PART II – CERD AND ITS WORK lists are not exhaustive. CERD does not have the system of “Pre-Sessional Working Group” which is practiced by some of the other treaty bodies. The list of themes is sent to the State party and published at the CERD website usually four to six week prior to the session at which the report concerned will be examined. d) Consideration of State reports - Interactive dialogue with States parties For the consideration of state reports CERD invites States parties to send their delegation to the CERD meetings in Geneva in order to facilitate an “interactive dialogue”. Currently CERD uses two days i.e. one afternoon meeting (from 3 to 6 pm of the 1st Day) and one morning meeting (from 10 am to 1 pm of the 2nd Day) for consideration of one state report. The consideration generally begins with an opening statement by the Chairperson of the Committee followed by an oral presentation by the state delegation. The Country Rapporteur then presents his/her analysis of the situation and raises issues or questions to be addressed. Following the Country Rapporteur other Committee members, who so wish, give their comments and questions. If present, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) of the given country may also take the floor and formally present statements. In most cases, the first day ends with this 1st round of comments and questions from Committee members. If the Committee members’ 1st round of comments and questions finishes on the 1st day, the delegation will be asked whether they are able to immediately answer some of the questions, otherwise time is given for responses from the delegation on the 2nd day. In other cases, dialogue on the 2nd day starts with questions and comments from Committee members who could not take the floor on the 1st day. After the delegation has given their 1st responses, the 2nd round of CERD members’ questions and comments begin and are followed by a round of responses from the delegation. Since its 77th session the CERD has been taking a more active and flexible approach to the “dialogue” by inviting the delegation to answer the question / comment of one member immediately after the member gives it. At the end of the meeting the Country Rapporteur presents his/her concluding remarks and is followed by the delegation which is also asked to give its final remarks. 3. 4. 5. 6. 1st Day from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Opening of the meeting by the CERD chairperson Introduction / presentation of the state report by the state delegation (comments and supplementary information to the report may be added) Analytical comments and questions by the Country Rapporteur Comments and questions by other Committee members (Comments / remarks of the NNHRIs, if present) Responses from the delegation (if information is available) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 2nd Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: (Comments / remarks of the NHRIs, if present and did not do so on the 1st day) Responses from the delegation to the 1st round of comments and questions 2nd round of comments / questions from CERD and responses from the state delegation Concluding remarks by the Country Rapporteur; Final remarks by the delegation Closing of the meeting by CERD chairperson 1. 2. e) Concluding Observations Following the interactive dialogue with the state delegation, CERD adopts its concluding observations to the State party concerned. Respective Country Rapporteurs will draft the concluding observations and CERD, as a whole, then discusses and adopts them in a closed meeting, usually in the last week of each session.57 After the preliminary adoption of the concluding observations, respective States parties are given the opportunity to 57 In the past, individual members expressed their views and assessments at the concluding stage of consideration of a stare report. 15 ICERD & CERD: A GUIDE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ACTORS