Ratified international conventions and treaties (FOI)

Request

It is noted that many international conventions such as UN ICCPR or ICESCR require that periodic reports shall be submitted by Jersey.

It is also noted that interested bodies including the general public shall participate in the preparation of such reports.

Accordingly, what provision does the government of Jersey have in place or is proposed in order to consult with civil society and the general public, what budget is available for this activity, which (if any) reports are to be prepared in the near future and when shall the public be advised of the consultation processes?

Response

The United Kingdom, as state party, is responsible for submitting any periodic reports that may be required. Jersey, in common with the other Crown Dependencies, contribute to those reports, as do the Overseas Territories and Devolved Administrations. A consequence of this is that there is limited space in the UK reports for such contributions, which have a strict word count limit. As such, contributions from Jersey are usually limited to significant legislative and policy changes or developments in the time period being reported on.

An exception to this is in respect of International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions that extend to the Island. Jersey does submit its own periodic reports (albeit via the UK as state party) on each ILO convention extended to Jersey. A draft of each report is shared with trade unions in Jersey and the Chamber of Commerce for comment, in advance of submitting these reports to the UK for onward transmission to the ILO. Further information about the reporting cycle for Jersey on these conventions can be found at the following link:

International Labour Organization  

State party reports are often published on the website of the relevant treaty depository. Recent examples of national reports to which Jersey has contributed are those for the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

Information on the reporting cycle for the UK on the core UN human rights treaties can be found at the following link:

UN Human Rights

There is no specific budget allocated to this work.