Govt attaches importance to views of human rights committee
The Hong Kong Government has always taken the views of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) seriously and observations and suggestions made by the Committee are conveyed to the Governor, the Executive Council and the relevant policy secretaries for their consideration in the formulation of policy, the Solicitor General, Mr Daniel Fung, QC, told the Committee in Geneva on Wednesday (Geneva time).
Mr Fung was leading a five-strong Hong Kong Government team, forming part of the United Kingdom delegation, to attend the hearing of a Supplementary Report on Hong Kong specially requested by the UNHRC when it examined the territory's fourth report under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in October last year.
Responding to members' queries as to the relevance of the Committee's views in the implementation of ICCPR provisions in Hong Kong, Mr Fung said that the Hong Kong judiciary also gives due weight to comments and decisions made by the UNHRC in the course of delivering judgements in litigation under Hong Kong's Bill of Rights Ordinance (BORO),
He also added that, in the past, policies and laws had been introduced or amended to give effect to the views of the Committee and the Government would continue to do so in the future.
At the one-day hearing, various other issues were canvassed including the need for reports to continue to be submitted on Hong Kong after the transfer of sovereignty, China's proposal to establish the Provisional Legislature, the Emergency Regulations Ordinance, the continuing operation of Hong Kong's BORO.
Mr Fung also gave details on Britain and China's recent agreement on future reporting modalities under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
The UNHRC reaffirmed China's obligation to continue to apply the ICCPR to Hong Kong after 1997 and to submit periodic reports on Hong Kong to the Committee.