GENERAL COMMENTS adopted by the Committee on ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

经济、社会、文化权利委员会通过的一般性意见

Introduction: the purpose of general comments {§*}

导言：一般性意见的目的{§*}

1. At its second session, in 1988, the Committee decided (E/1988/14, paras. 366 and 367), pursuant to an invitation addressed to it by the Economic and Social Council (resolution 1987/5) and endorsed by the General Assembly (resolution 42/102), to begin, as from its third session, the preparation of general comments based on the various articles and provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights with a view to assisting the States parties in fulfilling their reporting obligations.

1. 在1988年第二届会议上，委员会决定(E/1988/14, 第366和367段)根据经济及社会理事会对它提出(第1987/5号决议)并由联合国大会批准(第42/102号决议)的一项请求，从第三届会议开始根据《经济、社会、文化权利国际公约》的各条款和规定编写一般性意见，从而帮助缔约国履行它们的报告义务。

2. The Committee, and the sessional working group of governmental experts which existed prior to the creation of the Committee, have examined 138 initial reports and 44 second periodic reports concerning rights covered by articles 6 to 9, 10 to 12 and 13 to 15 of the Covenant as of the end of its third session.

2. 委员会和在委员会建立之前就存在的政府专家会期工作组审查了截至第三届会议的有关《公约》第六至九条、10至12条和13至15条所包括的权利的138份初步报告和44份第二次定期报告。

This experience covers a significant number of States parties to the Covenant, currently consisting of 92 States.

这一工作涉及到《公约》的许多缔约国，目前包括92个国家。

They represent all regions of the world, with different socio-economic, cultural, political and legal systems.

它们代表着世界各地区，具有不同的社会经济、文化、政治和法律制度。

Their reports submitted so far illustrate many of the problems which might arise in implementing the Covenant although they have not yet provided any complete picture as to the global situation with regard to the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights.

它们至今提交的报告解释了在执行《公约》方面可能出现的许多问题，但尚未提供关于享受经济、社会和文化权利的全球情况的全貌。

The introduction to annex III (General comments) of the Committee’s 1989 report to the Economic and Social Council (E/1989/22) explains the purpose of the general comments as follows.

委员会1989年提交经济及社会理事会的报告(E/1989/22)附件三(一般性意见)的导言对一般性意见的目的解释如下：

3. “The Committee endeavours, through its general comments, to make the experience gained so far through the examination of these reports available for the benefit of all States parties in order to assist and promote their further implementation of the Covenant; to draw the attention of the States parties to insufficiencies disclosed by a large number of reports; to suggest improvements in the reporting procedures and to stimulate the activities of the States parties, the international organizations and the specialized agencies concerned in achieving progressively and effectively the full realization of the rights recognized in the Covenant.

3. “委员会力图借其一般性意见使历来通过审查这些报告所获得的经验为各缔约国带来好处，从而帮助和促进它们进一步执行《公约》提请缔约国注意大量的报告中的不足之处；建议改善报告程序，和促进缔约国、有关国际组织和专门机构在逐渐和有效地充分实现《公约》中所承认的权利方面的活动。

Whenever necessary, the Committee may, in the light of the experience of States parties and of the conclusions which it has drawn therefrom, revise and update its general comments.”

在必要时，委员会可根据缔约国的经验和它从这些经验中得出的结论修改和更新其一般性意见。”

{§*} Contained in document E/1989/22.

{§*}载于E/1989/22号文件。

General comment No. 1:

第1号一般性意见：

Reporting by States parties

缔约国的报告

Third session (1989) {§*}

第三届会议(1989年){§*}

1. The reporting obligations which are contained in part IV of the Covenant are designed principally to assist each State party in fulfilling its obligations under the Covenant and, in addition, to provide a basis on which the Council, assisted by the Committee, can discharge its responsibilities for monitoring States parties’ compliance with their obligations and for facilitating the realization of economic, social and cultural rights in accordance with the provisions of the Covenant.

1. 《公约》第四部分中所载的报告义务的主要目的是帮助每个缔约国履行其《公约》义务，此外，还为理事会提供一个基础，以便使它能在委员会的协助下履行它监督缔约国完成它们的义务和帮助根据《公约》条款实现经济、社会和文化权利方面的责任。

The Committee considers that it would be incorrect to assume that reporting is essentially only a procedural matter designed solely to satisfy each State party’s formal obligation to report to the appropriate international monitoring body.

委员会认为，如果以为报告主要只是为了完成各缔约国向有关国际监督机构报告的正式义务的程序问题，那是不正确的。

On the contrary, in accordance with the letter and spirit of the Covenant, the processes of preparation and submission of reports by States can, and indeed should, serve to achieve a variety of objectives.

