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13 October 2000
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Fifty-Fifth General Assembly
Third Committee
23rd Meeting (PM)
13 October 2000
A regime of consequences for violating children's safety and rights during armed conflict should be developed, the representative of the Observer Mission of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said this afternoon, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued deliberating the promotion and protection of children's rights.
Saying that children had a natural right to live and grow in a safe, moral and stable family environment, he added that government policies should ensure that right and organizations should further it. Recalling that the OIC had previously called for addressing the needs of children victimized by wars and for unhindered access to humanitarian relief for them, he said the OIC, at the Summit level, had called for States to prevent children from becoming involved in armed conflicts and to provide for their safety in the event they were caught in it.
The representative of Canada said all children deserved the best possible start in life. Because some of the most shocking violations of children's rights resulted from armed conflict, his country had hosted the recent International Conference on War-Affected Children in Winnipeg. The commitments made at the Children’s Summit some 10 years ago, like those embraced by world leaders at the Millennium Summit last month, were some of the most urgent items of unfinished business before the Organization.
The representative of the New York Liaison Office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said war-affected children were now squarely on the international political agenda, but their situation on the ground remained grave. It was heartening that child-protection concerns were increasingly included on peace agendas and peacekeeping mandates. However, the international community must make firm commitments to the physical security of refugee children. It must also provide resources to the UNHCR and other organizations which could do the work.
The representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) told the Committee to continue emphasizing the poverty, health and discrimination concerns that threatened the rights of children everywhere, particularly of those in armed conflict. Those children must be helped to reintegrate and fully recover.
Further, she said the upcoming General Assembly special session was a target date to catalyse a movement for universal ratification of the Convention. The two protocols should also be ratified by then. In addition, the synergy between the Convention and the World Summit should be kept in mind and sustained. She urged the Committee to build on this week’s discussions and to continue displaying the leadership that would secure protection of children’s rights worldwide.
Also speaking this afternoon were the representatives of Nepal, Jamaica, Afghanistan, Mali, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Guatemala, Bhutan, Niger and Togo.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Monday, 16 October, to begin considering the programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to conclude its present deliberations on promoting and protecting the rights of children. (For background, see Press Release GA/SHC/3589 of 11 October.)
Statements
BHARAT KUMAR REGMI (Nepal) said that, undoubtedly, the peace and prosperity of the future depended on the upbringing of today’s children. As the most valuable component of society, children deserved the utmost care to ensure their survival, growth and development. It was the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which addressed the entire spectrum of human rights, that had created an environment in which the protection of the rights of children was considered a global priority. The Convention had also resulted in the widespread recognition of children’s fundamental right to participate in decisions affecting their future. The work of relevant United Nations agencies, such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, had also been instrumental in promoting child rights issues and, importantly, raising awareness about the principles of the Convention.
He said that since over 50 per cent of Nepal’s population was made up of children below the age of 18, the country attached great importance to the promotion and protection of their rights. That dedication was reflected in Nepal’s Constitution and national legislation. As a party to the Convention, Nepal had been actively incorporating its provisions in its regulations. A Ministry of Children had also recently been established. But despite national efforts to promote and enhance their development, children still suffered malnutrition, illiteracy and other social and economic hazards. With that in mind, Nepal had formulated some specific policies and programmes aimed at improving the situation of children in difficult circumstances, particularly those living in rural areas. Many of those initiatives had benefited from the valuable assistance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society.
O'NEIL FRANCIS (Jamaica) said his delegation associated itself with the statement made on the agenda item by Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). He said that an immediate priority was an assessment of indicators that more clearly defined the needs of children, particularly in the areas of access to quality health services and education. He also discussed the problem of children in armed conflict. The use of children as combatants and the large numbers of children among refugees and the internally displaced were unacceptable. The Security Council’s focus on the problem was a welcome development.
The best protection for children, however, was conflict prevention, economic development, support for the family, and the empowerment of children through education, so that they could become global citizens. In that context, Jamaica had been working to improve literacy rates and to otherwise implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Those efforts included legislative and policy reform, enforcement of existing legislation, strengthening of institutions for the benefit of children, and the establishment of constitutional rights for children.
