UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

CERD A/32/18 (1977)

250. It was noted with satisfaction that the initial report of the United Arab Emirates was comprehensive in scope. Members of the Committee wished that the report had been organized on the basis of the guidelines laid down by the Committee.

251. Noting that, according to the report, "article 25 of the Constitution states that all persons shall be equal before the law and that there shall be no discrimination between them", and that the opening statement of the report asserts that the legislation of the country was "based on the principle of equal treatment without distinction as to origin, religion or colour", some members recalled that article 1, paragraph 1, of the Convention refers to discrimination "based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin".

252. The status of foreigners in the reporting State was considered in connection with article 1, paragraph 2, of the Convention. Members of the Committee noted the statements in the report that "article 40 [of the Constitution] provides that foreigners shall enjoy, within the Union, the freedoms stipulated in international charters" and that the Constitution "guarantees all residents in the territory of the State rights, justice and equality, the only distinction made between them being that required by the duty to protect citizens and to distinguish them from foreigners in view of the obligations which they have towards the State and which are not binding on foreigners"; and they asked for further clarification of the precise import of these statements. Some members noted that the information on social assistance, education and health protection referred at times to "all citizens" and at other times to "all"; and they wondered whether some of the guarantees in question were confined to citizens and others applied to aliens as well. The uncertainty was heightened by the fact that the sentence, "This applies not only to citizens but to all residents in the territory of the State without any discrimination", followed immediately the statement that, in accordance with article 19 of the Constitution, "the State also guarantees health protection for all, including free medical treatment"; and it was not clear whether the earlier sentence applied only to the statement about health protection or whether it referred to the statements relating to education and social assistance which preceded it, as well. Some members inquired about the status of foreign workers in the reporting States. However, other members of the Committee recalled the provisions of article 1, paragraph 2, of the Convention.

253. The statement in the report that "there is no reason for the State to adopt specific measures to combat racial discrimination as such" gave rise to the observation, made by several members of the Committee, that - under the general obligations of article 2 of the Convention - specific action giving effect to certain provisions of the Convention, such as those of article 4, was mandatory except in those cases where the legislation of the State concerned already satisfied the requirements of those articles; in such cases, the reporting State was called upon to inform the Committee of its existing legislation and to demonstrate its adequacy.

254. Members of the Committee expressed the hope that detailed information on the application of articles 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Convention would be provided in future reports.

255. Noting the information on the multiform contribution of the reporting State to the struggle against colonialism and racial discrimination throughout the world, some members asked whether the United Arab Emirates had any relations with the racist régimes of southern Africa.

256. Members of the Committee expressed the hope that the demographic information envisaged in general recommendation IV would be supplied.

257. Noting that the report referred to certain articles of the Constitution without citing their actual texts, and that it mentioned several laws without furnishing precise information on their scope or provisions, members of the Committee expressed the hope that, in its second periodic report, the United Arab Emirates would supply the texts of articles 14, 17, 19, 20, 25, 33, 34, 39 and 40 of the Constitution as well as detailed information on the Migration Act, the Act on the Civil Service, Act No. 17 of 1972 concerning Nationality and Passports and Act No. 6 of 1973 concerning Migration and Residence.

258. The representative of the United Arab Emirates commented on some of the observations and inquiries made by members of the Committee and summarized in the preceding paragraphs. Concerning the rights of foreigners, he informed the Committee that, while migrants, unlike citizens, were not provided with free housing and land, they were provided with free medical care and free education and were able to study abroad. Neither immigrants nor citizens paid income taxes in the United Arab Emirates. He noted that the bilateral agreements between his Government and a number of other Governments also governed the treatment of the nationals of those Governments. He stated that "the United Arab Emirates had no relations whatever with Southern Rhodesia and South Africa". He assured the Committee that he would forward the comments made by members of the Committee to his Government.

CERD A/33/18 (1978)

228. The second periodic report of the United Arab Emirates was considered together with the introductory statement made by the representative of the reporting State.

229. The Committee noted that the report under consideration contained considerable additional information, including information given in response to wishes expressed by members of the Committee during the consideration of the initial report of the United Arab Emirates, and that, in conformity with the request made by the Committee, the texts of the relevant articles of the Constitution and legal provisions were furnished. It was regretted, however, that the report was not organized in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Committee.