相反，根据《公约》的文字和精神，各国编写并提交报告的过程能够，并也的确应该，帮助实现多种目标。

2. A first objective, which is of particular relevance to the initial report required to be submitted within two years of the Covenant’s entry into force for the State party concerned, is to ensure that a comprehensive review is undertaken with respect to national legislation, administrative rules and procedures, and practices in an effort to ensure the fullest possible conformity with the Covenant.

2. 对要求有关缔约国在《公约》生效后两年之中提交的初步报告特别有意义的第一个目标是确保全面审查国家立法、行政规定和程序和惯例，以确保尽可能充分地符合《公约》。

Such a review might, for example, be undertaken in conjunction with each of the relevant national ministries or other authorities responsible for policy-making and implementation in the different fields covered by the Covenant.

例如，这种审查可与每个有关的国家部委或负责在《公约》所包括的不同领域内制定和执行政策的其他当局共同进行。

3. A second objective is to ensure that the State party monitors the actual situation with respect to each of the rights on a regular basis and is thus aware of the extent to which the various rights are, or are not, being enjoyed by all individuals within its territory or under its jurisdiction.

3. 第二个目标是确保缔约国定期监督有关每项权利的实现情况，从而意识到在其领土内或在其管辖范围内的所有个人享有或不享有各种权利的程度。

From the Committee’s experience to date, it is clear that the fulfilment of this objective cannot be achieved only by the preparation of aggregate national statistics or estimates, but also requires that special attention be given to any worse-off regions or areas and to any specific groups or subgroups which appear to be particularly vulnerable or disadvantaged.

从委员会历来的经验来看，很明显，只是通过编写总的国家统计数字或预计数字是不可能实现这一目标的，还需要特别注意任何情况更差的区域或地区和看来特别容易受害或处于不利情况中的任何集团或分集团。

Thus, the essential first step towards promoting the realization of economic, social and cultural rights is diagnosis and knowledge of the existing situation.

由此，促进经济、社会和文化权利的实现的第一必要步骤是判断和了解目前情况。

The Committee is aware that this process of monitoring and gathering information is a potentially time-consuming and costly one and that international assistance and cooperation, as provided for in article 2, paragraph 1 and articles 22 and 23 of the Covenant, may well be required in order to enable some States parties to fulfil the relevant obligations.

委员会认识到，监督和收集资料的方法很可能太花费时间，费用很高，很可能需要第二条第一款、第二十二和二十三条中所规定的国际援助和合作，还可能使一些缔约国能够履行有关义务。

If that is the case, and the State party concludes that it does not have the capacity to undertake the monitoring process which is an integral part of any process designed to promote accepted goals of public policy and is indispensable to the effective implementation of the Covenant, it may note this fact in its report to the Committee and indicate the nature and extent of any international assistance that it may need.

在这种情况下，缔约国最后认为它没有能力实行监督进程，而这一进程却是旨在促进公认的公共政策目标的任何进程之整体部分，而且是为了有效执行公约所为可缺少的进程，那么它可在其给委员会的报告中指出这一事实，并提出它可能需要的任何国际援助的性质和程度。

4. While monitoring is designed to give a detailed overview of the existing situation, the principal value of such an overview is to provide the basis for the elaboration of clearly stated and carefully targeted policies, including the establishment of priorities which reflect the provisions of the Covenant.

4. 监督的目的是详细全面审查目前情况，而这种审查的主要价值是提供一种依据，以便据以拟定审慎地提出了指标的明确政策，包括确定反映《公约》条款的优先考虑事项。

Therefore, a third objective of the reporting process is to enable the Government to demonstrate that such principled policy-making has in fact been undertaken.

因此，报告程序的第三个目标是使政府能够表明实际上已进行这种原则性的决策。

While the Covenant makes this obligation explicit only in article 14 in cases where “compulsory primary education, free of charge” has not yet been secured for all, a comparable obligation “to work out and adopt a detailed plan of action for the progressive implementation” of each of the rights contained in the Covenant is clearly implied by the obligation in article 2, paragraph 1 “to take steps … by all appropriate means … ”.

虽然《公约》只在第十四条中在还未为所有人确保“免费的义务初级教育”的情况下明确规定这一义务，但第二条第一款的“…通过一切适当手段…采取步骤”的义务明确规定了“制定并通过详细的行动计划，以逐渐执行”《公约》中所载的每项权利的类似义务。

5. A fourth objective of the reporting process is to facilitate public scrutiny of government policies with respect to economic, social and cultural rights and to encourage the involvement of the various economic, social and cultural sectors of society in the formulation, implementation and review of the relevant policies.

