Reporting Mechanism - Committee on Migrant Workers
last updated 12 June 2013 – Information is subject to change. Please check the Committee website for updates.
 
Type of Mechanism
Reporting and Monitoring
Scope of the Procedure
How the Reporting Procedure Works
After ratifying the Convention, State parties are required to submit an initial report on compliance within one year; thereafter, periodic reports every five years. The Committee currently meets twice a year to consider State reports (April and September). The Committee adopts a list of issues, which is submitted to the State party for response in advance of the session.
At the session, the State party has the opportunity to present its report and responses to the list of issues to the Committee and address questions posed by Committee members. At the conclusion of the session, the Committee holds closed meetings to discuss and adopt concluding observations and recommendations.
Role of Advocates[1]
Provide country-specific information to the Committee which draws their attention to issues of concern, advocate for concluding observations and recommendations that address those issues, place pressure on State parties to take action consistent with the Committee’s recommendations, and inform the Committee where a State party has failed to take action. There are many opportunities for advocates to participate in the reporting and monitoring process. NGOs are encouraged to submit "shadow" or alternative reports to the Committee to provide at alternate view of the state’s fulfillment of its obligations under the Convention or to bring attention to human rights violations not reflected in the state’s report. NGOs are encouraged submit information early in the process so that it may be used to inform the development of the list of issues and questions, which states are asked to respond to in advance of the session. Such issues tend to be the focus of constructive dialogue in the session, thus it is advantageous to provide information early in the proceedings.
 
Advocates also have an opportunity to participate in the sessions and to lobby Committee members outside of session proceedings. NGOs that submit written reports may make oral presentations to the Committee in a public meeting. Such meetings offer a unique opportunity for NGOs to provide a more detailed analysis of the issues of concern and give Committee members an opportunity to ask questions that have not been addressed. Attendance at the sessions is not limited to NGOs with ECOSOC accreditation, but those wishing to attend must contact the Secretary of the Committee at least two weeks in advance to attain the appropriate credentials. NGOs wishing to brief the Committee in the public meeting should also contact the Secretary in advance.
 
After the Committee has adopted its concluding observations, NGOs are encouraged to monitor and provide reports on any steps taken or not taken by the Government in response to the Committee’s recommendations. NGOs are encouraged to raise awareness—locally and nationally—of the Committee’s concluding observations.
 
[2] Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, Guidelines for the periodic reports to be submitted by States parties under article 73 of the Convention, UN Doc. CMW/C/2008/1, 22 May 2008, accessed at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cmw/docs/CMW.C.2008.1_en.pdf.
[4]<span style="font-size:9.0pt;Arial" ,"sans-serif""=""> Committee on Migrant Workers, 19<sup>th</sup> Session (9-13 September 2013), <a href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cmw/cmws19.htm" _cke_saved_href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cmw/cmws19.htm">http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cmw/cmws19.htm</a>. </span></span></span></span></div> </div> </td></tr></tbody></table><br>