IV. FOLLOW-UP ON CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS
ON STATES PARTIES REPORTS
53. In this chapter, the Committee updates its findings and activities that follow-up to
concluding observations adopted under article 19 of the Convention, in accordance with the
recommendations of its Rapporteur on follow-up to concluding observations. The Rapporteur’s
activities, responses by States parties, and the Rapporteur’s views on recurring concerns
encountered through this procedure are presented below, and updated through 15 May 2009,
following the Committee’s forty-second session.
54. In chapter IV of its annual report for 2005-2006 (A/61/44), the Committee described the
framework that it had developed to provide for follow-up subsequent to the adoption of the
concluding observations on States parties reports submitted under article 19 of the Convention. It
also presented information on the Committee’s experience in receiving information from States
parties from the initiation of the procedure in May 2003 through May 2009.
55. In accordance with rule 68, paragraph 2, of the rules of procedure, the Committee
established the post of Rapporteur for follow-up to concluding observations under article 19 of
the Convention and appointed Ms. Felice Gaer to that position. As in the past, Ms. Gaer
presented a progress report to the Committee in May 2009 on the results of the procedure.
56. The Rapporteur has emphasized that the follow-up procedure aims “to make more effective
the struggle against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment”, as
articulated in the preamble to the Convention. At the conclusion of the Committee’s review of
each State party report, the Committee identifies concerns and recommends specific actions
designed to enhance each State party’s ability to implement the measures necessary and
appropriate to prevent acts of torture and ill-treatment, and thereby assists States parties in
bringing their law and practice into full compliance with the obligations set forth in the
Convention.
57. In its follow-up procedure, the Committee has identified a number of these
recommendations as requiring additional information specifically for this procedure. Such
follow-up recommendations are identified because they are serious, protective, and are
considered able to be accomplished within one year. The States parties are asked to provide
within one year information on the measures taken to give effect to its follow-up
recommendations which are specifically noted in a paragraph near the end of the conclusions and
recommendations on the review of the States parties’ reports under article 19.
58. Since the procedure was established at the thirtieth session in May 2003, through the end
of the forty-second session in May 2009, the Committee has reviewed 81 States for which it has
identified follow-up recommendations. Of the 67 States parties that were due to have submitted
their follow-up reports to the Committee by 15 May 2009, 44 had completed this requirement.
As of 15 May 2009, 23 States had not yet supplied follow-up information that had fallen due.
The Rapporteur sends reminders requesting the outstanding information to each of the States
whose follow-up information was due, but had not yet been submitted, and who had not
previously been sent a reminder. The status of the follow-up to concluding observations may be
found in the web pages of the Committee (http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/
sessions.htm).
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