RWANDA

Special Decisions or Action Taken Re: Reporting

CCPR A/50/40 (1995)

IV. SUBMISSION OF REPORTS BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT

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B. Special decisions by the Human Rights Committee concerning reports of particular States

55. In view of the special difficulties encountered by Haiti and Rwanda in the implementation of the Covenant, the Committee adopted, at its 1374th meeting (fifty-second session), on 27 October 1994, the following special decisions:

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"Rwanda

"The Human Rights Committee,

"Deeply concerned at the difficulties encountered by Rwanda in regard to protection of the human rights set forth in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

"Acting under article 40, paragraph 1 (b) of the Covenant,

"1. Decides to request the Government of Rwanda to submit its third periodic report without delay for discussion by the Committee at its fifty-third session, to be held from 20 March to 7 April 1995, and, in any event, to submit not later than 31 January 1995 a report, in summary form if necessary, relating in particular to the application during the present period of articles 6, 7, 9, 10, 14 and 27 of the Covenant;

"2. Requests the Secretary-General to bring this decision to the attention of the Government of Rwanda."

CCPR, A/61/40 vol. I (2006)

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Chapter II.

Methods of work of the committee under article 40 of the covenant and cooperation with other United Nations bodies

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A. Recent developments and decisions on procedures

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59. As Rwanda had not submitted its third periodic report and a special report, due respectively on 10 April 1992 and 31 January 1995, the Committee decided, at its eighty-seventh session, to consider the situation of civil and political rights in Rwanda at its eighty-ninth session (March 2007).

CCPR A/63/40 vol. I (2008)

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CHAPTER II. METHODS OF WORK OF THE COMMITTEE UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT AND COOPERATION WITH OTHER UNITED NATIONS BODIES

A. Recent developments and decisions on procedures

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44. For several years, the Committee has been concerned about the number of overdue reports and non-compliance by States parties with their obligations under article 40 of the Covenant.¹⁰ Two working groups of the Committee proposed amendments to the rules of procedure in order to help States parties fulfil their reporting obligations and to simplify the procedure. These amendments were formally adopted during the seventy-first session, in March 2001, and the revised rules of procedure were issued (CCPR/C/3/Rev.6 and Corr.1).¹¹ All States parties were informed of the amendments to the rules of procedure, and the Committee has applied the revised rules since the end of the seventy-first session (April 2001). The Committee recalls that general comment No. 30, adopted at the seventy-fifth session, spells out the States parties’ obligations under article 40 of the Covenant.¹²

45. The amendments introduce a procedure to be followed when a State party has failed to honour its reporting obligations for a long time, or requests a postponement of its scheduled appearance before the Committee at short notice. In both situations, the Committee may henceforth serve notice on the State concerned that it intends to consider, from material available to it, the measures adopted by that State party to give effect to the provisions of the Covenant, even in the absence of a report. The amended rules of procedure further introduce a follow-up procedure to the concluding observations of the Committee: rather than setting in the last paragraph of the concluding observations a date by which the State party’s next report should be submitted, the Committee will invite the State party to report back to it within a specified period regarding its follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations, indicating what steps, if any, it has taken. The responses received will thereafter be examined by the Committee’s Special Rapporteur on follow-up to concluding observations, and a definitive deadline will then be set for the submission of the next report. Since the seventy-sixth session, the Committee has, as a rule, examined the progress reports submitted by the Special Rapporteur on a sessional basis.¹³

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53. As Rwanda had not submitted its third periodic report or a special report, due respectively on 10 April 1992 and 31 January 1995, the Committee decided, at its eighty-seventh session, to consider the situation of civil and political rights in Rwanda at its eighty-ninth session (March 2007). On 23 February 2007, Rwanda undertook, in writing, to submit its third periodic report by the end of April 2007, thereby superseding the planned consideration of the situation of civil and political rights in the absence of a report. Rwanda submitted its periodic report on 23 July 2007.

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Notes

¹⁰ [Official Records of the General Assembly], chap. III, sect. B, and ibid., Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 40 (A/57/40), chap. III, sect. B.

¹¹ Ibid., Fifty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 40 (A/56/40), vol. I, annex III, sect. B.

¹² Ibid., Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 40 (A/57/40), vol. I, annex VI.

CCPR A/64/40 vol. I (2009)

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CHAPTER II. METHODS OF WORK OF THE COMMITTEE UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT AND COOPERATION WITH OTHER UNITED NATIONS BODIES

A. Recent developments and decisions on procedures

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56. For several years, the Committee has been concerned about the number of overdue reports and non-compliance by States parties with their obligations under article 40 of the Covenant.⁷ Two working groups of the Committee proposed amendments to the rules of procedure in order to help States parties fulfil their reporting obligations and to simplify the procedure. These amendments were formally adopted during the seventy-first session, in March 2001, and the revised rules of procedure were issued (CCPR/C/3/Rev.6 and Corr.1).⁸ All States parties were informed of the amendments to the rules of procedure, and the Committee has applied the revised rules since the end of the seventy-first session (April 2001). The Committee recalls that general comment No. 30, adopted at the seventy-fifth session, spells out the States parties’ obligations under article 40 of the Covenant.⁹