ADELA HACHEMI FARHADI (Afghanistan) said protecting the rights of children was becoming increasingly important. Civilians made up 90 per cent of refugees today, and most of those were women and children. Pakistan's participation in fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan was a documented fact. Thus, the war imposed by Pakistan impacted on Afghan children, including by making them orphans and beggars. Many had been victims of landmines and others had suffered a variety of physical injuries and trauma.
That condition of its children had proven to Afghanistan that there was no military solution to the conflict in its midst, she said. A United Nations- sponsored peace process should be set in motion, and the so-called military advisers should leave the country.
NOUHOUN SANGARE (Mali) said legislative norms to protect children had been systematically established in his country since 1997, when a ministry for women, children and youths had been set up. Implementation of the Convention had included such activities as media, education and awareness-raising campaigns. A follow-up committee had recently been established to better monitor implementation of the Summit Plan of Action, scheduled for review at the special session next year.
Despite all those efforts, he said, new practices were undermining accomplishments. Practices such as child prostitution and trafficking or the recruitment of child soldiers were not tolerable. The practice and trafficking of small arms must also be controlled. The place for children was in school. Education should be at the heart of any campaign for peace and development. The special session would measure how much had been done and how much more remained, he said. Children were humanity's inheritors and those who carried it into the future. They should not be devalued.
DONKA GLIGOROVA (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) said that in her country, despite much help from international agencies, NGOs and her Government, the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was still meeting obstacles. The reason for that was continuing economic and political transitions, serious armed conflicts in neighbouring States, and the imposition of sanctions upon parts of the region, with their associated hardships.
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was, she said, making efforts to review its legislation and adopt appropriate amendments to ensure conformity with the Convention. In addition, it had created an ombudsman for children's rights, and was going to sign, in the near future, the two Optional Protocols to the Convention. It had recently established a commission to implement its national plan of action on children's rights, as stipulated in the Convention. It fully supported further international efforts to provide a stable future for children all over the world.
LUIS CARRANZA-CIFUENTES (Guatemala) said his country was totally committed to the promotion and protection of the rights of children, and had signed the Convention’s two Optional Protocols –- on children in armed conflict and the sexual exploitation of children -- in order to strengthen efforts already being carried out with a legal framework. Although Guatemala was no longer affected by war, its citizens were familiar with the terrible circumstances of children caught in armed conflict. The country was suffering from a serious problem of the sale of children. It was the Government’s sincere belief that the relevant protocol to the Convention would be effective in finally eradicating that problem. His Government was committed to reviewing and updating all its policies that dealt with children’s rights. It had established a social programme, overseen by the President’s wife, designed to study and ameliorate the situation of street children.
He added that a commission had also been established to focus attention on the issue of child abuse and domestic violence. That initiative had been accompanied by the establishment of a hotline to provide assistance and guidance for children suffering form abuse. The country had also adopted an omnibus resolution on the rights of children, which aimed at consolidating the tenets of the Convention and aspects of child protection that had been overlooked in past legislative actions. That resolution, drafted with the assistance of the European Union, strengthened Guatemala’s efforts in areas such as family relations, education and health.
JOHN VON KAUFMANN (Canada) said it was appropriate that the question of children’s rights had assumed such a high profile in the work of the United Nations. Canada strongly supported the efforts of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other United Nations agencies to ensure that all children received the best possible start in life. Some of the most shocking violations of the rights of children resulted from armed conflict. The international community had undertaken a number of important measures that should contribute to combating that tragic phenomenon.
His delegation was proud to have been the first country to ratify the Optional Protocol on Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts. His delegation also welcomed the adoption Security Council resolution 1314, which offered hope for war-affected children around the world. To build on those commitments, Canada had recently hosted the InternationalConference on War-Affected Children in Winnipeg. The commitments made at the Children’s Summit some 10 years ago, like those embraced by world leaders at the Millennium Summit last month, represented some of the most urgent, unfinished business facing the Organization.
