COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF THE CHILD OPENS THIRTY-FIRST SESSION

CRC
31st session
16 September 2002
Morning


New High Commissioner for Human Rights to
Open Committee's Day of General Discussion on 20 September


The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning opened its thirty-first session at the Palais Wilson by adopting its agenda and programme of work.
The Committee heard an address by Maria Francesca Ize-Charrin, Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who announced that the new High Commissioner, Sergio Vieira de Mello, will open the Committee's day of general discussion on "the private sector as service provider and its role in implementing child rights" on Friday, 20 September. The focus of the day of discussion will be the impact of the increasing participation of private sector actors in the provision and funding of state-like functions on the implementation of the Convention.
Mrs. Ize-Charrin recalled that the General Assembly approved on 23 July the appointment of Sergio Vieira de Mello as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for four years beginning 12 September.
Regarding the Committee, Mrs. Ize-Charrin said that the amendment increasing the Committee's membership from 10 to 18 independent Experts will enter into force when 127 States parties formally notify their acceptance to the Secretary-General. So far, 123 notifications of acceptance have been received and four more were needed, she said.
The Secretary of the Committee, Paulo David, announced that since the last meeting of the Committee, one initial and five periodic reports have been received, bringing the total to 170 initial reports and 64 periodic reports. So far, 21 initial reports and 117 periodic reports were overdue.
During its current session, the Committee will examine the reports of Argentina, the United Kingdom, the Seychelles, Sudan, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Burkina Faso, Poland and Israel. In addition, it is scheduled to elaborate general comments on "National Human Rights Institutions; HIV and Children; and Adolescent Health".
When the Committee reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 17 September, it will take up the second periodic report of Argentina (CRC/C/70/Add.10).

Statement by Representative of High Commissioner for Human Rights
MARIA FRANCESCA IZE-CHARRIN, Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, recalled that the General Assembly had approved on 23 July the appointment of Sergio Vieira de Mello as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for four years beginning 12 September. He will open the Committee's general discussion day on "the private sector as service provider and its role in implementing child rights" on Friday, 20 September.
Regarding the Committee, Mrs. Ize Charrin said that the amendment increasing Committee membership from 10 to 18 independent Experts will enter into force when 127 States parties formally notify their acceptance to the Secretary-General. So far, 123 notifications of acceptance have been received and four more were needed. If the amendment enters into force before February 2003, the elections for the eight new members will take place within the framework of the regular elections to the Committee. If that was the case, the Committee will function with 18 members at its May/June 2003 session.
Mrs. Ize-Charrin told the Committee that the ratification pace of the Optional Protocols to the Convention was rapid, with 39 States becoming parties to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict and 38 to the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. First initial reports under the two Optional Protocols were expected in early 2004.
She said that the fifty-sixth session of the General Assembly had requested the Secretary-General to conduct an in-depth study on the question of violence against children. A Working Group, comprising the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, has been established to prepare the ground for the study.
In conclusion, Mrs. Ize-Charrin said that a "Treaty Body Recommendations Unit" had been established recently with the Service Support Branch of the Office with the aim of providing follow-up measures to assist States to implement recommendations adopted by all committees based in Geneva.



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