Reporting obligations of States parties to United Nations conventions on human rights : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly

 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Reporting obligations of States parties to United Nations conventions on human rights

  The General Assembly, Recalling its resolutions 37/44 of 3 December 1982 and 38/117 of 16 December 1983, Considering that the General Assembly, as the principal organ of the United Nations entitled to adopt conventions on human rights, is in the position to take an overview of their implementation as an integrated system of substantive provisions and reporting obligations of States parties to the various conventions, Conscious that the fulfilment of reporting obligations constitutes an essential element of co-operation by States parties in contributing to the assessment of their compliance with their obligations, Bearing in mind the report of the Secretary-General on the reporting obligations of States parties under various United Nations conventions on human rights, Having considered the report of the meeting of the Chairmen of the Commission on Human Rights, the Human Rights Committee, the Sessional Working Group of Governmental Experts on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination held at Geneva on 16 and 17 August 1984, Concerned about the problems experienced by the above-mentioned bodies in the functioning of the reporting procedures, including the burden which several coexisting reporting systems place upon States parties to the conventions on human rights, Convinced, therefore, of the need to improve the existing reporting systems in order to resolve the problems experienced both by the bodies entrusted with the consideration of the periodic reports of the States parties and by the States parties to the conventions on human rights,

1. Reiterates the importance it attaches to the obligations established under international conventions, including their respective reporting systems;

2. Takes note with interest of the report of the meeting of the Chairmen of the Commission on Human Rights, the Human Rights Committee, the Sessional Working Group of Governmental Experts on the Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which contains suggestions made by the Chairmen with regard to exchange of information among their respective bodies, co-ordination of guidelines for the submission of the reports of States parties, advisory services and assistance for States parties to the various conventions on human rights, and other matters;

3. Expresses the view that the presence at the above-mentioned meeting of the Chairmen of all bodies concerned with reporting obligations of States parties to United Nations conventions on human rights would have further contributed to the review of problems experienced in the functioning of reporting procedures;

4. Acknowledges that common problems have arisen in the functioning of the reporting procedures, thus indicating the necessity of considering them within the overall framework of reporting obligations of States parties under the various conventions on human rights;

5. Decides to keep under consideration the problems that have arisen from the coexistence of several different reporting systems, in particular the proliferation of reporting obligations under the various instruments, as well as the serious delays which have occurred in the submission of reports;

6. Requests the Secretary-General, to that effect, to submit to the General Assembly at its fortieth session a report containing:

(a) Updated information on the general situation of the submission of reports of States parties to all conventions which are already in force, thus enabling the General Assembly to take an overview of the fulfilment of all reporting obligations and to consider how to achieve an improvement, particularly in the interest of States parties with limited technical and administrative resources;

(b) A consolidated text of the guidelines of the various bodies entrusted with the consideration of the reports of States parties on the implementation of all United Nations conventions on human rights;

7. Requests the Commission on Human Rights to consider, in the context of its standing item concerning advisory services in the field of human rights, the suggestions made by the Chairmen;

8. Decides to consider the question of reporting obligations of States parties to United Nations conventions on human rights in the light of the report of the Secretary-General to be submitted in accordance with paragraph 6 above and to consider also the eventual convening of another meeting of the Chairmen of the bodies entrusted with the consideration of the reports of States parties;

9. Invites the bodies concerned to give particular attention to the present resolution when they next meet;

10. Decides to consider the question at its fortieth session, in the light of the report of the Secretary-General to be submitted in accordance with paragraph 6 above.