230. Noting that great stress had been placed on the Constitution and far too little on legislation, some members observed that it would be of interest to the Committee to receive information on how the principles of the Constitution were translated into practice through legislation and administrative decisions, which were of key importance to the application of those principles. In that connection, it was observed that the report gave insufficient attention to the adoption of specific measures to implement the Convention. It was stated that, in view of article 7 of the Constitution - which stated that "Islam is the official religion of the Union and the Shari'a is a principle source of legislation" - the Government of the reporting State appeared to have considered itself absolved from the obligation to enact express legislation prohibiting and providing penalties for acts of racial discrimination in implementation of the mandatory provisions of the Convention. In his reply, the representative of the United Arab Emirates called attention to the fact that the Shari'a "integrated the observance of the law and of religion": he said that those two concepts "were intertwined in the Qur'an, and the connection between them, established by Mohammad, had been observed throughout the centuries. Thus the establishment of law in the United Arab Emirates was tantamount to interpreting the provisions of the Qur'an". He expounded the interplay of Ijma' (consensus) and Ijtihad (interpretation) which, jointly, helped to fill any lacunae in Islamic law.

231. It was noted that information was lacking with respect to the manner in which the reporting State was fulfilling its obligations under article 4 of the Convention. In that connection, the provisions of the Committee's general recommendation I and decision 3 (VII) were recalled.

232. It was stated that equality in the exercise of most of the rights set forth in article 5 of the Convention was guaranteed in articles 25 to 38 of the Constitution. It was asked, however, whether the bill to regulate labour relations, the provisions of which were cited in detail in the report under consideration, had already become law. The representative of the United Arab Emirates confirmed that, since the preparation of the report, that legislation had been adopted. With reference to that law, a member of the Committee wished to receive clarification with regard to the right of an employee to compensation if he was dismissed as a result of a complaint against his employer.

233. It was observed that, under article 41 of the Constitution, the United Arab Emirates had complied with its obligations with respect to article 6 of the Convention. However, further information on the legislative provisions which laid down guarantees of compensation for persons who considered that their rights had been violated was requested.

234. The information concerning the implementation of article 7 of the Convention was deemed insufficient, notwithstanding the information on religious instruction as a means of preventing racial discrimination. Members of the Committee drew attention to general recommendation V in that regard.

235. Several members of the Committee commented on the liberal system which was applied to aliens in the United Arab Emirates. A member of the Committee asked what system was applied in order to accord to aliens rights and obligations which were not governed by international agreements and whether, in the absence of such agreements, aliens were governed by the same system as nationals under article 25 of the Constitution. The application of the system of free education and free medical care to aliens and nationals alike drew favourable comments. A member of the Committee noted the statement made in the report, to the effect that free health care was not confined to citizens but covered all residents in the territory of the State, and observed that that went beyond the provisions of article 19 of the Constitution, which guaranteed health care for citizens; he asked for further information on the legislation or administrative regulations which made that extension possible. Information on the number of aliens and their places of origin was requested. The representative of the reporting State recalled the provisions of article 1, paragraph 2, of the Convention and stated that, notwithstanding those provisions, "the treatment of aliens in the United Arab Emirates was as good as could be found anywhere in the world". He drew attention to the sections of the report in which examples were given of rights and privileges extended to all persons living in the country.

CERD A/35/18 (1980)

104. The third periodic report of the United Arab Emirates (CERD/C/47/Add.2) was considered by the Committee in the presence of the representative of the reporting State.

105. Members of the Committee observed that the third periodic report, like the previous ones, expressed general ideas without giving details. The report mentioned the Constitution, but not the provisions enacted for carrying it into effect. Moreover, the questions raised by the Committee in connection with its consideration of the second periodic report of the United Arab Emirates had remained unanswered. Members of the Committee agreed that specific information should be provided on measures taken to implement the articles of the Convention and they hoped that such information would be given in the next report.

106. In addition, some members wished to receive details on the demographic composition of the population of the country. The Committee also requested further information on the status of the large numbers of aliens, especially Indians and Pakistanis, who were living in the territory of the United Arab Emirates and who contributed to the country's development. Information was requested, in particular, on the conditions governing their contracts of employment.

107. The representative of the United Arab Emirates stated that he would convey to his Government the comments made and the questions raised by members of the Committee with a view to providing supplementary information in conformity with the provisions of the Convention in the next periodic report.

108. The Chairman expressed the hope that the next report, in addition to information on all relevant legislative, administrative and other measures, would contain information about the economic, social and cultural measures to which the Committee attached great importance.

CERD A/37/18 (1982)

91. The fourth periodic report of the United Arab Emirates (CERD/C/74/Add.1) was considered by the Committee in the presence of the representative of the reporting State.

