SOUTH AFRICA

Special Action or Decisions Taken Re: Reporting

CAT A/65/44 (2010)

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II.       SUBMISSION OF REPORTS BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 19 OF THE CONVENTION

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B. Optional reporting procedure

33. At its thirty-eighth session, in May 2007 (see A/62/44, para. 23), the Committee adopted a new procedure on a trial basis which includes the preparation and adoption of a list of issues to be transmitted to States parties prior to the submission of a State party’s periodic report and the State party’s replies to this list of issues would constitute the State party’s report under article 19 of the Convention. The Committee was of the view that this procedure would assist States parties in preparing focused reports, would guide the preparation and content of the reports, would facilitate reporting by States parties and would strengthen their capacity to fulfil their reporting obligations in a timely and effective manner. However, this new procedure requires that these reports are considered within the shortest possible period of time after being received by the Committee otherwise the added value of the procedure will be defeated as new lists of issues would have to be adopted and transmitted by the Committee to States parties to update the information they provided.

34. At its forty-second session, in May 2009 (see A/64/44, para. 27), the Committee decided to continue, on a regular basis, with this procedure. As at 14 May 2010 and since the adoption of this new reporting procedure, the Committee has adopted and transmitted to States parties lists of issues prior to reporting for reports due in 2009, 2010 and 2011; in total, 39 such lists have been transmitted.

35. For reports due in 2009, the Committee adopted, and transmitted in 2008, lists of issues prior to reporting with regard to 11 States parties: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Greece, Kuwait, Monaco, Peru, South Africa and Turkey. Out of these States parties, nine have formally or informally accepted this new reporting procedure (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Kuwait, Monaco, Peru and Turkey) and six have submitted their report under this procedure (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Kuwait, Monaco and Turkey). These reports have already been scheduled for the two coming sessions of the Committee, in November 2010 and May 2011, considering that they must be examined within the shortest possible period of time after their receipt.

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