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Fourteen international human rights treaties apply to Hong Kong. Six of these
oblige governments to submit periodic reports to the UN treaty monitoring bodies. At
the end of 2006, the position regarding the Government's reporting obligations was:
| (a) |
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): the
UN Human Rights Committee heard the second report in March 2006; |
| (b) |
the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(ICESCR): the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights heard
the second report, as part of China's first report, in April 2005; |
| (c) |
the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (ICERD): the initial report — as part of China's combined
eighth and ninth report — was examined by the UN Committee on
Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2001. Preparation of the second
report (which will form part of China's combined tenth to thirteenth report)
is under way; |
| (d) |
the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT): the UN Committee against
Torture examined the initial report — as part of China's third report — in
2000. The second report which formed part of China's combined fourth and
fifth report was submitted in June 2006; |
| (e) |
the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): the UN Committee on
the Rights of the Child heard the initial report — as part of China's second
report — in September 2005; and |
| (f) |
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW): the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women heard the second report — as part of China's
combined fifth and sixth report — in August 2006. |
With the exception of the ICCPR, to which China is not yet a party, Hong Kong
teams attend the UN hearings as part of the Chinese delegations. In the case of the
ICCPR, Hong Kong attended alone under the leadership of the Chinese Permanent
Ambassador to the UN.
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