YESHEY DORJI (Bhutan) said that legal provisions were not enough: national governments must take urgent, responsible action to protect children. Bhutan was one of the first countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and shortly thereafter amended its Marriage Act for the benefit of children.
In the decade since, it had also passed child labour laws, drafted a juvenile justice act, and devoted a large percentage of its social service budget to education, counselling and health services for children. It achieved universal child immunization in 1991. Bhutan submitted its initial report in April of last year, and was waiting for it to be formally considered by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
SANI NANA AICHA (Niger) said the situation for children in Africa was deeply disturbing. They were abducted and forced to work as menial workers, including as domestic servants. At the same time, they endured calamities such as famine, illness and violence of every form. Niger's Constitution provided for children's rights. Yet, the outside financial institutions -– which were intended to help -- were actually interfering with the implementations of safeguards for children's welfare. It would be better to provide adequate resources to the Government to enable it to do its work.
She said a number of specific measures to protect and promote the rights of children were in place and highly successful. One was the annual celebration of the Day of the African Child. School enrolment was also picking up, but was hampered by the reluctance of parents to register children. Similarly, equality between boys and girls was far from achieved. Obviously, she said, it was more important than ever to strengthen international cooperation to help her country achieve the basic needs of society.
EKPAO NOLAKI (Togo) said that while some progress had been made in the years following the World Summit towards full protection of the rights of children, threats such as poverty and disease were still prevalent. Each year, nearly 12 million children died from diseases that were preventable. Millions were exploited as cheap labourers, as they struggled to help support their families. In sub-Saharan Africa, the net rate of school registration was lower now than it was 20 years ago. Armed conflict had claimed the lives of 2 million children over the last 10 years. Those were but a few of the problems that would face the international community as it convened for the General Assembly special session on children next year.
Turning to the issue of sexual exploitation, he said that apart from national measures, Togo had participated in a number of subregional meetings aimed at developing strategies to combat that scourge. The country had also established a National Committee for the Protection of the Rights of the Child. With the help of NGOs, the Government was also actively instituting measures aimed at eradicating unfair child labour practices. He referred to the importance of the African Charter on the Rights and Well-being of Children, which had set the minimum age of recruitment into military forces at 18. Other initiatives included the promotion of education for girls, as well as programmes aimed at ensuring the availability of clean water.
NICOLAS BWAKIRA, Director of the UNHCR Liaison Office in New York, said that refugee children constituted a policy priority for the UNHCR. The situation of refugee children on the ground remained grave. The UNHCR welcomed developments over the past year that had placed war-affected children squarely on the international political agenda. The adoption by the General Assembly of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child was an important milestone in the development of international protection for children. The UNCHR took note of the increasing inclusion of child-protection concerns on peace agendas and peacekeeping mandates.
The UNHCR worked on refugee children’s issues through its headquarters in Geneva, as well as through five regionally based Child Policy Officers and Advisers, covering East and West Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Central and South-West Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Practical work in the field, which had a direct impact on the lives of refugee children, was central to the activities of the UNHCR. Firm commitments by the international community were needed in order to address the physical security of refugee children. Finally, resources must be made available toenable the UNHCR and its partner organizations to make a real difference in the lives of refugee children and youth.
* *** *
Third Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/SHC/3593 23rd Meeting (PM) 13
October 2000
SYED SHAHID HUSAIN, Observer Mission of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC), said children had a natural right to live and grow in a
safe, moral and stable family environment. Governments' policies and
programmes should be geared to assure that right. International,
intergovernmental and non- governmental organizations should assist in
furthering the right. The concept of achieving justice for children deserved
the most serious consideration. The only way to achieve lasting peace was
to administer justice.