92. Members of the Committee expressed their appreciation of the information supplied and welcomed the efforts made by the Government of the United Arab Emirates to democratize the life of the country. However, they regretted that the report was not fully in keeping with the Committee's new guidelines and expressed the hope that those guidelines would be followed in the preparation of future reports.

93. In respect of article 2 of the Convention, particular attention was drawn by the Committee to the question of aliens living in the United Arab Emirates. Referring to section I, paragraph C, of the report, it was asked whether the rights and freedoms mentioned applied only to aliens from countries which had acceded to the conventions in question and whether the treaties were automatically given the force of law; whether aliens who were not covered by those provisions came under the rules of international law as far as legislative and constitutional protection were concerned or whether the provisions of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates applied to them as well. In that connection, members of the Committee requested that the texts of agreements mentioned be included in the next periodic report, as well as the Government's plan for strict enforcement of the labour laws in terms of wages and working conditions for foreign workers, and information on enforcement measures to regularize the service conditions of expatriate workers and work permits in accordance with the law. Since the Islamic Sharia forbade racial discrimination on the basis of sex or colour, it was asked whether the prohibition had been extended by law to discrimination on grounds of race or national or ethnic origin; what procedures had been instituted to render the prohibition effective and to provide redress for any injury suffered; and what the requirements were for acquiring the nationality of the United Arab Emirates, including the situation of children born of foreign parents on the territory of the country. Some members pointed out that the report carried no indication of whether nationals of the United Arab Emirates alone had access to free education, or whether foreigners also enjoyed the same advantage; whether there were any special programmes to help them to learn the language of the country and to facilitate their social integration under the protection of the Constitution and the labour legislation; what measures had been adopted in the social field for the benefit of foreign workers, in particular whether certain special projects took account of the needs of foreign workers with regard to housing, health and the conditions under which they could obtain really satisfactory employment; whether there was a system of social security in the country and whether its benefits extended to foreign workers, in accordance with article 5 (b) of the Convention. Information was also requested whether foreign workers were permitted to reside anywhere or whether they were confined to special places by recruiting agencies as well as what percentage of the population they represented.

94. In respect of article 3 of the Convention, a member of the Committee requested information on the policy of the United Arab Emirates concerning the monitoring of an oil embargo proclaimed in the framework of the International Year of Mobilization for Sanctions against South Africa.

95. With reference to article 4 of the Convention, the Committee noted that the information supplied in the report was incomplete, since it failed to specify what organs were responsible for imposing sanctions for acts of discrimination or what the penalties were in that regard. It was requested that the texts of legislation adopted to implement the provisions of article 4 of the Convention be supplied in the next reports, together with a copy of the Federal acts and the texts laying down penalties for persons engaging in acts of racial discrimination.

96. As far as articles 5 and 6 of the Convention were concerned, it was asked what remedies were available to the victim of an act of racial discrimination and whether the Government ensured equal enjoyment on its territory of the rights it guaranteed, free of any form of racial discrimination; whether the exercise of the rights enumerated in article 5 was subject to any restriction; whether expatriate workers who were the victims of racial discrimination could choose their own lawyers and whether interpreters could be used in court proceeding.

97. With regard to article 7 of the Convention, it was noted that the information provided in the report had not been strictly relevant to the provisions of that article, which was concerned with effective measures, particularly in the fields of teaching, education, culture, and information to combating prejudices leading to racial discrimination. Members of the Committee hoped that further details would be provided in the next report.

98. The representative stated that the questions or comments by members of the Committee would be transmitted to the Government of the United Arab Emirates and replies would be supplied in the next report, together with information regarding the number of foreign workers.

CERD A/39/18 (1984)

247. In introducing the fifth periodic report of the United Arab Emirates (CERD/C/105/Add.2), the representative of the reporting State pointed out that specific legislation in compliance with the Convention had not been enacted by the United Arab Emirates because the country was still very young and its Government had to deal with pressing problems caused by the country's rapid development. Besides, discrimination was not a problem in his country and the Islamic shari'a, which forbade all forms of racial discrimination, had been proclaimed source of law by the Constitution. Where specific legislation had not been enacted, the Constitution was directly applicable.

