The Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination, formed under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of racial Discrimination, opening its first session at the United Nations Headquarters this morning, elected its officers and completed organization of its work. The session is scheduled to last until 30 January. The 18-member body of experts elected Rajeswahr Dayal as its Chairman. It also elected three Vice-Chairmen and the Rapporteur. The Committee is the first of its kind created to oversee the implementation of obligations accepted by States Parties to an International human rights agreement concluded under the auspices of the United Nations.

At the table, from left: Fayez A. Sayegh, Senior Consultant to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait; Zenon Rossides, Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN and Ambassador of his country to the United States; Zbigniew Resich, First President of the Supreme Court of Poland; Aleksandar Peles, Professor of the Faculty of Law at Sarajevo University in Yugoslavia; and Karl Joseph Partsch, Professor of Public Law at the University of Bonn in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination, formed under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of racial Discrimination, opening its first session at the United Nations Headquarters this morning, elected its officers and completed organization of its work. The session is scheduled to last until 30 January. The 18-member body of experts elected Rajeswahr Dayal as its Chairman. It also elected three Vice-Chairmen and the Rapporteur. The Committee is the first of its kind created to oversee the implementation of obligations accepted by States Parties to an International human rights agreement concluded under the auspices of the United Nations.

At the table, from left: Sir Herbert S. Marchant, Associate Director of the Institute of race Relations in the United Kingdom; Jose D. Ingles, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines; and A.A. Haastrup, Ambassador of Nigeria to the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination began heard a statement this morning by the representative of Cyprus on his Government's inability to implement provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in the parts of Cyprus occupied by Turkey.
The Committee then decided to reiterate its concern with the situation in that country and its hope for a settlement, and to keep open its invitation to Cyprus to provide supplementary information to the Committee at its fifteenth session in 1977.
Joseph Stephanides (Cyprus) addressing the Committee.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination began the substantive work of its eighteen session this morning by considering a report submitted by Jamaica on action taken to implement the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Under Article 9 of the Convention, States Parties are required to submit to the Committee periodic reports on the "legislative, judicial, administrative, or other measures that they have adopted and that give effect to the provisions of the Convention".The 18-member Committee, composed of experts serving in their personal capacity, was established in 1969 under the Convention, which was adopted by the General Assemby on 21 december 1965. The Convention came into force on 4 January 1969. Thus far, 100 countries have become parties to that instrument.
A general view of today's meeting under the chairmanship of George O. Lampten (Ghana).

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination considered reports this morning from the Governments of Venezuela, Ghana, Kuwait and Ecuador on measures they have taken to implement the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Such reports are required from States parties under article 9 of the Convention.
Chairman of the Committe, Rajeshwar Dayal (India), is seen here at today's meeting.