Update on the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, July 2021
GI-ESCR’s CESCR Updates provide information about developments in the work of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This update provides information about the:
Resumption of in-person meetings for the Committee’s September session
The Committee is planning to resume in-person meetings in September 2021. These meetings had previously been held online and dialogues with States postponed due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
As such, at its 70th Session (27 Sep 2021 - 15 Oct 2021), the Committee plans to review 6 states: Azerbaijan; Bahrain; Bolivia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kuwait; and Nicaragua. The Committee will also consider the follow-up reports of 5 states Cameroon; Estonia; Kazakhstan; Mauritius; and South Africa.
Information from civil society organisations and national human rights institutions should be submitted before the deadline of 30 August 2021. Further information may be accessed here.
The Committee will also hold its 69 Pre-Sessional Working Group from 18 Oct 2021 - 22 Oct 2021. It will develop lists of issues for Armenia, Chad, Mauritania, Qatar, Romania, and the State of Palestine. Civil society and national human rights institution input is invited before the deadline of 9 August 2021. Further information may be accessed here.
Draft General Comment on Land and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The Committee has extended the deadline for input on its recently published draft general comment on Land and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Interested individuals and organisations now have until 15th August 2021 to submit a written contribution.
Further information, as well as the contributions that have been submitted so far, may be accessed here.
Palais Wilson, Geneva
Forthcoming General Comment on Sustainable Development
The Committee is planning to hold Regional Consultations for the new General Comment on Sustainable Development from late August to early September. The consultations will be held online for the Americas (Bogata, Colombia), Asia (Bangkok, Thailand), Europe (Geneva, Switzerland) and Africa (Nairobi, Kenya). Whilst the precise dates are yet to be confirmed, it is expected that they will be published soon. Proposals for CSO participants are welcome.*
* A previous version of this update contained the proposed dates for each of these regional consultations. These dates have been removed as they are liable to change. Please note that the consultations will be by invitation only.
