L. Participation of national human rights institutions
16. Similarly, the Committee has since 2005 met with the national human rights institutions
(NHRIs) and other institutions of civil society where these exist, of the countries it has
considered. Meetings with each NHRI that attends take place, in private, usually on the day
before consideration of the State party report.
17. The Committee is extremely grateful for the information it receives from these institutions,
and looks forward to continuing to benefit from the information it derives from these bodies,
which has enhanced its understanding of the issues before the Committee.
M. Rules of procedure
18. At its forty-second session, the Committee initiated the revision of its rules of procedure
(CAT/C/3/Rev.4), amended previously at its thirteenth (November 1996), fifteenth
(November 1997) and twenty-eighth (May 2002) sessions, in order to update these rules,
especially with regard to the decisions taken by the meetings of chairpersons of human rights
treaty bodies and the inter-committee meetings, and to bring them in line with new methods of
work that the Committee is implementing as well as to include the adoption of new procedures.
N. Reporting guidelines for treaty-specific documents
19. At its forty-second session, the Committee initiated the revision of its treaty-specific
reporting guidelines, in light of the harmonized guidelines on reporting under the international
human rights treaties, including guidelines on a common core document (as contained in
HRI/GEN/2/Rev.5).
O. Decision of the Committee to request approval from the General Assembly
for additional meeting time in 2010 and 2011
20. At its thirty-eighth session in May 2007, the Committee adopted a new reporting procedure
which includes the preparation and adoption of a list of issues to be transmitted to States parties
prior to the submission of a periodic report. The replies of the State party to the list of issues
would constitute its report under article 19 of the Convention. The Committee has decided to
initiate this procedure in relation to periodic reports that are due in 2009 and 2010, which will
not be applied to initial reports or to periodic reports already submitted and awaiting
consideration by the Committee.
21. In view of the fact that there are 11 States parties to the Convention whose reports will be
due in 2009 (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Ecuador, Greece, Kuwait, Monaco, Peru, South Africa and Turkey) and 9 whose reports
will be due in 2010 (Brazil, Finland, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritius,
Mexico, Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia), additional meeting time in 2010 and 2011 is
needed for the effective and timely discharge of its responsibilities by the Committee under
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