Committee on the Rights of the Child opens its sixtieth session

Committee on the Rights of the Child

29 May 2012

The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning opened its sixtieth session, hearing an address by Marcia Kran, the Director of the Research and Right to Development Division at the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, and adopting its agenda.

In her address, Ms. Kran reviewed important developments of interest to the Committee since its last session.  The new Optional Protocol on a communications procedure was opened for signature in a ceremony in Geneva on 28 February 2012.  It was hoped that the ten ratifications necessary for the Protocol to enter into force would soon be reached, to allow children to finally join the ranks of fully-fledged rights holders, empowered to being able to present their complaints about violations of their rights before an international body.  The report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of children working and/or living on the street was presented to the Human Rights Council earlier this year and the High Commissioner had invited the Committee to consider developing a General Comment on ‘non-discrimination and children in street situations’ with a view to providing guidance to States parties on supporting such children.  Ms. Kran also updated the Committee on document translation services, treaty body strengthening and the greening of the United Nations.

Jean Zermatten, the Committee Chairperson, said the Committee had a busy session ahead, with 12 State party reports to be considered in all: six on the main Convention (Algeria, Australia, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Viet Nam); three initial reports of Australia, Greece and Nepal under the Optional Protocol  to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; and the two initial reports of Australia and Greece under the Optional Protocol  to the Convention on children involved in armed conflict.  He outlined the Committee’s work for the session, while also included the development of several General Comments, and updated the Committee on reports received since the last session. 

The Committee will next meet in public on Wednesday, 30 May at 10 a.m. to begin its consideration of the combined third and fourth periodic report of Cyprus on the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/CYP/3-4).

Statements

MARCIA KRAN, Director of the Research and Right to Development Division, Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, said she would review the most important developments of interest to the Committee since its last session in February 2012.  The new Optional Protocol on a communications procedure was opened for signature in a ceremony in Geneva on 28 February 2012, and was signed by many ministers and high-level dignitaries.  To date there were 20 signatures, and it  was hoped that the ten ratifications necessary for the Protocol to enter into force would soon be reached, to allow children to finally join the ranks of fully-fledged rights holders, empowered to being able to present their complaints about violations of their rights before an international body. 

Concerning developments at the Human Rights Council, Ms. Kran informed the Committee that the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of children working and/or living on the street was presented to the Council’s nineteenth session in March this year.  A copy of the publication, which including consultations held with children in street situations, was available.  In her recommendations, the High Commissioner invited the Committee to consider developing a General Comment on ‘non-discrimination and children in street situations’ with a view to providing guidance to States parties on supporting such children.  At the same session, the Human Rights Council dedicated the Annual Day of Discussion to children and the administration of justice, at which the Committee was represented by Mr. Jorge Cardona.  The Council subsequently requested two reports related to that issue to be presented to its September 2012 session, one on violence in the juvenile justice system and one of the protection of the rights of juveniles deprived of liberty.  Several expert discussions had been held in that regard.

Ms. Kran provided an update on the treaty body strengthening process, thanked the Committee for playing a very active part in that, and noted that States were preparing to play a more active part in the process.  The greening of the United Nations was also raised, and it was hoped the Committee would soon be able to hold paperless sessions.  Turning to the availability of translations of Replies to the List of Issues, Ms. Kran said she was sorry to announce that the United Nations Document Management Services had informed her that, for budgetary reasons, they could not longer translate into English the List of Replies submitted in French or Spanish.  The documentation service was in a crisis, having had to absorb a significant reduction in resources while the workload continued to increase.  Ms. Kran thanked colleagues at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) who had against helped with the informal translation of some documentation. 

JEAN ZERMATTEN, Committee Chairperson, thanked Ms. Kran for her address and issues raised in it.  He said the news about the translation of documents was a concern, as it did hamper the Committee’s work.   For a long time now the Committee had had to work with un-translated documents, which was a problem.  He also thanked UNICEF colleagues for the informal translations they had kindly provided.  The Chairperson welcomed the Committee’s many partners, including United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, national human rights institutions, and of course children.  He said that the Committee had a busy session ahead, with 12 State party reports to be considered in all: six on the main Convention (Algeria, Australia, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Viet Nam); three initial reports of Australia, Greece and Nepal under the Optional Protocol  to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; and the two initial reports of Australia and Greece under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on children involved in armed conflict. 

The Committee was updated on reports received since the last session.  Tuvalu had submitted its initial report, while periodic reports had been received from Malaysia, Ghana, Eritrea, Tanzania and Ethiopia.  To date only two initial reports were now overdue, from Nauru and Tonga.  Armenia, Iraq, Turkmenistan and Yemen had submitted initial reports on the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict and Armenia and Turkmenistan had also submitted initial reports on the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.  Regarding the status of the Optional Protocols as of 29 May 2012, there were now 147 ratifications of the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict and 157 ratifications of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.  It was particularly pleasing to note that the Optional Protocol to the Convention on a communications procedure now had 22 signatures, the Chairperson said, and after a few more signatures it would be able to be ratified.  During the session the Committee would start to develop the rules of procedure regarding the implementation of that newly adopted Optional Protocol.  The Chairperson noted that the Committee had almost achieved universal reporting with 191 States parties having now delivered a report, which was a significant and impressive figure.  Almost two thirds of members had signed up to the two longest-standing Optional Protocols, and so good progress was being made.

During the session the Committee would continue to draft General Comments based on the various principles of the Convention, specifically on the principle of the best interests of the child, on the right to play, on the right to health, on business and children’s rights and a draft joint General Comment on harmful practices, developed with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.  The Committee would be going on a two-day retreat in Sion, Switzerland, during the weekend 16-17 June 2012, in order to discuss in depth issues related to methods of work, the format of concluding observations and if time allowed, General Comments.  The Chairperson announced that the next Day of General Discussion had been scheduled for 28 September 2012, at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, and would focus on the rights of all children in the context of international migration.  The sixty-first session will be held from 17 September to 5 October 2012. 

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