The 1997 Eighth Islamic Summit Conference held in Tehran had called on
Member States to adopt every measure to address the needs of children
victimized by wars. It had also called for unhindered access to humanitarian
relief for children victimized by armed conflicts. Now, the OIC had called on
States members at the Summit level to prevent children from becoming
involved in armed conflicts, and to provide for their safety in the event they
were caught in such conflicts. The Islamic Conference was soliciting views
on developing a regime of penalties for violating children's safety and
rights during an armed conflict. In addition, the OIC was committed to
helping Member States establish mechanisms for the post- conflict
rehabilitation of children.
Closing Remarks
MARTA SANTOS-PAIS, Director, Division of Evaluation, Policy and Planning
of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that the guidance and
support of the Committee was a positive impetus for her agency in its
efforts to achieve the full realization of the rights of children everywhere.
The UNICEF was present in more than 160 countries –- many of which were
unstable environments -- to assist in efforts to safeguard and protect the
lives of children. The agency would remain committed to that work, and the
support of the Committee was a major encouragement.
She said that it was important that the work of the Committee continue to
emphasize the importance of issues such as child discrimination, social
exclusion and poverty. On the issue of armed conflict, it was imperative
that children be given the opportunity to reintegrate into society and fully
recover. While encouraged by the attention being paid to that issue, she
was still deeply concerned by the plight of children caught in armed
conflict. It appeared that the international community’s promises to rectify
that serious problem had remained sadly unfulfilled. The UNICEF, she
stressed, would remain committed to finding a solution to that important
issue. The upcoming General Assembly special session would be an
opportunity to review past initiatives and to provide concrete suggestions
for actions that would yield real improvement in the lives of the world’s
children. She hoped that the session would prove to be a memorable
landmark for the protection of children’s rights at all levels, and a catalyst
for a movement towards universal ratification of all the provisions of the
Convention.
It was also notable, she said, that the Committee’s deliberations this week
had highlighted the significance of the Convention’s two Optional Protocols.
It was most important for the international community to ensure full entry
into force of those instruments as soon as possible and full ratification by
the opening of the special session. She also noted the attention that had
been paid to the synergy between the Convention and the World Summit.
She urged the Committee to build on the discussions that had taken place
this week, and to continue to display the determined leadership that was
essential to ensure the protection of the rights of children worldwide.
* *** *
Third Committee
23rd Meeting (PM)
13 October 2000
A regime of consequences for violating children's safety and rights during armed conflict should be developed, the representative of the Observer Mission of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said this afternoon, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued deliberating the promotion and protection of children's rights.
Saying that children had a natural right to live and grow in a safe, moral and stable family environment, he added that government policies should ensure that right and organizations should further it. Recalling that the OIC had previously called for addressing the needs of children victimized by wars and for unhindered access to humanitarian relief for them, he said the OIC, at the Summit level, had called for States to prevent children from becoming involved in armed conflicts and to provide for their safety in the event they were caught in it.
The representative of Canada said all children deserved the best possible start in life. Because some of the most shocking violations of children's rights resulted from armed conflict, his country had hosted the recent International Conference on War-Affected Children in Winnipeg. The commitments made at the Children’s Summit some 10 years ago, like those embraced by world leaders at the Millennium Summit last month, were some of the most urgent items of unfinished business before the Organization.
The representative of the New York Liaison Office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said war-affected children were now squarely on the international political agenda, but their situation on the ground remained grave. It was heartening that child-protection concerns were increasingly included on peace agendas and peacekeeping mandates. However, the international community must make firm commitments to the physical security of refugee children. It must also provide resources to the UNHCR and other organizations which could do the work.
The representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) told the Committee to continue emphasizing the poverty, health and discrimination concerns that threatened the rights of children everywhere, particularly of those in armed conflict. Those children must be helped to reintegrate and fully recover.
Further, she said the upcoming General Assembly special session was a target date to catalyse a movement for universal ratification of the Convention. The two protocols should also be ratified by then. In addition, the synergy between the Convention and the World Summit should be kept in mind and sustained. She urged the Committee to build on this week’s discussions and to continue displaying the leadership that would secure protection of children’s rights worldwide.
