Dansk Interparlamentarisk Gruppes bestyrelse 2008-09
IPU Alm.del Bilag 22
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UNION INTERPARLEMENTAIRETELEPHONEFAXE-MAIL
INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNIONCHEMIN DU POMMIER5CASE POSTALE3301218LE GRAND-SACONNEX/GENEVE(SUISSE)
SEMINAR ONIMPLEMENTING THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTSAND THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURALRIGHTS: WHAT PART FOR PARLIAMENTS?22 OCTOBER 2009, CICG, GENEVA
Geneva, 20 August 2009
Dear Mr. President,I am pleased to invite your parliament to participate in a human rightsseminar, which will be organized by the IPU, in cooperation with the Office of the UnitedNations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on 22 October 2009, the day after theclosure of the 121stIPU Assembly. The seminar is designed to enhance parliaments’involvement in the work of the United Nations treaty bodies, and more specifically, in thework of the Human Rights Committee and the Committee on Economic, Social andCultural Rights.The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and theInternational Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) cover the fullspectrum of human rights. By ratifying them, States commit themselves to implementingtheir provisions and reporting regularly on the steps taken to this end to the HumanRights Committee, which oversees the implementation of the ICCPR, and to theCommittee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which oversees the implementationof the ICESCR. Both Committees issue concluding observations and recommendations toeach State party. Parliaments can make a significant contribution to this reporting andfollow-up process../..Mr. Kristian Pihl Lorentzen, MPPresident of the Danish Inter-Parliamentary GroupDanish Inter-Parliamentary GroupInternational Department (IPU-Sekr)FolketingetChristiansborg SlotDK-1240 COPENHAGEN K.Denmarkcc:Fax:Email:Mr. Flemming Kordt Hansen, Secretary of the Danish Inter-ParliamentaryGroup+45 33 89 37 74[email protected]
-2-The seminar, which is part of the IPU’s efforts to strengthen the role ofparliaments in the promotion and protection of human rights, is designed for parliamentsof those States parties to the Covenant(s) whose reports were considered recently by theUN Committee(s) or will be considered shortly. Please find enclosed the list of countries(see Annex) which fall into these categories.As indicated therein, the UN Human Rights Committee examined yourcountry’s report in October 2008 and issued concluding observations, a copy of which Iattach herewith.I hope, therefore, that your parliament will be able to participate in theseminar, and designate for this purpose, and where possible, members of committeeswhose mandate is directly related to the work of the relevant UN Committee examiningyour country's report. Please note that the invitation is also extended to oneparliamentary staff dealing with these issues.Members of both UN Committees and expert members of parliament havebeen invited to facilitate the seminar.Human rights: Handbook for Parliamentarians,published in 2005 by the IPU and OHCHR and widely distributed among parliaments,will be used, along with relevant UN publications, as reference tools during the seminar.Please find attached a preliminary agenda of the seminar. A final version will be sent toyou in due course.I sincerely hope that it will be possible for your parliament’s delegation toparticipate in this seminar and would be grateful if your parliament could complete andreturn to us the attached registration form by Friday 25 September latest.I look forward to the participation of your parliament in the seminar.Yours sincerely,
Anders B. JohnssonSecretary General
IMPLEMENTING THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL ANDPOLITICAL RIGHTS AND THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ONECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS: WHAT PART FORPARLIAMENTS?Seminar organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Office of theUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE (CICG), 22 OCTOBER 2009
PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME8.45 a.m.9.30 a.m.--9.30 a.m.9.45 a.m.RegistrationWelcoming remarksMORNING SESSIONGeneral overview of the Covenants and of the contribution that parliaments canmake to ensure respect for their provisions9.45 a.m.11 a.m.--11 a.m.11.15 a.m.1 p.m.Introducing the Covenants and their Optional ProtocolsPresentations and debateCoffee breakImplementing the Covenants: the role of parliament in the reporting and follow-upprocedure>>>>
11.15 a.m. -
Parliamentary involvement in the reporting mechanismDeveloping an adequate legislative and oversight framework to ensureimplementation of concluding observationsWorking with civil society and the mediaKeeping track of progress
Presentations and debate1 p.m.-2.30 p.m.LunchAFTERNOON SESSIONA close-up of two rights and the obligations they entail for States, includingparliament2.30 p.m.-4 p.m.Article 7 of the ICCPR: the right to personal integrity and dignity and the prohibitionof torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment>
>>
How is the right to personal integrity and dignity addressed by the InternationalCovenant on Civil and Political Rights? What are current challenges to theprohibition of torture?What is required of States parties?What can parliaments do?
