Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
25 May 2010
FINAL ROUNDUP
Issues Concluding Observations and Recommendations on Reports of Colombia, Algeria, Mauritius, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has concluded its forty-fourth session and issued its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Colombia, Algeria, Mauritius, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, which it considered during the session.
The countries considered by the Committee are among the 160 States parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which are required to submit periodic reports to the Committee on their efforts to implement the provisions of the treaty, which entered into force in 1976. The Committee concluded its work on 21 May and released its concluding observations and recommendations on the reports today.
Concerning the fourth periodic report of Colombia, the Committee welcomed the ratification by the State party of the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Optional Protocol to the Convention of the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The Committee expressed concerns about the impact of Colombia's long standing internal conflict on the economic, social, and cultural rights of citizens, as well as violence against women, the treatment of indigenous populations, and high rates of unemployment in the country. It urged the State party to take immediate and effective measures to address the ongoing armed violence, promote employment opportunities, and strengthen laws to curb violence against women.
On the combined third to fourth periodic report of Algeria, the Committee was pleased to note the progress made in a number of areas including the reduction of the poverty ratio by half since 2000, the significant increase in national enrolment rates in primary education, and the creation of the National Pedagogical and Linguistic Centre for the Instruction of Tamazight. The Committee raised concerns about a number of issues including the high rates of corruption, the lack of equality for women, high rates of child labor, the acute housing shortage, the status of internally displaced people, inequality in access to healthcare for rural populations, geographic disparities in access to education, and the lack of recognition of the Tamazight language as an official language. It recommended that Algeria take immediate steps to establish the National Anti-Corruption Agency and introduce further legislative amendments to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.
With regard to the combined second through fourth periodic report of Mauritius, the Committee noted with appreciation that the State party provided health care services and education up to the tertiary level free of charge and welcomed the ratification by the State party of a number of international instruments that strengthen and promote economic, social and cultural rights. The Committee raised concerns about the alarmingly high number of injecting drug users in the State party, persistent domestic violence against women, the persistent problem of cases of child abuse and neglect, and cases of sexual exploitation of children. It urged Mauritius to undertake a comprehensive approach to combat its serious drug use problem and to take all the necessary measures, including of a legal nature, to combat sexual exploitation of children.
After reviewing the initial report of Kazakhstan, the Committee was happy to note
accomplishments such as the adult literacy rate of 99.8 per cent, the provision of compulsory secondary education free of charge, and the provision of free treatment of common diseases for children and adolescents registered in dispensaries. The Committee also welcomed Kazakhstan's ratification of a number of international treaties. The Committee expressed grave concerns that corruption was widespread in the State party, including in the judiciary, and it was alarmed by the systemic discrimination against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers with respect to their economic, social and cultural rights. It called on Kazakhstan to intensify its efforts to combat corruption and the trafficking in persons for sexual exploitation and labor purposes, and to take measures to ensure effective enforcement of the Domestic Violence Law and adopt necessary amendments to ensure the criminalization of domestic violence, the prosecution of offenders and the protection and rehabilitation of victims.
Following its consideration of the combined second through fourth periodic report of Afghanistan, the Committee applauded the adoption of the country's new Constitution in 2004 and it noted with satisfaction the ratification by the State party of various international human rights instruments and the suppression of inhuman practices discriminating against women. The Committee expressed concern that Afghanistan had not adopted effective measures to combat widespread corruption and impunity. The Committee also had concerns about discrimination against women, the lack of employment opportunities for citizens, the lack of a basic social security system, the extent of violence against children including forced and child marriages, the persistence of child labour, and the recruitment of children into armed groups. It recommended that Afghanistan adopt a legal framework to combat corruption and impunity, intensify its efforts to combat child labour and protect children from all forms of sexual and economic exploitation, and take firm measures to put a stop to all recruitment of child soldiers by armed groups and forces.
The Committee also discussed relations with United Nations organs and other treaty bodies, and heard information from non-governmental organizations with respect to the reports that it reviewed during this session.
The next session of the Committee will be held from 1 to 19 November 2010, at which time it will take up reports from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Uruguay, the Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka.