Cameroon: acceptance of the simplified reporting procedure
On 1 April 2014, Cameroon accepted the simplified reporting procedure when its fifth periodic report was due.
A List of Issues was prepared by the Committee and sent to the State party in 2015. Cameroon subsequently
submitted its fifth periodic report on 11 October 2016 to be reviewed by the Committee at the end of 2017.
The dialogue
State party reports are examined by the Committee at
one of its three sessions held in Geneva, and State parties
receive an invitation to send a delegation to that session.
Mindful of the challenge for some States in sending a
delegation to Geneva, a State can request holding the
dialogue with the Committee via videoconference. The
OHCHR will try and accommodate such requests where
internet connections and time differences allow.
States parties are free to decide on the size and
composition of their delegation to be involved in the
dialogue with the Committee. The delegation could be led,
for example, by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister
of Justice or Attorney-General, Head of a government
department, Ambassador of the Permanent Mission in
Geneva, or other senior official. Some States have found
it useful for the delegation to be multi-sectoral with
representatives from a range of key ministries and other
authorities responsible for the implementation of the
UNCAT, and gender balanced. This can assist the delegation
to respond to any specific, technical questions raised during
the consideration of the report.
The Committee meets separately with NHRIs, National
Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) and NGOs in private and
in advance of its consideration of the report.
“
In the Committee against Torture, we
strive to establish a constructive dialogue
with the State party. We aim for our
recommendations to be truly helpful to
the State party in its efforts to implement
the Convention. The Committee is
composed of independent members
from a wide variety of countries and
professional fields, and this can be quite
useful for States to receive advice or
ideas on different approaches that may
be suitable to their particular country
context.”
Dr. Jens Modvig, Chair of the Committee
against Torture, 2017
“
Denmark’s dialogue with the Committee
has always been open and helpful, and
even though we do not always agree
with the Committee, it has provided very
useful inputs to help us reflect on our own
domestic situation.”
H.E. Mr. Carsten Staur, Ambassador
of Denmark to the UN in Geneva, 2017
STATE
PRESENTATION
COMMITTEE
QUESTIONS
The dialogue lasts two half-days.
The discussion is streamed live via
the UN Web TV at: http://webtv.un.org/live/.
Concluding observations and recommendations
Once the dialogue is concluded, the Committee issues “Concluding Observations” which highlight positive aspects
as well as areas for further attention, with corresponding recommendations to guide States on the measures that
may be required to implement the Convention fully. The CAT also asks States to report back to it within a year on
specific aspects that require more short-term follow-up (usually no more than 3 issues).
TOOL: Reporting to the UN Committee against Torture
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