Seminar on the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in Tajikistan was recently held in Dushanbe.
The Seminar was conducted by the Center for the Civil and Political Rights Protection (Geneva), Public Foundation "Notabene" and "Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law" in the framework of the project Monitoring the Implementation of Human Rights Obligations, carried out under the financial support of the European Union.
The Seminar was confined to the upcoming review of Tajikistan in the UN Human Rights Committee, to familiarize representatives of civil society with the Committee's procedures and the process of developing and presenting the NGO (Shadow) reports.
The Seminar was conducted by specialists of the Center for the Civil and Political Rights Protection (Geneva). The objectives of the training reportedly included: to deepen the understanding among CSOs of the ICCPR review process; to maximize the impact of the utilization of review process under ICCPR by national civil society in Tajikistan; to initiate preparation process of joint civil society report in reply to LOI to be submitted to the Human Rights Committee; to identify particular challenges and concerns faced by national civil society in protecting civil and political rights as well as in engaging with UN Human Rights bodies including HR Committee; to develop concrete plan of activities with timeframe for the review.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976 in accordance with Article 49 of the covenant. Article 49 allowed that the covenant will enter into force three months after the date of the deposit of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or accession. The covenant commits its parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, electoral rights and rights to due process and a fair trial.
The ICCPR is part of the International Bill of Human Rights, along with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The ICCPR is monitored by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which reviews regular reports of States parties on how the rights are being implemented. States must report initially one year after acceding to the Covenant and then whenever the Committee requests (usually every four years). The Committee normally meets in Geneva and normally holds three sessions per year.
The European Union is made up of 28 Member States who have decided to gradually link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of 60 years, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders. To this end the EU is active in Tajikistan since 1992 and provides approximately EUR 35 million annually in development assistance.