Also speaking this afternoon were the representatives of Nepal, Jamaica, Afghanistan, Mali, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Guatemala, Bhutan, Niger and Togo.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Monday, 16 October, to begin considering the programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to conclude its present deliberations on promoting and protecting the rights of children. (For background, see Press Release GA/SHC/3589 of 11 October.)
Statements
BHARAT KUMAR REGMI (Nepal) said that, undoubtedly, the peace and prosperity of the future depended on the upbringing of today’s children. As the most valuable component of society, children deserved the utmost care to ensure their survival, growth and development. It was the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which addressed the entire spectrum of human rights, that had created an environment in which the protection of the rights of children was considered a global priority. The Convention had also resulted in the widespread recognition of children’s fundamental right to participate in decisions affecting their future. The work of relevant United Nations agencies, such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child, had also been instrumental in promoting child rights issues and, importantly, raising awareness about the principles of the Convention.
He said that since over 50 per cent of Nepal’s population was made up of children below the age of 18, the country attached great importance to the promotion and protection of their rights. That dedication was reflected in Nepal’s Constitution and national legislation. As a party to the Convention, Nepal had been actively incorporating its provisions in its regulations. A Ministry of Children had also recently been established. But despite national efforts to promote and enhance their development, children still suffered malnutrition, illiteracy and other social and economic hazards. With that in mind, Nepal had formulated some specific policies and programmes aimed at improving the situation of children in difficult circumstances, particularly those living in rural areas. Many of those initiatives had benefited from the valuable assistance of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society.
O'NEIL FRANCIS (Jamaica) said his delegation associated itself with the statement made on the agenda item by Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). He said that an immediate priority was an assessment of indicators that more clearly defined the needs of children, particularly in the areas of access to quality health services and education. He also discussed the problem of children in armed conflict. The use of children as combatants and the large numbers of children among refugees and the internally displaced were unacceptable. The Security Council’s focus on the problem was a welcome development.
The best protection for children, however, was conflict prevention, economic development, support for the family, and the empowerment of children through education, so that they could become global citizens. In that context, Jamaica had been working to improve literacy rates and to otherwise implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Those efforts included legislative and policy reform, enforcement of existing legislation, strengthening of institutions for the benefit of children, and the establishment of constitutional rights for children.
ADELA HACHEMI FARHADI (Afghanistan) said protecting the rights of children was becoming increasingly important. Civilians made up 90 per cent of refugees today, and most of those were women and children. Pakistan's participation in fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan was a documented fact. Thus, the war imposed by Pakistan impacted on Afghan children, including by making them orphans and beggars. Many had been victims of landmines and others had suffered a variety of physical injuries and trauma.
That condition of its children had proven to Afghanistan that there was no military solution to the conflict in its midst, she said. A United Nations- sponsored peace process should be set in motion, and the so-called military advisers should leave the country.
NOUHOUN SANGARE (Mali) said legislative norms to protect children had been systematically established in his country since 1997, when a ministry for women, children and youths had been set up. Implementation of the Convention had included such activities as media, education and awareness-raising campaigns. A follow-up committee had recently been established to better monitor implementation of the Summit Plan of Action, scheduled for review at the special session next year.
Despite all those efforts, he said, new practices were undermining accomplishments. Practices such as child prostitution and trafficking or the recruitment of child soldiers were not tolerable. The practice and trafficking of small arms must also be controlled. The place for children was in school. Education should be at the heart of any campaign for peace and development. The special session would measure how much had been done and how much more remained, he said. Children were humanity's inheritors and those who carried it into the future. They should not be devalued.
DONKA GLIGOROVA (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) said that in her country, despite much help from international agencies, NGOs and her Government, the full implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was still meeting obstacles. The reason for that was continuing economic and political transitions, serious armed conflicts in neighbouring States, and the imposition of sanctions upon parts of the region, with their associated hardships.
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was, she said, making efforts to review its legislation and adopt appropriate amendments to ensure conformity with the Convention. In addition, it had created an ombudsman for children's rights, and was going to sign, in the near future, the two Optional Protocols to the Convention. It had recently established a commission to implement its national plan of action on children's rights, as stipulated in the Convention. It fully supported further international efforts to provide a stable future for children all over the world.
