COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD OPENS FORTY-EIGHTH SESSION

Committee on the Rights
of the Child
19 May 2008

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

Ms. Kang, updating the Committee on developments since its last session in January, informed the Committee that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had entered into force on 3 May 2008. She also informed the Committee about initiatives taken by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with regard to the further implementation of the Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children and its recommendations; noted the establishment of the new post of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children; and highlighted that the draft United Nations guidelines for the protection and alternative care of children without parental care would be considered by the Human Rights Council at its upcoming eighth session in June.

Ms. Kang also noted the good news that there had been two new ratifications to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography – by Albania and Greece – and that China had become a party to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, bringing the total number of States parties to the Optional Protocols to 126 and 120 respectively.

Finally, Ms. Kang recalled that, during its present session, the Committee would examine the reports of 10 States parties – 5 submitted under the Convention and 5 under its Optional Protocols.

Maja Andrijasevic-Boko, the Secretary of the Committee, announced that the Committee had received 31 reports since the last session, 16 on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 7 on the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in Armed Conflict, and 8 on the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Of a total of 462 reports submitted, the Committee had considered 369 reports prior to the forty-eighth session, which left approximately 80 reports pending. Six initial reports – from Afghanistan, Cook Islands, Nauru, Niue, Tonga and Tuvalu – had not been submitted yet.

Yanghee Lee, the Committee Chairperson, wished to recall that the Committee would hold a day of general discussions on 19 September 2008 on the “Right to education in emergency situations”.


When the Committee next reconvenes in public, at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning, it will consider the third periodic report of Georgia (CRC/C/GEO/3).

Statement

KYUNG-WHA KANG, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights of OHCHR, in an update on developments since the last session of the Committee in January 2008, informed the Committee that the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had entered into force on 3 May 2008. The first Conference of States parties would be convened within the coming months. The creation of a new treaty body illustrated once more the need for continuing harmonization of the treaty body system, including with regard to reporting guidelines.

The Human Rights Council had held its seventh session (4 to 28 March 2008), and the Council’s first Universal Periodic Review Working Group had met, and a group of three rapporteurs (troika) had been formed to facilitate each review under the review mechanism. The Working Group had reviewed reports of 32 countries over its first two meetings (7-18 April and 5-19 May), and OHCHR had prepared compilations of United Nations information and stakeholder’s summaries which were of particular relevance to the work of treaty bodies. Ms. Kang highlighted that a number of countries that had been considered by the Universal Periodic Review Working Group would be before the Committee within the next year.

Following up to the Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children, Ms. Kang said OHCHR would continue to raise awareness of the Study, promote implementation of its recommendations and encourage its mainstreaming into the work of the United Nations human rights treaty bodies and Special Procedures. To that end, OHCHR had undertaken a number of initiatives. OHCHR would also continue to support the implementation of the Study recommendations through the activities of its field presences and the development of policy planning and programming tools. Currently, the identification of candidates for the new post of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children was in progress.

Moreover, the draft United Nations guidelines for the protection and alternative care of children without parental care would be considered at the eighth session of the Human Rights Council (2-18 June), Ms. Kang recalled.

Ms. Kang noted the good news that, since its last session, there had been two new ratifications to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography – by Albania and Greece – and that China had become a party to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict, bringing the total number of States parties to the two Optional Protocols to 126 and 120 respectively. She also drew particular attention to a recent meeting between the Committee and the United Nations Children’s Fund, which had been an excellent opportunity for both to examine how to enhance collaboration in the field of the rights of the child.

Finally, turning to the work of the Committee at its present session, Ms. Kang noted that it would examine the reports of 10 States parties – 5 submitted under the Convention and 5 under its Optional Protocols.

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