Presentations and debate4 p.m.4.15 p.m.--4.15 p.m.5.45 p.m.Coffee breakArticles 6 and 7 of the ICESCR: the right to work and rights at work>What does the right to work as enshrined in the International Covenant onEconomic, Social and Cultural Rights, entail? What are the current challengesto the implementation of this right?>What is required of States parties?>What contribution can parliaments make?Presentations and debate5.45-6 p.m.Closure of the seminar
IMPLEMENTING THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVILAND POLITICAL RIGHTS AND THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANTON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS: WHATPART FOR PARLIAMENTS?Seminar organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Office ofthe United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE (CICG), 22 OCTOBER 2009
REGISTRATION FORM
DELEGATION OF: _______________________________________________________________
PARTICIPANTS:Mrs.Ms.Mr1.
Last name
First name
Title
2.
3.
Please complete and return this form no later than 25 September 2009 to:Inter-Parliamentary Union5, chemin du PommierCase postale 3301218 Grand-SaconnexGeneva, SwitzerlandTelephone:Fax:e-mail:+ 41 22 - 919 41 50+ 41 22 - 919 41 60[email protected]
Date
Signature
ANNEXHuman Rights Committee - SessionsThe Human Rights Committee convenes three times a year for three-week sessions, normally in March at the UnitedNations Headquarters in New York and in July and November at the United Nations Office in Geneva. These are thecountries whose reports have been examined or are scheduled to be examined soon:
No.
DatesSessionsSerbia, Slovakia
State reports
LocationGenevaGeneva
97
12-30 October 2009
Croatia, Ecuador, Republic of Moldova, RussianFederatiom, SwitzerlandTask Force: Cameroon, Colombia, El Salvador, Estonia,Israel, PolandAzerbaijan, Chad, Netherlands, TanzaniaTask Force: Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand,UzbekistanAustralia, Chad, Rwanda, SwedenTask Force: Croatia, Republic of Moldova, RussianFederation, Switzerland, Tanzania,Nicaragua, Monaco, Denmark, Japan, Spain
96
13-31 July 2009
Geneva
95
16 March - 3 April 2009
New York
94
13-31 October 2008
Geneva
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - SessionsThe Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights convenes twice a year for three-week sessions, normally in Mayand November at the United Nations Office in Geneva. These are the countries whose reports have been examined orare scheduled to be examined soon:
No.
DatesSessions
State reportsArgentina, New Zealand, SlovakiaCameroon, Estonia, Germany, IsraelNetherlands, Switzerland, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka, MaliSri Lanka, Yemen, Russian Federation, Turkey, Republic of Moldova, MaliAlgeria, Colombia, Mauritius, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, TanzaniaUruguay, Afghanistan, Netherlands, Switzerland, Dominican Republic,TanzaniaRepublic of Korea, Poland, Chad, Madagascar, Democratic Republic ofCongo, GabonKazakhstan, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria, Mauritius,GabonBrazil, Cyprus, United Kingdom, Australia, CambodiaPhilippines, Angola, Kenya, Nicaragua, Sweden
454544444343424241
November 2010(Pre-Sessional Working Group)November 2010May 2010(Pre-Sessional Working Group)May 201023-26 November 2009(Pre-Sessional Working Group)2-20 November 200925-29 May 2009(Pre-Sessional Working Group)4-22 May 20093-21 November 2008
