COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD OPENS TWENTY-EIGHTH SESSION

CRC
28th session
24 September 2001
Morning




Observes Minute of Silence in Memory of Victims of Terrorist Attacks
on the United States of America



The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning opened its autumn session by observing a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks on the United States of America.

Committee Chairperson Jacob Egbert Doek said that what had happened on 11 September 2001 was an unprecedented act of violence and went beyond much of what humankind had witnessed since World War II; it was an act which was based on unspeakable disdain for human life.

Mr. Doek said that thousands of children had lost their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters or other family members and a number were killed. At the same time, millions of children had been and were still confronted with the horrifying pictures of the twin towers hit by planes, engulfed in flames and coming down.

Soussan Raadi-Azarakhchi, speaking on behalf of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the Committee members that the General Assembly's Special Session on Children had had to be postponed after the tragic events that had hit the United States of America. She said negotiations were continuing to finalize the proposed 'outcome document' which would include a global agenda with a set of goals and a plan of action to be implemented during the next decade.

Ms. Raadi-Azarakhchi recalled that the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance had actively contributed to highlight the importance of addressing the rights of children and their vulnerability and special role in the context of racial discrimination.

Also this morning, the Committee adopted its agenda and programme of work for the coming three weeks.

The Committee has scheduled a day of general discussion devoted to the question of 'Violence against children within the family and schools' on Friday, 28 September. It has invited interested bodies to participate in the discussion.

The Secretary of the Committee, Paulo David, said that the Committee had so far received 214 reports from States parties, out of which 158 initial and periodic reports had been considered by theCommittee. He said 32 initial and 114 periodic reports are overdue.

During its session, the 10-member Committee will consider the reports of Mauritania, Kenya, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Uzbekisan, Gambia, Paraguay, Cameroon and Cape Verde. These countries are among the 191 States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

When the Committee reconvenes in public at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 25 September, it will start its consideration of the initial report of Mauritania.

Statement by Committee Chairperson

JACOB EGBERT DOEK, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, in an opening remark, said that what had happened on 11 September 2001 in the United States was an unprecedented act of violence and went beyond much of what humankind had witnessed since World War II. It was an act which was based on unspeakable disdain for human life.

Mr. Doek said that thousands of children had lost their fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters or other family members and a number were killed. At the same time, millions of children had been and were still confronted with the horrifying pictures of the twin towers hit by planes, engulfed in flames and coming down. Many parents were confronted by their children with questions they could not answer: why, who did it? Would the perpetrators be punished? There was the insecurity, the fear about what would happen next: more violence, war between the Muslim world and the rest?

Statement by Representative of Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights

SOUSSAN RAADI-AZARAKHCHI, from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, recalled that the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance had actively contributed to highlight the importance of addressing the rights of children and their vulnerability and special role in the context of racial discrimination. It had also clearly identified the right to education as a key area for action.

Ms. Raadi-Azarakhchi told the Committee that the General Assembly's Special Session on Children had had to be postponed after the tragic events that had hit the United States of America. Negotiations were continuing to finalize the proposed 'outcome document' which would include a global agenda with a set of goals and a plan of action to be implemented during the next decade.

The outcome would no doubt be of crucial importance for the work of the Committee, Ms. Raadi-Azarakhchi continued to say. It might envisage an important role for the Committee in reviewing and monitoring measures taken and results achieved in the implementation of the Declaration and Plan of Action which would be adopted. That would provide a good opportunity for the Committee to adequately link the commitments to be made at the Special Session to the Convention and its reporting process.

Ms. Raadi-Azarakhchi said that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had been actively supporting the process leading to the Special Session and had systematically emphasized the need to have a rights-based approach to children's issues, in light of the Convention and other international human rights instruments. The Office had consistently reaffirmed that child rights could only be enhanced when the culture of human rights was strongly promoted and integrated in all activities, and highlighted the importance of human rights education in that respect. It had stressed the need to respect and protect all the human rights of persons under 18 who were in conflict with the law.




* *** *