent delegations to conferences on the conventions against torture. He noted that representatives from the Hong Kong Administrative Region had also participated in that conference. Finally, China was also preparing its periodic report on its compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

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