ENG-2007 — Page 72

36 The Legal System

The Race Discrimination Bill

On December 13, 2006, the Government introduced the Race Discrimination Bili into the Legislative Council. This, when enacted, will provide specific safeguards for the rights of individuals against discrimination, harassment and vilification on the grounds of race. The Bill is being examined by the Legislative Council.

United Nations Human Rights Treaties

Fourteen international human rights treaties apply to Hong Kong. Six of these oblige governments to submit periodic reports to the UN treaty monitoring bodies. At the end of 2007, the position regarding the Government's reporting obligations was:

(a) the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR): the

UN Human Rights Committee heard the second report in March 2006;

(b) the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR): the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights heard the second report, as part of China's first report, in April 2005;

(c) the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD): the initial report - as part of China's combined eighth and ninth report was examined by the UN Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2001. The second report would form part of China's combined tenth to thirteenth report to be submitted to the committee;

(d) the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT): the UN Committee against Torture examined the initial report as part of China's third report in 2000. The second report which formed part of China's combined fourth and fifth report was submitted in June 2006;

(e) the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child heard the initial report as part of China's second report in September 2005; and

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(f) the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women heard the second report - as part of China's combined fifth and sixth report in August 2006.

With the exception of the ICCPR, to which China is not yet a party, Hong Kong teams attend the UN hearings as part of the Chinese delegations. In the case of the ICCPR, Hong Kong attended alone under the leadership of the Chinese Permanent Ambassador to the UN.