The CESCR has set out guidelines regarding the form and content of reports to be submitted by State Parties under Articles 16 and 17 of the ICESCR.64 The CESCR has also discussed at length the aims and objectives of the State reporting system. It has stated that the reporting obligations “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.”65 The CESCR has moreover stated that the process of the preparation and submission of reports by States should serve a number of objectives: • • • • • • • 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 ICESCR; 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; to enable State Parties to elaborate clearly stated and carefully targeted policies on the basis of a detailed overview of the existing situation; 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; to provide a basis on which the State Party itself, as well as the CESCR, can effectively evaluate the extent to which progress has been made towards the realization of the obligations contained in the ICESCR; 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; to enable the CESCR, and the State 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 that might be taken to promote the effective realization of each of the rights contained in the ICESCR. 66 3.6.2 Adoption of General Comments The CESCR adopts General Comments on various articles of the ICESCR to clarify their content and facilitate their observance by State Parties. In particular, the CESCR: 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 22