LUIS CARRANZA-CIFUENTES (Guatemala) said his country was totally committed to the promotion and protection of the rights of children, and had signed the Convention’s two Optional Protocols –- on children in armed conflict and the sexual exploitation of children -- in order to strengthen efforts already being carried out with a legal framework. Although Guatemala was no longer affected by war, its citizens were familiar with the terrible circumstances of children caught in armed conflict. The country was suffering from a serious problem of the sale of children. It was the Government’s sincere belief that the relevant protocol to the Convention would be effective in finally eradicating that problem. His Government was committed to reviewing and updating all its policies that dealt with children’s rights. It had established a social programme, overseen by the President’s wife, designed to study and ameliorate the situation of street children.
He added that a commission had also been established to focus attention on the issue of child abuse and domestic violence. That initiative had been accompanied by the establishment of a hotline to provide assistance and guidance for children suffering form abuse. The country had also adopted an omnibus resolution on the rights of children, which aimed at consolidating the tenets of the Convention and aspects of child protection that had been overlooked in past legislative actions. That resolution, drafted with the assistance of the European Union, strengthened Guatemala’s efforts in areas such as family relations, education and health.
JOHN VON KAUFMANN (Canada) said it was appropriate that the question of children’s rights had assumed such a high profile in the work of the United Nations. Canada strongly supported the efforts of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other United Nations agencies to ensure that all children received the best possible start in life. Some of the most shocking violations of the rights of children resulted from armed conflict. The international community had undertaken a number of important measures that should contribute to combating that tragic phenomenon.
His delegation was proud to have been the first country to ratify the Optional Protocol on Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts. His delegation also welcomed the adoption Security Council resolution 1314, which offered hope for war-affected children around the world. To build on those commitments, Canada had recently hosted the InternationalConference on War-Affected Children in Winnipeg. The commitments made at the Children’s Summit some 10 years ago, like those embraced by world leaders at the Millennium Summit last month, represented some of the most urgent, unfinished business facing the Organization.
YESHEY DORJI (Bhutan) said that legal provisions were not enough: national governments must take urgent, responsible action to protect children. Bhutan was one of the first countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and shortly thereafter amended its Marriage Act for the benefit of children.
In the decade since, it had also passed child labour laws, drafted a juvenile justice act, and devoted a large percentage of its social service budget to education, counselling and health services for children. It achieved universal child immunization in 1991. Bhutan submitted its initial report in April of last year, and was waiting for it to be formally considered by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
SANI NANA AICHA (Niger) said the situation for children in Africa was deeply disturbing. They were abducted and forced to work as menial workers, including as domestic servants. At the same time, they endured calamities such as famine, illness and violence of every form. Niger's Constitution provided for children's rights. Yet, the outside financial institutions -– which were intended to help -- were actually interfering with the implementations of safeguards for children's welfare. It would be better to provide adequate resources to the Government to enable it to do its work.
She said a number of specific measures to protect and promote the rights of children were in place and highly successful. One was the annual celebration of the Day of the African Child. School enrolment was also picking up, but was hampered by the reluctance of parents to register children. Similarly, equality between boys and girls was far from achieved. Obviously, she said, it was more important than ever to strengthen international cooperation to help her country achieve the basic needs of society.
EKPAO NOLAKI (Togo) said that while some progress had been made in the years following the World Summit towards full protection of the rights of children, threats such as poverty and disease were still prevalent. Each year, nearly 12 million children died from diseases that were preventable. Millions were exploited as cheap labourers, as they struggled to help support their families. In sub-Saharan Africa, the net rate of school registration was lower now than it was 20 years ago. Armed conflict had claimed the lives of 2 million children over the last 10 years. Those were but a few of the problems that would face the international community as it convened for the General Assembly special session on children next year.
