The Committee regularly established a pre-sessional working group of four Committee members to assist in the drafting of issues to be considered in connection with States reports. Consideration of reports takes place over two or three meetings held in public. After the report is introduced to the Com- mittee, the State representative has an opportunity to respond to written or oral questions raised by members of the Committee. NGOs are permitted to send submissions to the Committee. Following consideration, the Committee adopts its “comments” in a closed meeting making suggestions and recom- mendations to the State party. Comments are issued as public documents at the end of each session of the Committee and included in the annual report to the General Assembly.

Complaints by individuals
Under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant, a communication may be sub- mitted by an individual who claims that his or her rights, as set out in the Covenant, have been violated. The Committee considers communications in light of written information made available to it by the individual and by the State party concerned and issues its “views” accordingly. When it appears that the alleged victim cannot submit the communication, the Committee may consider a communication from another person acting on his or her behalf. An unrelated third party having no apparent links with the alleged victim may not submit communications. A follow-up procedure is aimed at monitoring implementation of the Committee’s “views”.