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15 May 2000
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CRC
24th Session
15 May 2000
Morning
The Committee on the Rights of the Child opened this morning its twenty-fourth session, hearing from a representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on recent developments in the field and reviewing the status of States reports received, due, and overdue.
Hamid Gaham, Chief of the Support Services Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner, in an welcoming statement, said the Committee carried out work that could only be described as exceptional on behalf of children's rights, and it was encouraging that two optional protocols recently had been adopted by the Commission on Human Rights that would strengthen the protections provided for children around the globe. In addition, the Commission had called for the appointment of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General to watch over the safety of human-rights defenders, many of whom were deeply involved in protecting children. The Committee's general comment on article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the right to education, which the Committee intended to complete soon, would be a major contribution to the upcoming World Conference against Racism, Mr. Gaham said.
Mr. Gaham went on to review developments related to the Plan of Action to Strengthen the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; juvenile justice; national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights; and the proposed amendment to article 43 of the Convention.
A Secretariat representative said that since the last session of the Committee, which concluded on 20 January, the Committee had received five initial reports and six periodic reports. Since the beginning of its work ten years ago, the Committee had received 183 reports, the representative said; so far, Committee had considered 118. Some 48 initial reports and 95 periodic reports were overdue.
The Committee then convened in a private session scheduled to continue through the afternoon. It will reconvene in public at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 16 May, to begin its consideration of a report of Iran.
24th Session
15 May 2000
Morning
The Committee on the Rights of the Child opened this morning its twenty-fourth session, hearing from a representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on recent developments in the field and reviewing the status of States reports received, due, and overdue.
Hamid Gaham, Chief of the Support Services Branch of the Office of the High Commissioner, in an welcoming statement, said the Committee carried out work that could only be described as exceptional on behalf of children's rights, and it was encouraging that two optional protocols recently had been adopted by the Commission on Human Rights that would strengthen the protections provided for children around the globe. In addition, the Commission had called for the appointment of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General to watch over the safety of human-rights defenders, many of whom were deeply involved in protecting children. The Committee's general comment on article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the right to education, which the Committee intended to complete soon, would be a major contribution to the upcoming World Conference against Racism, Mr. Gaham said.
Mr. Gaham went on to review developments related to the Plan of Action to Strengthen the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; juvenile justice; national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights; and the proposed amendment to article 43 of the Convention.
A Secretariat representative said that since the last session of the Committee, which concluded on 20 January, the Committee had received five initial reports and six periodic reports. Since the beginning of its work ten years ago, the Committee had received 183 reports, the representative said; so far, Committee had considered 118. Some 48 initial reports and 95 periodic reports were overdue.
The Committee then convened in a private session scheduled to continue through the afternoon. It will reconvene in public at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 16 May, to begin its consideration of a report of Iran.