1/
Prevention procedure. State examined without report/
Procedure de prevention. Etat examiné sans rapport/
Procedimiento preventivo. Estado examinado sin informe.

2/
Overdue report. State examined without report/
Rapport qui est trés en retard. Etat examiné sans rapport/
Informe muy atrasado. estado examinado sin informe.

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Overview of the fifty-third session of the
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
 

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination held its fifty-third session from 3-21 August 1998 at the United Nations Office in Geneva. It examined the reports of the following nine countries and adopted conclusions: Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Gabon, Jordan, Morocco, Nepal, Niger and Tonga. The report of Kuwait had been scheduled for consideration, but was postponed at the request of the State party.

The Committee also examined the situation in Haiti and adopted concluding observation under its review procedure. This procedure allows the Committee to go forward with an examination in the absence of an up-to-date report if the State party has failed to file a report for five years or more. Estonia was also scheduled under the review procedure, but was postponed at the request of the State party after it indicated that it would file a report shortly.

Under its prevention agenda item, the Committee adopted six decisions. Four of these decisions were adopted after a review in the situation in, respectively, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (with reference to the situation in Kosovo) and Rwanda. Two other decisions concerned requests for information at its next session from Australia and the Czech Republic.

The Committee also adopted two administrative decisions: one requesting that it be allowed to meet annually in New York for its winter sessions, and the other requesting that its summer sessions in Geneva be extended by five working days.