November 18
In the morning, the Committee met with
NHRIs, NGOs (in public) and UN partners (in private) with respect to the State
party reports being considered this week (Gabon, Austria and Norway - in
that order). The Committee discussed with stakeholders, including the Austrian
Ombudsman Board and non-governmental organization representatives, the
implementation of the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights in Austria and Norway, whose reports will be
considered by the Committee this week. The report of Gabon will also be reviewed
by the Committee this week, but there were no civil society representatives
from that country present.
On
the situation in Austria, speakers said the reception conditions for asylum
seekers in Austria were insufficient and in some cases in violation of basic
human rights principles, and their access to the labour market was extremely
restricted. Other issues raised included the direct application of the Covenant
in Austrian courts, poverty levels, the right to food, the right to freely
choose work, and the need to ban genetically modified food and crops in Austria.
Speaking on Austria were representatives of the Austrian Ombudsman Board, Fian
International on behalf of the Austrian Forum for Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, Active Unemployed Austria, FIAN International and Forum WSK-Rechte and
Aktion GEN-Klage.Concerning Norway, speakers said Romani migrants were subject to ill-treatment by the police and security guards. There was an uncovered need for free legal aid for low-income people. Speakers raised issues concerning access of immigrants to the labour market, the social housing system, the employment rate for women from ethnic or minority communities, and the forced treatment of persons with psycho-social disabilities.
Speaking on Norway were the Norwegian NGO-forum for Human Rights, Legal Advice for Women, We Shall Overcome and FIAN International, FIAN Norway and the Norwegian Forum for Environment and Development. Committee Experts asked follow-up questions which were answered by civil society representatives.
The next public meeting of the Committee took place at 3 p.m. in the afternoon, when it started its consideration of the initial report of Gabon (E/C/GAB/1). […]
To read
the full press release:
November
19
The Committee concluded, on November
19, the review of the initial report of Gabon (E/C.12/GAB/1). The State
party's delegation, headed by Eric Dodo Bounguendza, General Director of Human
Rights, Ministry of Justice, comprised representatives of the Ministry of Justice (two Directors of the
Promotion of Human Rights), and of the Caisse Nationale d’Assurance Maladie et
de Garantie Sociale), and one member of the Permanent Mission in Geneva.
In
his opening statement, the Head of the delegation briefed the Committee on
recent developments in the State Party related to the promotion and protection
of economic, social and cultural rights. The dialogue between the Committee and the delegation focused on the following:
Ÿ Direct
applicability of the Covenant and training on the justiciability of economic,
social and cultural rights;
Ÿ Mandate,
resources and independence of the national human rights institution;
Ÿ Involvement
of civil society organizations in policy-making and national debates on human
rights;
Ÿ Measures
taken to fight corruption;
Ÿ Legal
protection against discrimination;
Ÿ Economic,
social and cultural rights of refugees;
Ÿ Information
and data on the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights by
disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups;
Ÿ Legislative
provisions which are discriminatory against women;
Ÿ Women's
access to the labour market, gender pay gap;
Ÿ Prevention
of harmful traditional practices;
Ÿ Unemployment
among young persons;
Ÿ Trade
unions and right to strike;
Ÿ Minimum
wage;
Ÿ Application
of the labour law and exercise of union rights;
Ÿ Social
security system: universal health
insurance coverage;
Ÿ Informal
economy;
Ÿ Trafficking
of persons;
Ÿ Child
labour;
Ÿ Effectiveness
of poverty reduction efforts;
Ÿ Housing
policies and social housing;
Ÿ Food
insecurity and malnutrition;
Ÿ Access
to safe drinking water;
Ÿ Access
to affordable medication; prevention and treatment of HIV AIDS;
Ÿ Access
to education for boys and girls, school drop-out and repetition rates;
Ÿ Teaching
of national languages and teaching of human rights;
Ÿ
Protection of cultural
self-identification and of traditional knowledge of the indigenous population.
Thereafter, the Committee continued in
closed meeting and began adoption of the concluding observations of Albania.
To read
the related press release:
20
November
The Committee examined the fourth
periodic report of Austria
(E/C.12/AUT/4). The State party's delegation, headed by Ms. Anna Sporrer,
Deputy Director General of the Federal Chancellery, comprised representatives
from the Women and Gender Equality Division of the Federal Chancellery,
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection, Ministry for European
and International Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of the Interior,
Ministry of Justice, Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture, Ministry of
Economy, Family and Youth, Ombuds Office for Equal Treatment, and the
Ambassador and three representatives of the Permanent Mission in Geneva.
