I United Nations
| Published date | 01 June 1991 |
| Date | 01 June 1991 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/016934419100900204 |
| Subject Matter | Part B: Human Rights News |
Human
Rights
News
PART B: HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS
I UNITED NATIONS'
A General Assembly
New York, autumn 1990
During the 45th session of the General Assembly (for the 44th session see
NQHR
1/1990, p. 45) its Third Committee on Humanitarian and Social
Affairs adopted anumber of resolutions with respect to the human rights
situation in certain countries, such as Afghanistan, EI Salvador, Iran, Israel
and South Africa. It also strongly condemned the occupation of Kuwait by
Iraqi forces.
The
UNGA decided unanimously to admit Liechtenstein as a
new member of the world organization and to provide an observer status
to the ICRC. As a result of the independence of Namibia the
UNGA
dissolved the Council for Namibia.
In the field of standard setting the most outstanding achievement of the
1990 session was the adoption by consensus, on 18 December the
International Convention on the Protection
of
the Rights
of
All
Migrant
Workers
and Members
of
their Families. This first UN Convention on
migrants is a comprehensive document of 93 articles covering a wide range
of
civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights of migrant workers. It
willenter into force after 20 States will have ratified it or acceded to it.
For
purposes of international monitoring the Convention envisages the
establishment of a 14 members expert committee with the functions of
examining State reports and deciding on inter-State and individual
communications. As in other similar UN conventions the latter procedure
is, however, optional.
For
a description of the UN Convention an Migrant
Workers, see the article of Shirley Hune and Jan Niessen on p. 130 of this
NQHR; for the text of the convention, see Appendix I of this NQHR.
*Manfred Nowak
159
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