Sessions
The Committee is convened three times a year for sessions of three weeks’ duration, normally in March, at United Nations headquarters in New York and in July and October/November at the United Nations Office at Geneva. Each session is preceded by a one-week working group session. It reports annually to the General Assembly.
For more information on the HRC, see the OHCHR web-site: http:/www.unhchr.ch/html/ menu2/6/hrc.htm. A model communication is annexed.

3.4 Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was established under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. It is composed of  18 experts, acting in their personal

capacity, who are nominated and elected by States parties to the Convention for a four-year term.
The Committee monitors the implementation of the Convention by examin- ing reports submitted by States parties which are due every two years. It also examines individual communications concerning violations of the Conven- tion by States parties which have accepted the optional complaints procedure under article 14 of the Convention. The Committee can also examine situa- tions under its urgent action and prevention procedure.

Reporting procedure
Each State report receives the attention of a member designated as Country Rapporteur. He or she undertakes a detailed analysis of the report for consid- eration by the Committee and leads the discussion with the representatives of the State party. The Committee has also developed an urgent action and pre- vention procedure under which situations of particular concern may be examined. In order to prevent long overdue reports, if a report is more than five years overdue, the Committee may examine the country situation in the absence of  a report.