Committee on the Rights of the Child Closes Ninety-First Session after Adopting Concluding Observations on Germany, Kuwait, North Macedonia, the Philippines, South Sudan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam

The Committee on the Rights of the Child this afternoon concluded its ninety-first session after adopting concluding observations and recommendations on the reports of Germany, Kuwait, North Macedonia, the Philippines, South Sudan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam. The concluding observations will be available on the webpage of the session on Thursday, 29 September 2022.

Mikiko Otani, Committee Chairperson, said that as of 23 September, there were 196 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 172 States parties to the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, 178 States parties to the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and 49 States parties to Optional Protocol on the communications procedure. There had been one new accession to the latter since the beginning of the session, New Zealand.

The Committee had reviewed Germany, Kuwait, North Macedonia, the Philippines, South Sudan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam, for which concluding observations were formally adopted. The Committee also adopted the report of its ninety-first session.

On individual communications, Ms. Otani said the Committee had adopted decisions in eight cases. It had found violations of the Convention in a case against Finland concerning the situation of children detained in refugee camps in northern Syria, and violations of the Convention in four cases against Spain concerning access to primary education by children of Moroccan nationality and residing in Melilla, Spain. The Committee had also examined a case against Ireland concerning the international abduction of a child from Canada, finding the case inadmissible. The Committee had discontinued two cases, against Denmark and against Switzerland, respectively.

With regard to cooperation with other United Nations bodies, specialised agencies and other competent bodies, the Committee had held its eighth biennial meeting with the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Committee had also decided to adopt a joint statement on illegal inter-country adoptions, to be issued with the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-recurrence, the Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material, and the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children.

Faith Marshall-Harris, Committee Vice-Chair and Rapporteur, presented a report on the activities of the Committee’s working groups and the individual members of the Committee during the session and in the inter-sessional period.

All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings is available here.

The Committee will hold its ninety-second session from 16 January to 3 February 2023, when it is scheduled to review the reports of Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Ireland, Mauritius, New Zealand, Oman and Sweden.