A/HRC/16/20
Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture. Three new individual complaints procedures
were created (under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the
Convention on Enforced Disappearance above, and the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, though the latter has not yet entered into force) and
one more complaints procedure is under discussion under the Convention on the Rights of
the Child.
18.
There have been increases in membership for the three committees above, bringing
the total number of treaty body experts to 141 (versus 116 at the end of 2009). The meeting
time has also been on the rise (68 weeks in session for 2010) and additional requests for
meeting time were approved/extended by the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly in
the end of 2010 for both the Committee against Torture and the Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination (70 weeks of session in 2011).
19.
In addition, and also as a positive side-effect of UPR, States have increased
ratification and reporting. In 2010, the eight human rights treaty bodies with a reporting
procedure covered some 120 country reviews and considered over 100 individual
complaints.
20.
This significant growth has prompted me to request all stakeholders to rethink the
future of treaty bodies with innovative and creative ideas. I am pleased that in response to
my call, a number of stakeholders have organized consultations: in Dublin (meeting of
treaty bodies members), in Marrakesh, Morocco (meeting of national human rights
institutions) and in Poznan, Poland (meeting of treaty bodies’ Chairpersons and experts). In
addition, retreats with all treaty body experts, when Committees are in session in Geneva,
are also being organized to brainstorm in preparation for discussions at upcoming meetings
of Chairpersons (June 2011) and Inter-Committee Meetings (in January and June 2011).
We have been informed that other consultations, including by civil society, academics and
with other parts of the United Nations system, are in the making. Some 20 nongovernmental organizations have already made a written contribution to the process. States
parties will be invited by the Chairpersons of the treaty bodies and myself to a technical
expert consultation in the spring of 2011.
21.
I look forward to the culmination of this process of reflection. It is my intention to
compile the outcomes of these reflections and present them to treaty body experts, States
parties and all other stakeholders at an appropriate time in 2011.
2.
Progressive development of international human rights law
22.
OHCHR continued to support standard-setting related activities undertaken by
Governments, the Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, the Social Forum, the
human rights treaty bodies and special procedures.
23.
OHCHR supports the Open-ended Working Group on an Optional Protocol to the
Convention of the Rights of the Child to provide a communication procedure, which held
its second session in December 2010. It also supports the intergovernmental Open-ended
Working Group on the Right to Development, including in the conclusion of the 2008–
2010 work plan of its expert mechanism - the high-level task force on the implementation
of the right to development - resulting in the development of three substantive reports. The
Working Group on Mercenaries has put forward elements for a possible draft convention on
the activities of private military and security companies and the Council established an
open-ended intergovernmental working group to consider the possibility of elaborating an
international regulatory framework on the regulation, monitoring and oversight of the
activities of private military and security companies. Also, the General Assembly in its
resolution 65/182 established an open-ended working group to review how the human
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