FINLAND

Special Action or Decisions Taken Re: Reporting

CAT A/64/44 (2009)

...

II.       SUBMISSION OF REPORTS BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 19 OF THE CONVENTION

...

B. Optional reporting procedure

27. Considering the positive feedback received from States and their acceptance of the new optional reporting procedure, the Committee decided at its forty-second session to continue, on a regular basis, with this procedure, adopted in May 2007 at its thirty-eighth session. This procedure consists in the preparation and adoption of lists of issues to be transmitted to States parties prior to the submission of their periodic report. In this regard, the Committee:

(a) Adopted lists of issues for States parties whose reports are due in 2010 (Brazil, Finland, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritius, Mexico, Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia). This adoption was done in plenary, following the Committee’s decision to adopt all its lists of issues in plenary. These lists of issues will be transmitted to the respective States parties with a request that replies be submitted by September 2010, should the State party wish to avail itself of the new procedure. In that respect, the Committee will also request that it be informed by these nine States parties as to their intention of availing themselves of the new procedure by 31 July 2009. This information will allow the Committee to plan its meeting requirements to ensure the timely consideration of reports;

...

CAT A/65/44 (2010)

...

II.       SUBMISSION OF REPORTS BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 19 OF THE CONVENTION

...

B. Optional reporting procedure

33. At its thirty-eighth session, in May 2007 (see A/62/44, para. 23), the Committee adopted a new procedure on a trial basis which includes the preparation and adoption of a list of issues to be transmitted to States parties prior to the submission of a State party’s periodic report and the State party’s replies to this list of issues would constitute the State party’s report under article 19 of the Convention. The Committee was of the view that this procedure would assist States parties in preparing focused reports, would guide the preparation and content of the reports, would facilitate reporting by States parties and would strengthen their capacity to fulfil their reporting obligations in a timely and effective manner. However, this new procedure requires that these reports are considered within the shortest possible period of time after being received by the Committee otherwise the added value of the procedure will be defeated as new lists of issues would have to be adopted and transmitted by the Committee to States parties to update the information they provided.

34. At its forty-second session, in May 2009 (see A/64/44, para. 27), the Committee decided to continue, on a regular basis, with this procedure. As at 14 May 2010 and since the adoption of this new reporting procedure, the Committee has adopted and transmitted to States parties lists of issues prior to reporting for reports due in 2009, 2010 and 2011; in total, 39 such lists have been transmitted.

...

36. For reports due in 2010, the Committee adopted, and transmitted in 2009, lists of issues prior to reporting with regard to nine States parties: Brazil, Finland, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritius, Mexico, Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia. Out of these nine States parties, eight have accepted this new reporting procedure (Brazil, Finland, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritius, Mexico and Russian Federation). These reports have to be submitted by 30 September 2010.

...