COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD OPENS FIFTY-FIRST SESSION

Committee on the Rights of the Child

25 May 2009



Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Addresses the Committee


The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning opened it fifty-first session, electing its Chairperson, adopting its agenda and programme of work, and hearing an address from Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Ms. Kang brought to the attention of the Committee a number of important new developments. She noted that on 20 November 2009, the international community would celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly. To mark this anniversary, the Committee had initiated the organisation of a two-day meeting, to be held in Geneva on 8 and 9 October 2009. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights would do its outmost to support this event. This meeting would be entitled “Dignity, Development and Dialogue” and would provide an important opportunity to bring together all entities interested in the Convention, including States parties, United Nations funds and programmes, national and international non-governmental organizations, academics and other relevant actors.

Ms. Kang also said that on 1 May, Marta Santos Pais had been appointed as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children. Also the Human Rights Council, in a resolution on the rights of the child, had decided to incorporate into its programme of work sufficient time, at minimum an annual full-day meeting, to discuss different specific themes on the rights of the child. In the context of the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this year’s annual full-day meeting had taken place on 11 March 2009.

The Committee re-elected Yanghee Lee as Chairperson of the Committee. The Committee decided to elect the remaining members of the bureau at a later time. The following newly elected members of the Committee made their solemn declaration: Hadeel Al-Asmar (Syria); Peter Guran (Slovakia); Sanphasit Koompraphant (Thailand); Marta Mauras Perez (Chile); Kamla Devi Varmah (Mauritius) and Susana Villarán de la Puente (Peru).

At the end of the meeting, Committee Secretary Maja Andrijasevic-Boko announced that the Committee had received 14 reports since its last session; nine under the Convention (Cuba, Cambodia, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Iceland, Italy, Madagascar, Panama and Syria) and five on the protocols (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canada, Nepal, Sweden and Togo). Six initial reports were overdue as of 22 May 2009 (Afghanistan, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Niue, Tonga and Tuvalu).


When the Committee next reconvenes in public at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 26 May, it will consider the combined third and fourth periodic report of France (CRC/C/FRA/4).

Statements

Kyung-Wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, welcomed the new members of the Committee and brought to the attention of the Committee a number of important new developments. Ms. Kang said that the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had met for the first time in February 2009. Given that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was rich with references to children, she was certain that they would find future collaboration between both bodies.

The tenth session of the Human Rights Council had taken place in March, said Ms. Kang, and in a resolution on the rights of the child, the Council had decided to incorporate into its programme of work sufficient time, at minimum an annual full-day meeting, to discuss different specific themes on the rights of the child. In the context of the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this year’s annual full-day meeting had taken place on 11 March 2009. The next session of the Human Rights Council, which would take place in June, would also hold an annual full day meeting on the human rights of women and a panel on human rights and climate change.

The fifth session of the Universal Periodic Review had taken place in May and had considered 16 States, noted Ms. Kang. Further, the Durban Review Conference had been held in April in Geneva. The outcome document of the Conference contained carefully worded language and sent a strong and appropriate signal that would help the international community’s endeavour to fight racism and extremism in all its manifestations. It provided proper answers to the misinformation and misunderstandings that had clouded much of the preparatory process and had prompted a number of countries to stay away from the Conference.

Ms. Kang noted that on 20 November 2009, the international community would celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the United Nations General Assembly. To mark this anniversary, the Committee had initiated the organisation of a two-day meeting, to be held in Geneva on 8 and 9 October 2009. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights would do its outmost to support this event. This meeting would be entitled “Dignity, Development and Dialogue” and would provide an important opportunity to bring together all entities interested in the Convention, including States parties, United Nations funds and programmes, national and international non-governmental organizations, academics and other relevant actors.

Ms. Kang said that on 1 May, Marta Santos Pais had been appointed as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children. The Committee would certainly work in close cooperation with the new Special Representative.

Turning to the agenda of the current session of the Committee, Ms. Kang said that they had a heavy agenda before them; six State reports for review under the Convention and two with regard to the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

The Committee would also continue to discuss three General Comments. Furthermore, Ms. Kang noted that the Committee would continue consideration of its working methods, overall harmonisation of working methods of treaty bodies as well as numerous other issues related to child rights.

YANGHEE LEE, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, said that it was an honour to have the support of the Committee for her second mandate as Chairperson and invited Committee members to have an interactive exchange with the Deputy High Commissioner.

Interactive Discussion

In the discussion between Committee members and the Deputy High Commissioner, Committee experts addressed the issue that the Committee would start meeting in two chambers next October and all throughout next year. This situation would require a strong and effective Secretariat and one which was as stable as possible.

Further, one Member noted problems with the documents that were translated in Spanish. Further support from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was needed so that the General Comments issued by the Committee could be translated into Spanish.

Another Committee member said that they often had difficulties to access the online treaty database.

Ms. Kang noted that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was servicing many committees and the fact that the Committee on the Rights of the Child would meet in two chambers in October and all throughout next year would be a challenge to the Secretariat and the Committee.

On the translation into Spanish, the Office planned to hire a person especially for this, said Ms. Kang. Concerning the issue of access to the database, she noted that it was because they were currently revamping the whole system. The Office was currently in the process of revamping its webpage, as it had been found out not to be user-friendly. The further plan was to translate it into other languages in the future.

Ms. Lee stressed the importance of the upcoming celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the Convention and asked for the support of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the preparations of the event.

Ms. Kang said that a fundraising would be maybe needed for the twentieth anniversary. But she also noted that it had been a difficult year for most of their donors and some of them had already signalled to the Office that they would not be able to meet the traditional amount of their donations.

MAJA ANDRIJASEVIC-BOKO, Secretary of the Committee, announced that the Committee had received 14 reports since its last session; nine under the Convention (Cuba, Cambodia, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Iceland, Italy, Madagascar, Panama and Syria) and five on the protocols (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Canada, Nepal, Sweden and Togo). Six initial reports were overdue as of 22 May 2009 (Afghanistan, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Niue, Tonga and Tuvalu).

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