248. Some members of the Committee observed that they could not accept a mere statement to the effect that discrimination on the grounds of ethnic or national origin did not exist in a particular country. States parties were under an obligation to enact legislation in accordance with the Convention in order to put into practice certain safeguards against any possible emergence of racial discrimination. It was stated in the report that the general provisions of the Penal Code of the United Arab Emirates were adequate to deal with any discriminatory acts that might occur in the future. However, the Committee could not evaluate those provisions since they were not included in the report. It was also observed that unfortunately the report did not follow the Committee's guidelines. One member indicated that the report contained references to Israel which could not be considered by the Committee unless it was the intention of the United Arab Emirates to avail itself of the procedure provided for in article 11 of the Convention for complaints by one State party against another. Furthermore, members of the Committee wished to receive additional information on the demographic composition of the United Arab Emirates, and on the measures taken in the country to implement article 7 of the Convention, and on whether the United Arab Emirates had any relations with the racist régime of South Africa.

249. In connection with article 5 of the Convention, members wished to know whether article 25 of the Constitution and other constitutional provisions guaranteeing human rights and fundamental freedoms in the United Arab Emirates were judicially enforceable, and, if so, what kinds of relief citizens could obtain through the courts. Detailed information was requested on the extent to which the different ethnic groups participated in the production process and in Government and the relative access of each to education. In addition, reference was made to article 32 of the Constitution which guaranteed freedom of religious observance, provided it was not prejudicial to public order or incompatible with public morality, and it was asked how it was possible to know whether religion was incompatible with public order or morality. With reference to article 30 of the Constitution, which guaranteed freedom of opinion and expression within the limits of the law, it was asked how the limits of the law were defined. In respect to article 33 of the Constitution which contained the same limitation on freedom of assembly and association, it was asked what limits were in fact imposed on those freedoms and whether trade unions existed in the United Arab Emirates.

250. In replying to the observations made and the questions asked by the Committee, the representative of the United Arab Emirates referred to similarities between discriminatory practices applied by South Africa in respect of the black and coloured population and by Israel towards Arabs. He pointed out that his country had no diplomatic, trade or other relations with South Africa.

251. With reference to article 5 of the Convention, he stated that article 25 of the Constitution was applied whenever a judge was confronted by a problem covered by that article. He also stated that in his country there was no discrimination in the field of education and that schools, social security benefits and medical treatment were free to all, without distinction as to nationality. In addition, there was freedom of worship and the members of monotheistic religions could have places of assembly and prayer without any restriction. Freedom of the press existed within the limits of the law and anyone could purchase newspapers and magazines from abroad unless the publications contravened public morality and order. In conclusion, the representative of the United Arab Emirates stated that further information on the issues raised by the Committee would be provided in his country's next periodic report.

CERD A/43/18 (1988)

189. The sixth periodic report of the United Arab Emirates (CERD/C/130/Add.1) was considered by the Committee at its 824th meeting, held on 8 August 1988 (CERD/SR.824), without the participation of a representative of the State concerned, a fact that was regretted by the Committee.

190. Members of the Committee expressed the hope that the United Arab Emirates would be in a position to send a representative during the consideration of its next report. They also hoped to obtain data on the demographic composition of the United Arab Emirates.

191. With regard to article 3 of the Convention, they wished to know whether goods of South African origin had entered the market of the United Arab Emirates illegally.

192. Concerning article 4 of the Convention, members of the Committee noted that the Criminal Code in force in the United Arab Emirates did not contain any specific rule for the implementation of the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of that article and they wished to know whether the draft federal code of criminal procedure, which had been submitted for approval by the Federal National Council of the United Arab Emirates, contained such rules.

193. As to the implementation of article 5 of the Convention, further information was requested on the limits that the law of the United Arab Emirates imposed on the exercise of the rights set forth in that article, particularly the right to free expression of the opinions of the individual. More information was also requested about the way in which the United Arab Emirates guaranteed freedom to form and join trade unions. It was also asked how the economic recession due to the oil crisis had affected the employment of foreign labour, whether cut-backs in staff had been undertaken on a large scale and whether the children of foreign workers, whether from Arab or other countries, enjoyed the same opportunities for access to higher and university education as did nationals of the United Arab Emirates.

194. Concerning article 7 of the Convention, some contradiction had been observed between the report, which affirmed that nationals of the United Arab Emirates and foreigners enjoyed equal rights, and the provisions of article 14 of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates, which guaranteed equality only among citizens.

195. Concerning paragraph 11 of the report, which referred to "Israel's deplorable record of violations of human rights", one expert said that countries should not use reports to make observations about other States, while another expert upheld the right of States to make any observation.

