Democratic Republic of the Congo
Specialized body - Human rights
Political, administrative, legal and human rights committee
(June 2019)About
Nature
Permanent
Members
| All Members | Below 45 years of age | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 13 | 4 |
| Men | 11 | 2 |
| Women | 2 | 2 |
Political affiliation of members
Majority parties
9
Opposition parties
2
Independent
2
Chairperson(s)
Chair 1
François
Mwamba Tshishimbi
Chairperson: Sex
Male
Date of birth
20 Mar 1951
Political affiliation
Majority
Chairperson
Chairperson: Sex
Male
Age: Chairperson is below 45 years of age
No
Political affiliation
Majority
Committee functions
Mainstream human rights into the work of (other) parliamentary committees and of Parliament as a whole
Yes
Scrutinise all Bills for their compatibility with human rights
Yes
Scrutinise the Executive’s policy for compatibility with human rights
Yes
Obtain information from the Executive about the justification for actions or inaction which affect human rights
Yes
Scrutinise State compliance with existing UN human rights treaties
Yes
Initiate inquiries of its own choosing
No
Scrutinise proposed human rights treaties, and other international treaties with implications for human rights, and report to Parliament thereon, prior to ratification
Yes
Ascertain and review the Executive’s reasons for not acceding to or ratifying existing international human rights treaties
Yes
Scrutinise the Executive’s response to judgments of national, regional and international courts with implications for human rights
No
Monitor the adequacy of the existing national system for the protection of human rights
Yes
Review the allocation and expenditure of funds in the State budget to support measures to promote and protect human rights
Yes
Committee involvement in international and national reporting mechanisms
Such as the UN Human Rights Council and its' Universal Periodic Review, the UN CEDAW Committee etc.
Consulted in the preparation of national report to the UN Human Rights Council
No
Included in the official delegation which orally presented the most recent national report to the Council
No
Discussed the conclusions and recommendations which the Council adopted as a result
No
Conducted hearings with the Executive about its plans to implement the conclusions and recommendations of the Human Rights Council
No
Committee powers
The Committee has the power to:
Propose amendments to legislation
Yes
Introduce bills into Parliament
Yes
Initiate parliamentary debates on its reports or on subjects of its choosing
No
Carry out inquiries
Yes
Hold oral evidence hearings
Yes
Compel witnesses to attend
No
Compel the production of documents and papers
No
Make recommendations to the Executive
Yes
Conduct visits, including visits abroad
Yes
Access places of detention without notice
Yes
Committee working methods
The Committee:
Adopts an annual or longer-term work plan
Yes
Publishes reports on its work on the parliamentary website
No
Usually reaches consensus on the issues on which it reports
Yes
Systematically follows up its reports and recommendations
Yes
Reports regularly to Parliament on its activities
Yes
Number of specialised staff to service committee
14
Cooperation and coordination
The Committee regularly cooperates and coordinates (e.g. through sharing of reports; meetings; joint follow-up action) with:
Other parliamentary committees
Sometimes
Civil society organisations
Sometimes
National Human Rights Institution(s)
Often called “Commissions” and/or “Ombudspersons” in the area of human rights
Sometimes
Academic institutions, including research institutes on human rights and the rule of law
Never
The media
Never