A/HRC/31/74 States from across regions, including Brazil. She stated that only two or three topics should be chosen for discussion at the eighth session. With respect to the meeting time of the Ad Hoc Committee, a reduction to seven meeting days could still be supplemented by informal meetings on the three other days. 75. The representative of Belgium reiterated that, for his delegation, treaty bodies were the heart of the human rights protection framework. He recalled paragraph 9 of the 2007 study of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (A/HRC/4/WG.3/7), in which it emphasized that non-reporting by States parties was an obstacle to the universal implementation of the Convention and the Committee’s work. He noted that these were important elements that should be dealt with as a matter of priority and proposed the topics of “implementation of norms and standards” and “monitoring procedures of the Committee and other mechanisms”. The representative of Belgium aligned his delegation with the earlier statement of the European Union. He noted that the topic of “racism and sport” as considered by the Committee during the seventh session was a good start but required further expansion and consideration in future sessions. 76. The Chair-Rapporteur suggested that the delegations undertake informal consultations on possible outcomes and conclusions of the seventh session. The meeting was adjourned until the following day. IV. Adoption of the report 77. The Chair-Rapporteur opened the 16th meeting on the morning of 24 July. The meeting was adjourned to allow the Committee additional time to continue its informal discussions, with a view to arriving at agreement. 78. The meeting was resumed later that afternoon. The Chair-Rapporteur invited general statements from the participants. 79. The representative of the United States expressed appreciation to the ChairRapporteur and all members of the Ad Hoc Committee, noting that the topic of the Committee was very important. It was important to his delegation that it continue in a useful, relevant and productive way in the future, and stated that it would work with all delegations to ensure that this would happen. 80. The European Union representative also expressed appreciation to all, especially to the representative of Brazil for chairing the informal sessions, stating that her delegation looked forward to future active engagement in the Ad Hoc Committee. 81. South Africa, on behalf of the African Group, also expressed thanks to all, noting the session had been difficult but cordial, and stating that the Committee had managed to find some points of convergence. She regretted, however, that the Committee did not use the opportunity of the session to discuss topical issues, such as the protection of migrants against racist, discriminatory and xenophobic practices, as had been raised by some members of the African Group during the session. 82. The representative of Pakistan, on behalf of OIC, expressed sincere appreciation, stating that, while the Committee had managed to arrive at a few conclusions and agreement on at least one topic, OIC regretted that the Committee had not been able to focus on its mandate during the session. The representative said that the Committee was far from discussions on tangible complementary standards in the form of an additional protocol, adding that some still opposed the mandate of the Committee and blocked consensus, and stating that OIC welcomed a more constructive approach in future sessions. 18