Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination - Shadow Reporting

The U.S. is among the 173 State parties to the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. The 18 member Committee, the first body created by the United Nations to review actions by States to fulfill obligations under a specific human rights agreement, examines reports submitted periodically by States parties on efforts to comply with the Convention. Government representatives generally present the report, discuss its contents with Committee members, and answer questions.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination held its' 72nd session in Geneva, Switzerland from February 18 to March 7, 2008, to review anti-discrimination efforts undertaken by the various parties to the Convention, including the Government of the United States.

MCHR Members Testifying in Geneva

Non-governmental organizations have the opportunity to be a part of the UN Committee's review of the United States by testifying at the hearings. The role of NGOs is to address the omissions, deficiencies, or inaccuracies in the official government reports. Such information is often vital to assisting U.N. experts in their assessment of a government’s compliance with international human rights treaties.

A number of Midwest Coalition members testified in Geneva, including representatives from the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Northwestern University, the Coalition to Protect Public Housing, and Joey Mogul, an attorney with the People's Law Office in Chicago.

Read the U.N.'s Concluding Observations for the U.S. Government's Review

Download our PowerPoint presentation on CERD!