5. 报告程序的第四个目标是促进使公众对政府在经济、社会和文化方面的政策进行监督，和鼓励各国的经济、社会和文化部门参与制定、执行和审查有关政策。

In examining reports submitted to it to date, the Committee has welcomed the fact that a number of States parties, reflecting different political and economic systems, have encouraged inputs by such non-governmental groups into the preparation of their reports under the Covenant.

在审查至今提交给它的报告方面，委员会喜见：分别属于不同政治和经济制度的许多缔约国鼓励非政府团体投入它们根据公约编写报告的工作。

Other States have ensured the widespread dissemination of their reports with a view to enabling comments to be made by the public at large.

另一些国家则确切地将它们的报告广泛散发，使一般公众能够提出意见。

In these ways, the preparation of the report, and its consideration at the national level can come to be of at least as much value as the constructive dialogue conducted at the international level between the Committee and representatives of the reporting State.

这样，报告的编写及其在国家一级的审议至少可与委员会和报告国代表在国际一级进行的建设性对话具有同样的价值。

6. A fifth objective is to provide a basis on which the State party itself, as well as the Committee, can effectively evaluate the extent to which progress has been made towards the realization of the obligations contained in the Covenant.

6. 第五个目标是提供一个依据，使缔约国本身和委员会能够据以有效地评价实现《公约》所载义务的进度。

For this purpose, it may be useful for States to identify specific benchmarks or goals against which their performance in a given area can be assessed.

为此目的，各国应提出具体的水准标点或目标，以便评价它们在特定领域中的工作。

Thus, for example, it is generally agreed that it is important to set specific goals with respect to the reduction of infant mortality, the extent of vaccination of children, the intake of calories per person, the number of persons per health-care provider, etc.

例如，人们普遍同意，必须制订具体目标，以使婴儿死亡率降低多少，为多少儿童接种疫苗，每人摄取多少热量，每位保健工作者护理多少人，等等。

In many of these areas, global benchmarks are of limited use, whereas national or other more specific benchmarks can provide an extremely valuable indication of progress.

在许多这些领域中，全球性的指标用途有限，国家性或其他更具体的指标却可极为有价值地显示进步的程度。

7. In this regard, the Committee wishes to note that the Covenant attaches particular importance to the concept of “progressive realization” of the relevant rights and, for that reason, the Committee urges States parties to include in their periodic reports information which shows the progress over time, with respect to the effective realization of the relevant rights.

7. 在这方面，委员会要指出，《公约》特别重视有关权利的“逐步实现”概念，为此原因委员会保证缔约国在它们的定期报告中说明一定时期内在有效实现有关权利方面所得到的进展。

By the same token, it is clear that qualitative, as well as quantitative, data are required in order for an adequate assessment of the situation to be made.

同样，为了充分评价情况，显然也需要有质量和数量方面的数据。

8. A sixth objective is to enable the State party itself to develop a better understanding of the problems and shortcomings encountered in efforts to realize progressively the full range of economic, social and cultural rights.

8. 第六个目标是使缔约国本身能够更好地理解在逐渐实现充分的经济、社会和文化权利方面所遇到的问题和缺点。

For this reason, it is essential that States parties report in detail on the “factors and difficulties” inhibiting such realization.

为此原因，缔约国必须就妨碍实现其权利的“因素和困难”提出详细报告。

This process of identification and recognition of the relevant difficulties then provides the framework within which more appropriate policies can be devised.

根据这种查明和承认有关困难和程序，可以制定更适宜的政策。

9. A seventh objective is to enable the Committee, and the States parties as a whole, to facilitate the exchange of information among States and to develop a better understanding of the common problems faced by States and a fuller appreciation of the type of measures which might be taken to promote effective realization of each of the rights contained in the Covenant.

9. 第七个目标是使委员会和使全体缔约国能够促进各国间的资料交流和更好地理解各国面临的共同问题，并且更充分地认识到可以采取哪种措施来促进《公约》中所体现的每项权利的有效实现。

This part of the process also enables the Committee to identify the most appropriate means by which the international community might assist States, in accordance with articles 22 and 23 of the Covenant.

这种方法还使委员会能够确定国际社会可以根据《公约》第22和23条帮助各国的最适宜的手段。

In order to underline the importance which the Committee attaches to this objective, a separate general comment on those articles will be discussed by the Committee at its fourth session.

为强调委员会对此目标的重视，委员会第四届会议将讨论关于这些条款的另一项一般性意见。

{§*} Contained in document E/1989/22.

{§*}载于E/1989/22号文件。