United Nations
Economic and Social Council
E/C.12/GNQ/CO/1
Distr.: General
13 December 2012
English
Original: Spanish
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Concluding observations of the Committee in the absence of
an initial report from Equatorial Guinea as approved by the
Committee at its forty-ninth session (14–30 November 2012)
1.
In the absence of an initial report from the State party, the Committee on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights examined the State party’s implementation of the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at its 45th and 46th meetings
(E/C.12/2012/SR.45 and 46), held on 22 November 2012. At its 58th meeting, held on 30
November 2012, the Committee adopted the following concluding observations.
A.
Introduction
2.
These observations, together with the concerns voiced by the Committee members
during their exchange of views with the representatives of the State party on 22 November
2012, may be of assistance to the State party in the preparation of its initial report. The
Committee would like to point out, however, that these observations are not exhaustive,
that the issues raised during its dialogue with the representatives of the State party are not
the only matters of concern, and that the content of the initial report should therefore not be
limited to them. Rather, the Committee invites the State party to prepare a comprehensive
initial report, based on the guidelines on treaty-specific documents approved in 2008
(E/C.12/2008/2), which covers the steps taken to uphold all the rights set forth in the
Covenant.
3.
At its forty-seventh session, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
decided that it would examine the implementation of the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in a number of States parties that, despite numerous
requests, had not met their obligation to submit reports under articles 16 and 17 of the
Covenant.
4.
The aim of the reporting procedure established in the Covenant is to ensure that
States parties inform the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and, through
it, the Economic and Social Council about the measures taken, progress made and problems
encountered in their efforts to ensure the observance of the rights recognized in the
Covenant. A State party’s failure to submit a report is not only a violation of the Covenant
but also a serious obstacle to the Committee’s work.
5.
Consequently, when a Government has not supplied any information on the
fulfilment of its obligations under the Covenant, the Committee will have to base its
observations on information from intergovernmental and non-governmental sources. While
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