UN Committee issues concluding observations
The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has issued its concluding observations and recommendations on the treatment of economic, social and cultural rights in Hong Kong.
The report is published following the Committee's examination of the United Kingdom's third periodic report on Hong Kong under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva on November 26-28. A Hong Kong team led by the Solicitor General attended the hearing as part of the United Kingdom delegation.
A Government spokesman welcomed the Committee's recognition of the measures the Government had taken in recent years to secure and improve the enjoyment in Hong Kong of the rights enshrined in the Covenant.
"The Government has worked hard to realize the economic, social and cultural rights contained in the Covenant," he said.
The spokesman said that the Government was pleased by the Committee's acknowledgement of the quality of the report and the written information provided which had resulted in a constructive dialogue with the Committee.
"I am sure that the Committee will have been impressed by the awareness and value placed on the rights enshrined in the Covenant in Hong Kong and the importance that is attached to the process of reporting to the Committee," he said.
issues.
The spokesman noted that the Committee had raised a number of important
On the continued application of the Covenant in Hong Kong and the submission of reports, the spokesman welcomed the Committee's strong support for these to continue after 1997.
"Hong Kong people highly value the protection afforded by the international covenants and the provision that is made in the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law for their continuation beyond 1997. Britain has urged China to work with them to find a solution which will enable reports on Hong Kong under the covenants to continue to be submitted to the United Nations after the handover." he said.