In her opening statement, the Head of
the delegation briefed the Committee on recent developments, such as the
introduction of a legal obligation for companies to submit reports on the
income of women and men, increase in the representation of women in
State-affiliated businesses, introduction of paternity leave in public
institutions and increasing investment in child care facilities.
The
dialogue between the Committee and the delegation included the following issues:
·
Direct applicability of the
Covenant and lack of examples of cases where the provisions of the Covenant
have been invoked;
·
Lack of uniform protection
of economic, social and cultural rights among the nine Länders;
·
Mandate, appointment
procedure and independence of the Austrian Ombudsman Board;
·
Consultation with civil
society organizations in the process of preparation of the State party report
and follow-up to the Committees' recommendations;
·
Lack of comprehensive
anti-discrimination legislation;
·
Retrogression in ODA
contributions;
·
Human rights impact
assessment, monitoring and complaint mechanisms for projects supported through
development assistance;
·
Situation of ethnic
minorities, including non-autochthonous minorities such as the Polish community
and the Jenische;
·
Women's access to the labour
market, gender pay gap and gender stereotypes;
·
Youth unemployment and
long-term unemployment;
·
Asylum-seekers' lack of
access to work and sub-standard accommodation;
·
Means-tested minimum income
scheme and its inadequacy in providing an adequate standard of living;
·
Increasing number of persons
living in manifest poverty;
·
Social security benefits for
persons working in the informal economy;
·
Homelessness and access to
affordable housing;
·
Rights of persons with
disabilities, in particular the rights to work, education and culture;
·
Situation of migrants,
including access to healthcare, work and education;
·
Increasing number of persons
in need of food donations;
·
Violence against women;
·
Consent to medical treatment.
To read
the related press release:
21 November
The Committee examined the fifth
periodic report of Norway
(E/C.12/NOR/5). The State party's delegation, headed by Mr. Petter Wille,
Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, comprised representatives from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social
Inclusion, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Ministry of
Finance, the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Local Government and
Regional Development and two representatives of the Permanent Mission in
Geneva.
In his opening statement, the
Head of delegation gave a brief overview of recent developments. These included
the ratification by Norway of the CRPD on 3 June 2013, the amendment of the
Child Welfare Act, as well as amendments to the Children Act. The Head of
delegation also mentioned that the State party will soon start the work on a
universal anti-discrimination bill, replacing the current discrimination
legislation.
The dialogue between the
Committee and the delegation included the following issues:
·
Position of the State party on ratification of the
OP-ICESCR
·
Lack of application of Covenant by courts or
invoked by parties to a case
·
Plans of the State party regarding the
establishment of a new national human rights institution
·
Guarantees in place to ensure responsible
investments abroad by the Norges Bank Investment Management
·
Discrimination faced by persons with an immigrant
background with regard to access to housing, employment, education and public
health care services
·
Long-term unemployment
·
Unemployment of persons with an immigrant
background, in particular women
·
The persisting gender wage gap
·
Minimum wage levels established through collective
agreements
·
Sufficiency of child allowances in ensuring a
decent living
·
Insufficient level of social assistance benefits
paid to individuals who are not participants in the “individual qualification
programme”
·
Shortage of social housing and long waiting lists
·
High number of homeless persons
·
Discrimination in the housing sector, in particular
against persons with an immigrant background
·
Availability of medical care in remote and rural
areas
·
Lack of professional interpretation services in the
health sector
·
Insufficient availability of mental health care
services for prisoners with serious mental health problems
·
Provisions allowing for compulsory treatment and
confinement in the mental health care system
·
Insufficient availability of child and adolescent
psychiatric services for children living in reception centers
·
Lack of access to health care services for
irregular migrants
·
Drop-out rate of students with an immigrant
background, in particular in upper secondary education
·
Restrictions on the access to education of
asylum-seeking minors who are over the compulsory school age
·
The degree to which measures to preserve and
promote sami culture guarantee the right of the sami people to enjoy their
traditional means of livelihood.
To read the related press release, visit:
November 22
The Committee met in closed meetings throughout, and adopted
concluding observations on Albania,
Belgium and Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the subsequent week, the Committee is
scheduled to continue the adoption of concluding observations.
