COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD OPENS NINETEENTH SESSION, DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ADDRESSES PANEL

MORNING
HR/CRC/98/39
21 September 1998






The Committee on the Rights of the Child started its nineteenth session this morning by hearing a statement from the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights and adopting its agenda and programme of work.

In his opening statement, Enrique ter Horst, the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the members of the Committee that the number of States that had accepted the proposed increase of members of the Committee from 10 to 18 experts was 63, far short of the number needed for the amendment to enter into force. More progress needed to be made in that regard, he said.

During its three-week session, the Committee, which is in charge of monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, will review the promotion and protection of children's rights in Ecuador, Iraq, Bolivia, Kuwait and Thailand.

Also this morning the Secretary of the Committee announced that as of today, a total 141 initial and periodic reports - among which 126 were initial and 15 periodic - were received by the Secretariat. As of 21 September 1998, 65 initial and 81 periodic reports were overdue, the Secretary said.

When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 22 September, it will start its consideration of a report from the Government of Ecuador on the promotion and protection of children's rights in that country.

Statement by Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights

ENRIQUE TER HORST, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that with regards to the issue of the amendment to article 43, paragraph 2 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the proposed increase of members of the Committee from 10 to 18 experts, 63 States had now notified their acceptance of the amendment. Nevertheless, this figure was still far short of the number needed for the amendment to enter into force, and more progress needed to be made in that regard, he said.

Mr. ter Horst said the Committee might consider sending comments and representatives to the next sessions of the working groups of the Commission on Human Rights on the draft optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, respectively on children and armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The next sessions of the two working groups would take place in Geneva from 11 to 22 January 1999 and from 25 January to 5 February 1999, respectively.

Further, Mr. ter Horst told the members of the Committee that the Special Representative of the Secretary General on the impact of armed conflict on children, Olara Otunnu, had recently met with him and some of his colleagues and had discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between them as well as with the Committee on the Rights of the Child.