CERD A/49/18 (1994)

292. At its 1028th meeting, on 10 March 1994 (see CERD/C/SR.1028), the Committee reviewed the implementation of the Convention by the United Arab Emirates based on its previous report (CERD/C/130/Add.1) and the consideration thereof by the Committee (see CERD/C/SR.824). The Committee noted that no new report had been received since 1986.

293. Members of the Committee requested specific information on the composition of the population, particularly the number of citizens, foreigners and immigrants. Reference was made to the lack of information on the scope of the rights of foreign workers, the right of access to education for the children of foreign workers and the rights of workers to form trade unions. Members of the Committee wished to know whether freedom of conscience and opinion was effectively protected for all; how human rights were protected in practice, in view of the jurisdictional duality that existed between the Shariah and the civil courts; and what steps had been taken to implement fully article 4 of the Convention.

Concluding observations

294. At its 1037th meeting, on 15 March 1994, the Committee adopted the following concluding observations.

295. It is deeply regretted that the United Arab Emirates has not responded to the Committee's invitations to submit a report since 1986 and to take part in its deliberations. It is recalled that, in accordance with article 9 of the Convention, the United Arab Emirates is under the obligation to submit periodic reports on the measures it has taken to implement the provisions of the Convention. The State party is therefore requested to comply with its reporting obligations under the Convention and to submit its core document and periodic report without further delay. In this connection, the attention of the Government of the United Arab Emirates is drawn to the guidelines for the preparation of State party core documents (HRI/GEN/1) and the preparation of periodic reports under the Convention (CERD/C/70/Rev.3) and to the possibility of requesting technical assistance from the Centre for Human Rights for the preparation of such reports.

296. Finally, the Committee recommends that the next report submitted by the State party contain responses to the various comments made by the members of the Committee both in 1986 and at the current session, including more precise information on the actual situation in the State party as regards the implementation of the Convention for all sectors of the population; the measures taken to give effect to the provisions of article 4 of the Convention; the situation of foreign workers, including domestics; the protection of the freedoms of religious expression and of assembly; the effect of the Gulf war on the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms; the reform of the Penal Code; and the respective competencies of non-religious courts and religious courts regarding cases of racial discrimination.

297. The Committee draws the attention of the State party to the amendment to article 8, paragraph 6, of the Convention, which was approved by the Fourteenth Meeting of States Parties and by the General Assembly in its resolution 47/111, and encourages the State party to expedite its action formally to accept that amendment.

CERD A/50/18 (1995)

542. The Committee considered the eleventh periodic report of the United Arab Emirates (CERD/C/279/Add.1) at its 1114th meeting, on 9 August 1995 (CERD/C/SR.1113).

543. The report was introduced by the representative of the State party, who asked the Committee to excuse his Government's absence from the Committee's work for a number of years and the late submission of the periodic report, which was due to external circumstances and to administrative factors. He recalled that his country was a young country, which had not gained its independence until 2 December 1971.

544. He explained that the Constitution and a number of legislative provisions, some of them enacted under the British Protectorate, guaranteed all persons within the territory of the United Arab Emirates freedom of opinion and expression, religious freedom and the right of appeal to the courts if those rights were violated.

545. Foreign communities in the United Arab Emirates had the right to open private schools providing instruction in their own language and according to their own methods. In 1980, a labour relations act had been adopted. The United Arab Emirates had also ratified a number of ILO Conventions such as Conventions Nos. 1, 29, 81 and 89. In 1981, Act No. 20 had been adopted, guaranteeing the freedom to form occupational associations without State interference.

546. The United Arab Emirates also provided considerable development cooperation assistance, in particular to Africa.

547. The members of the Committee welcomed the presence of a high-level delegation to re-establish the dialogue on the implementation of the Convention in the State party. They noted with regret, however, the long delay in submitting the periodic report, which was the first since 1986. They also pointed out that there were many gaps in the report, particularly with regard to statistics on the composition of the population and the socio-economic situation of the various population groups, and that it had not been drawn up according to the Committee's guidelines for the preparation of reports. However, some of those gaps had been filled in by the delegation's oral explanations.

548. The members of the Committee asked for a more detailed explanation than was given in the Government's report regarding the status of the Convention in the internal legal order.

549. One obvious deficiency noted concerned the application of article 4 of the Convention. Although offending against religious beliefs and defamation were punishable, it was difficult to treat such offences as racist propaganda or incitement to racial discrimination. Consequently, the members of the Committee urged the Government to review its legislation and ensure that it was in conformity with article 4 of the Convention.

