Press Conference on the outcomes of the 72nd Session of CERD

Postdate: 5/ 03/ 2008

The Citizens’ Constitutional Forum (CCF) will be holding a Press Conference tomorrow to reveal the outcomes of the 72nd Session of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

When:	Thursday, 6 March 2008.
Where:	CCF Office, 25 Berry Road, Suva.
Time:	12noon

Fiji is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Fiji’s periodic reports were discussed at the 72nd Session of CERD in Geneva on 19 and 20 February 2008.

Chief Executive Officer of CCF attended the Geneva meetings to answer questions regarding the Fiji NGOs ‘Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) Concerning the Republic of the Fiji Islands’. The submission was endorsed by three Fiji non-government organisations, namely: CCF, Women’s Action for Change (WAC), and Ecumenical Centre for Research, Education and Advocacy (E CREA) .

The State Report was also discussed at the Geneva meeting. The last State Report was submitted by the Qarase government in June 2006. However, the current interim government made a new presentation at the Geneva meeting. The Fiji Human Rights Commission also made a submission which was considered in Geneva.

“The UN CERD body made its own observations and recommendations to the Fiji delegation present in Geneva. We will disseminate their observations and recommendations at tomorrow’s Press Conference,” Rev Yabaki said.

For further information, please contact CCF on ph: 3308379, fax: 3308380.

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Rev Akuila Yabaki

Chief Executive Officer