Turning to the issue of sexual exploitation, he said that apart from national measures, Togo had participated in a number of subregional meetings aimed at developing strategies to combat that scourge. The country had also established a National Committee for the Protection of the Rights of the Child. With the help of NGOs, the Government was also actively instituting measures aimed at eradicating unfair child labour practices. He referred to the importance of the African Charter on the Rights and Well-being of Children, which had set the minimum age of recruitment into military forces at 18. Other initiatives included the promotion of education for girls, as well as programmes aimed at ensuring the availability of clean water.
NICOLAS BWAKIRA, Director of the UNHCR Liaison Office in New York, said that refugee children constituted a policy priority for the UNHCR. The situation of refugee children on the ground remained grave. The UNHCR welcomed developments over the past year that had placed war-affected children squarely on the international political agenda. The adoption by the General Assembly of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child was an important milestone in the development of international protection for children. The UNCHR took note of the increasing inclusion of child-protection concerns on peace agendas and peacekeeping mandates.
The UNHCR worked on refugee children’s issues through its headquarters in Geneva, as well as through five regionally based Child Policy Officers and Advisers, covering East and West Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Central and South-West Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Practical work in the field, which had a direct impact on the lives of refugee children, was central to the activities of the UNHCR. Firm commitments by the international community were needed in order to address the physical security of refugee children. Finally, resources must be made available toenable the UNHCR and its partner organizations to make a real difference in the lives of refugee children and youth.
* *** *
Third Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/SHC/3593 23rd Meeting (PM) 13
October 2000
SYED SHAHID HUSAIN, Observer Mission of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC), said children had a natural right to live and grow in a
safe, moral and stable family environment. Governments' policies and
programmes should be geared to assure that right. International,
intergovernmental and non- governmental organizations should assist in
furthering the right. The concept of achieving justice for children deserved
the most serious consideration. The only way to achieve lasting peace was
to administer justice.
The 1997 Eighth Islamic Summit Conference held in Tehran had called on
Member States to adopt every measure to address the needs of children
victimized by wars. It had also called for unhindered access to humanitarian
relief for children victimized by armed conflicts. Now, the OIC had called on
States members at the Summit level to prevent children from becoming
involved in armed conflicts, and to provide for their safety in the event they
were caught in such conflicts. The Islamic Conference was soliciting views
on developing a regime of penalties for violating children's safety and
rights during an armed conflict. In addition, the OIC was committed to
helping Member States establish mechanisms for the post- conflict
rehabilitation of children.
Closing Remarks
MARTA SANTOS-PAIS, Director, Division of Evaluation, Policy and Planning
of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that the guidance and
support of the Committee was a positive impetus for her agency in its
efforts to achieve the full realization of the rights of children everywhere.
The UNICEF was present in more than 160 countries –- many of which were
unstable environments -- to assist in efforts to safeguard and protect the
lives of children. The agency would remain committed to that work, and the
support of the Committee was a major encouragement.
She said that it was important that the work of the Committee continue to
emphasize the importance of issues such as child discrimination, social
exclusion and poverty. On the issue of armed conflict, it was imperative
that children be given the opportunity to reintegrate into society and fully
recover. While encouraged by the attention being paid to that issue, she
was still deeply concerned by the plight of children caught in armed
conflict. It appeared that the international community’s promises to rectify
that serious problem had remained sadly unfulfilled. The UNICEF, she
stressed, would remain committed to finding a solution to that important
issue. The upcoming General Assembly special session would be an
opportunity to review past initiatives and to provide concrete suggestions
for actions that would yield real improvement in the lives of the world’s
children. She hoped that the session would prove to be a memorable
landmark for the protection of children’s rights at all levels, and a catalyst
for a movement towards universal ratification of all the provisions of the
Convention.
It was also notable, she said, that the Committee’s deliberations this week
had highlighted the significance of the Convention’s two Optional Protocols.
It was most important for the international community to ensure full entry
into force of those instruments as soon as possible and full ratification by
the opening of the special session. She also noted the attention that had
been paid to the synergy between the Convention and the World Summit.
She urged the Committee to build on the discussions that had taken place
this week, and to continue to display the determined leadership that was
essential to ensure the protection of the rights of children worldwide.
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