550. With regard to the application of article 5 of the Convention, members of the Committee asked to what extent foreign workers - who, according to some sources, made up 80 per cent of the total labour force - were entitled to have their children join them and to have them educated in their own language, and whether those children were free to practise their religion. They also asked which countries had bilateral agreements with the United Arab Emirates regarding the status of foreign workers and what was the content of those agreements. The members of the Committee expressed their deep concern at information from various sources that foreign workers, particularly women from Asian countries, were subjected to inhuman treatment, and asked for clarification in that regard. They also asked whether aliens living in the United Arab Emirates had the right to assemble freely and practise their culture.

551. The members of the Committee asked about the current situation of the four Indian citizens living in the United Arab Emirates who had been sentenced to imprisonment by the authorities for having insulted Islam in a theatrical performance given by an Indian association in 1992. They also asked about the situation of the three aliens arrested in 1993 for anti-Islamic activities.

552. Clarification was requested regarding the remedies available to victims of racist acts: were such offences dealt with by the secular or Islamic courts? Could the Convention be invoked directly by individuals before the Islamic courts? Had the Convention ever been invoked before any court?

553. Replying to the Committee's questions and observations, the representative of the State party said that the Committee would be provided with full statistics and written replies to some of its questions.

554. Regarding the status of the Convention in the internal legal order, under article 120 of the Constitution, the President of the Federal Supreme Council approved international instruments by decree, and any decree approving an international treaty was enforceable and could be invoked before the courts like any other law. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination had thus far never been invoked before a court.

555. With regard to article 4 of the Convention, the delegation assured the Committee that it would endeavor to encourage the legislature to enact special legislation implementing that article.

556. With regard to article 5, the representative of the State party explained that, with the exception of political matters and the acquisition of nationality, aliens living in the United Arab Emirates enjoyed the same rights as nationals.

Concluding observations

557. At its 1124th meeting, held on 16 August 1995, the Committee adopted the following concluding observations:

(a) Introduction

558. Resumption of the dialogue with the State party, which had submitted no report since 1986, and the presence of a high-level delegation are noted with satisfaction. Note is also taken of the quality of the dialogue and the constructive spirit of the delegation.

559. It is noted that the State party has not made the declaration provided for in article 14 of the Convention, and members of the Committee requested that consideration should be given to the possibility of making that declaration.

(b) Positive aspects

560. The legislation adopted in accordance with the Convention since the last periodic report was submitted, in particular that concerning the right of foreign communities established in the territory of the State party to open private schools for teaching in their mother tongue and that concerning labour relations, is noted with satisfaction.

561. Appreciation is also expressed for the useful information presented orally by the delegation, including the promise that consideration would be given to introducing legislation to implement article 4 of the Convention.

562. Note is also taken of the readiness of the delegation to submit to its Government the concerns of the Committee with regard to certain inadequacies in the legislation.

(c) Principal subjects of concern

563. Owing to the inadequacy of the information contained in the report of the State party concerning legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures taken to give effect to the Convention, the Committee is unable to form an exact idea of the progress achieved in implementing the Convention.

564. It is noted with concern that the provisions of article 4 of the Convention are not reflected in the country's national legislation. It is recalled in this connection that penal legislation should contain specific provisions against racist acts.

565. Although information was provided on mother-tongue education and on access to health and work, more information is needed about the implementation of other aspects of article 5 of the Convention.

566. Keen concern was expressed as to the allegations of ill-treatment of foreign workers, including women domestic servants of foreign origin. The delegation clarified certain aspects of this question, which should nevertheless be given special attention.

567. The information provided by the State party regarding effective remedies against any acts of racial discrimination is insufficient.

(d) Suggestions and recommendations

568. The Committee requests the Government of the State party to provide in its next report the information whose absence or insufficiency has been noted.

569. The Committee recommends that the State party discharge all the obligations set out in article 4 of the Convention. The Government should to that end take into account the Committee's General Recommendation XV.

570. The Committee recommends that the State party show the utmost diligence in preventing acts of ill-treatment being committed against foreign workers, especially foreign women domestic servants, and take all appropriate measures to ensure that they are not subjected to any racial discrimination.

571. The Committee recommends that the State party should ratify the amendments to article 8, paragraph 6, of the Convention, as adopted by the 14th meeting of States parties.

572. The Committee recommends that the twelfth periodic report of the State party, due on 21 July 1997, should be comprehensive.