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RDATE:03292004 (UN Information Service) -- The Commission on Human Rights this morning continued its debate on economic, social and cultural rights, hearing reports from the Chairperson of the Working Group to consider options regarding the elaboration of an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Special Rapporteurs on the right to adequate housing and the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights.
The Commission also briefly opened its agenda item on civil and political rights to hear the Chairperson of the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances present his report.
Catarina Albuquerque, the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the open-ended Working Group to consider options regarding the elaboration of an optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, said the report, with the exception of the recommendations, was adopted by consensus at the last session of the Working Group. very fruitful interactive dialogue had taken place. During its final sessions, a range of recommendations were examined and some were adopted.
Miloon Kothari, the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, said that he had adopted an indivisibility approach in his mandate, strongly arguing that the right to adequate housing could not be fully realized if separated from other sets of rights. His particular focus had been to develop a strong gender perspective, consistent with the right to non-discrimination and on the rights of particular groups, such as children, indigenous people and minorities. He recommended that the Commission could play an important role by affirming its condemnation of the practice of forced evictions.
Kenya and Peru spoke as concerned countries after Mr. Kothari's statement, and Ireland, on behalf of the European Union, participated in the inter-active dialogue.
Fatma Zohra Ouhachi-Vesely, the Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights, said that several activities of transnational corporations continued to affect the enjoyment of human rights, particularly to health and to life. The victims continued to have difficulties to bring their cases to justice with the view to obtaining compensation and information.
Although positive developments had been obtained at the national, regional and international levels with regard to normative regulations, their implementation had been limited.
Turkey and the United Kingdom spoke as concerned countries after Ms. Ouhachi-Vesely presented her report, and Kenya and Cuba participated in the inter-active dialogue.
The Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances, Diego Garcia-Sayan, introduced his report, saying that over the past 23 years, the Group had gained considerable experience in dealing with cases of disappearances. More than 50,000 cases, allegedly committed by State agents, had been communicated to the Working Group during that period, of which 5,300 had been clarified. The Working Group still faced a backlog of 41,934 outstanding cases.
After hearing from its mandate holders, the Commission resumed its general debate on economic, social and cultural rights and heard statements from Pakistan, India, Ukraine, Sudan, Argentina, Mauritania, South Africa, Nepal, Bhutan, Armenia, Iraq, Algeria, Canada, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Kuwait. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) also spoke.
The Commission will reconvene at 3 p.m. to continue its debate on economic, social...
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