57. The amendments introduce a procedure to be followed when a State party has failed to honour its reporting obligations for a long time, or requests a postponement of its scheduled appearance before the Committee at short notice. In both situations, the Committee may henceforth serve notice on the State concerned that it intends to consider, from material available to it, the measures adopted by that State party to give effect to the provisions of the Covenant, even in the absence of a report. The amended rules of procedure further introduce a follow-up procedure to the concluding observations of the Committee: rather than setting in the last paragraph of the concluding observations a date by which the State party’s next report should be submitted, the Committee will invite the State party to report back to it within a specified period regarding its follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations, indicating what steps, if any, it has taken. The responses received will thereafter be examined by the Committee’s Special Rapporteur on follow-up on concluding observations, and a definitive deadline will then be set for the submission of the next report. Since the seventy-sixth session, the Committee has, as a rule, examined the progress reports submitted by the Special Rapporteur on a sessional basis.¹⁰

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65. As Rwanda had not submitted its third periodic report or a special report, due respectively on 10 April 1992 and 31 January 1995, the Committee decided, at its eighty-seventh session, to consider the situation of civil and political rights in Rwanda at its eighty-ninth session (March 2007). On 23 February 2007, Rwanda undertook, in writing, to submit its third periodic report by the end of April 2007, thereby superseding the planned consideration of the situation of civil and political rights in the absence of a report. Rwanda submitted its periodic report on 23 July 2007 and the Committee considered it at its ninety-fifth session.

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Notes

⁷ [Official Records of the General Assembly], chap. III, sect. B, and ibid., Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 40 (A/57/40), chap. III, sect. B.

⁸ Ibid., Fifty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 40 (A/56/40), vol. I, annex III, sect. B.

⁹ Ibid., Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 40 (A/57/40), vol. I, annex VI.

¹⁰ Except for the eighty-third session, when a new Special Rapporteur was appointed.

¹¹ Rule 70 of the revised rules of procedure.

CCPR A/65/40 vol. I (2010)

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Chapter III: Submission of Reports by States Parties under Article 40 of the Covenant

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B. Overdue Reports and Non-compliance by States parties with their Obligations under Article 40

50. The Committee wishes to reiterate that States parties to the Covenant must submit the reports referred to in article 40 of the Covenant on time so that the Committee can duly perform its functions under that article. Those reports are the basis for the discussion between the Committee and States parties on the human rights situation in States parties. Regrettably, serious delays have been noted since the establishment of the Committee.

51. The Committee notes with concern that the failure of States parties to submit reports hinders the performance of its monitoring functions under article 40 of the Covenant. The list below identifies the States parties that have a report more than five years overdue, and those that have not submitted reports requested by a special decision of the Committee. The Committee reiterates that these States are in default of their obligations under article 40 of the Covenant.

52. The Committee once again draws particular attention to the fact that 26 initial reports are overdue (including the 22 initial reports overdue by at least five years listed above). The result is frustration of a crucial objective of the Covenant, namely, to enable the Committee to monitor compliance by States parties with their obligations under the Covenant on the basis of periodic reports. The Committee addresses reminders at regular intervals to all those States parties whose reports are significantly overdue.

53. Owing to the concern of the Committee about the number of overdue reports and non-compliance by States parties with their obligations under article 40 of the Covenant,¹⁰ two working groups of the Committee proposed amendments to the rules of procedure in order to help States parties fulfil their reporting obligations and to simplify the procedure. These amendments were formally adopted during the seventy-first session, in March 2001, and the revised rules of procedure were issued (CCPR/C/3/Rev.6 and Corr.1).¹¹ All States parties were informed of the amendments to the rules of procedure, and the Committee has applied the revised rules since the end of the seventy-first session (April 2001). The Committee recalls that general comment No. 30, adopted at the seventy-fifth session, spells out the States parties’ obligations under article 40 of the Covenant.¹²

54. The amendments introduce a procedure to be followed when a State party has failed to honour its reporting obligations for a long time, or requests a postponement of its scheduled appearance before the Committee at short notice. In both situations, the Committee may henceforth serve notice on the State concerned that it intends to consider, from material available to it, the measures adopted by that State party to give effect to the provisions of the Covenant, even in the absence of a report. The amended rules of procedure further introduce a follow-up procedure to the concluding observations of the Committee: rather than setting in the last paragraph of the concluding observations a date by which the State party’s next report should be submitted, the Committee will invite the State party to report back to it within a specified period regarding its follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations, indicating what steps, if any, it has taken. The responses received will thereafter be examined by the Committee’s Special Rapporteur for follow-up on concluding observations, and a definitive deadline will then be set for the submission of the next report. Since the seventy-sixth session, the Committee has, as a rule, examined the progress reports submitted by the Special Rapporteur on a sessional basis.¹³

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62. As Rwanda had not submitted its third periodic report or a special report, due respectively on 10 April 1992 and 31 January 1995, the Committee decided, at its eighty-seventh session, to consider the situation of civil and political rights in Rwanda at its eighty-ninth session (March 2007). On 23 February 2007, Rwanda undertook, in writing, to submit its third periodic report by the end of April 2007, thereby superseding the planned consideration of the situation of civil and political rights in the absence of a report. Rwanda submitted its periodic report on 23 July 2007 and the Committee considered it at its ninety-fifth session.

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Notes

¹⁰ [Official Records of the General Assembly], chap. III, sect. B, and ibid., Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 40 (A/57/40), chap. III, sect. B.

¹¹ Ibid., Fifty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 40, vol. I (A/56/40 (vol. I)), annex III, sect. B.

¹² Ibid., Fifty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 40, vol. I (A/57/40 (vol. I)), annex VI.

¹³ Except for the eighty-third session, when a new Special Rapporteur was appointed.