COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD HOLDS DISCUSSION WITH STATES PARTIES TO CONVENTION ON RIGHTS OF CHILD

States Parties Support Two Chamber Proposal for Committee


23 January 2004



The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning exchanged views with representatives of States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child during which the Committee’s proposal to divide its work into two chambers was discussed.

Many representatives of States parties expressed support for the idea of splitting the Committee into two chambers which would consider different country reports simultaneously. This would allow the Committee to reduce the backlog of reports it was currently facing.

In his opening statement, Committee Chairperson Jacob Egbert Doek said that when States parties had decided to raise the number of the members of the Committee from 10 to 18, it had been mainly to reduce the workload of the Committee. However, as the number of reports submitted by States parties had increased, the backlog problem had remained unsolved. It was for that reason that the Committee had proposed to the General Assembly that it deal with the reports in two chambers, he added.

The discussion with the States parties also focused on the United Nations study on violence against children that the Committee had requested the General Assembly to endorse in 2001. The funding of the study was discussed by many States parties that wished to see the study completed in the shortest period possible.

Participating in the debate were representatives from Argentina, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Denmark, Armenia, the United Kingdom, Kenya and the Netherlands.

When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Monday, 26 January, it is scheduled to take up the second periodic report of Slovenia (CRC/C/70/Add.19).

Discussion

Opening the meeting, Committee Chairperson Jacob Egbert Doek told the States parties that the Committee had not had adequate time to set up revised guidelines for periodic reports, but it was currently working on them. He noted that the Committee at present had a backlog of around 50 reports. The proposal to split the Committee into two chambers remained an option to resolve this backlog problem.

When the States parties had decided to raise the number of the Experts of the Committee from 10 to 18, it had mainly been to reduce the workload of the Committee, Mr. Doek said. However, as the number of reports submitted by States parties had increased, the problem had remained unsolved. It was for that reason that the Committee had proposed to the General Assembly that it deal with the reports in two chambers. Although the Committee met three times a year for three weeks, it was lagging behind by around 50 country reports. In addition, 100 countries were behind with their periodic reports. The Committee was of the view that an additional fourth three-week session was also essential to reduce the backlog.

By the end of 2004, the number of reports on the two new Optional Protocols to the Convention might reach 35, creating an additional workload for the Committee, the Chairman said. New Zealand’s initial report on the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict had been reviewed at the same time as its second periodic report on the Convention at the last session. Other States were advised to present their initial reports together with their periodic reports.

Concerning the Optional Protocols, the Committee would proceed with considering the initial reports on the treaty dealing with children and armed conflict after holding consultations with the State party concerned. With regard to the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, the Committee had not yet elaborated a procedure to deal with the reports.

With regard to the study on violence against children which the Committee had requested the General Assembly to endorse in 2001, a representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that a Director had now been selected and would head a small Secretariat established in Geneva to support the work of the Secretary-General’s independent expert, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro. It was expected that the study would fulfil its important mandate. Non-governmental organizations had been active in developing the study.

The representative of Argentina said that the split of the Committee into two chambers was the only effective way to deal with the backlog. The delegation of Argentina supported the idea. With regard to the study, he asked about the substantive input that the Committee would put into it.

The representative of Norway said that the two chambers could be a good idea if they resolved the problem of the Committee in dealing with its backlog.

The representative of Sweden said that the idea of the two chambers might be most productive. Although it incurred costs, once known, her Government would be able to seek means to support it financially.

The representative of New Zealand said the State party had expressed reservations in the past on the two chambers, but it was presently in favour of the proposal. New Zealand had been the first country to submit an initial report on the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflicts. She said that the conclusions of the Committee were lengthy and detailed compared to the other treaty bodies.
The representative of Denmark said his country was in favour of the proposal on two chambers, but wanted to see a more elaborated working method on the issue.

The representative of Armenia welcomed the revision of the guidelines of the reporting procedure, hoping that this revision would take into consideration the specificity of States parties. High priority should be given to the independence and impartiality of the members of the Committee, he said.

The representative of the United Kingdom said that the two chamber proposal had financial implications and wished to receive further information on this issue. In the random geographical representation in the two chambers, the common law background of the Experts should be taken into consideration.

The representative of Kenya said that the idea of the two chambers was innovative. He wanted to see the level of contribution to the study on violence against children and asked how long it might take to complete it.

The representative of the Netherlands expressed a positive reaction to the working methods of the Committee after its second periodic report was considered during the current session. The Committee was one of the youngest committees and having a two chamber Committee would be a good idea. However, his country was hesitant about the voluntary funding of the costs incurred by the split of the Committee.

Reacting, the Chairperson thanked the States parties for their support and for the vital elements contributed to the Committee. He noted that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and non-governmental organizations were supporting the Committee in its work. On follow-up to the Committee’s conclusions, the Office of the High Commissioner had been making efforts in that area. Recently, a workshop on follow-up had been hosted by Syria in which regional States parties had participated. Other workshops would also be organized in all regions. The workshops would provide an opportunity to provide clarifications to States on concluding observations.

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