Committee on Rights of the Child concludes sixtieth session

Committee on the Rights of the Child
PROVISIONAL ROUNDUP 15 June 2012

The Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded its sixtieth session today, adopting its report and concluding observations and recommendations on 11 country reports from seven countries: 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 concluding observations will be issued to the public early next week.

In closing remarks, Agnes Akosua Aidoo, the Committee Rapporteur, said during the session the Committee had kept up its usual busy schedule of dialogue with seven State parties and adoption of Concluding Observations on 11 reports. The Committee adopted its biennial report to the General Assembly, while members continued to work on ongoing General Comments, and had briefings and other meetings related to the Committee’s work. The Committee had enjoyed a good interaction with members of the Executive Committee of the NGO Group for the Committee on the Rights of the Child over a dinner that was graciously offered by the Group. Committee Members continued to work on the development of several General Comments, 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. During the session the Committee reviewed in detail the preparations for the 2012 Day of General Discussion which had been scheduled for 28 September 2012 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, on the theme of “rights of all children in the context of international migration”. On 31 May, the Committee issued a press statement on the massacre that took place in the El Houleh area of Homs in Syria on 25 and 26 May 2012.

This coming weekend, 16-17 June 2012, the Committee would attend a two-day retreat in Sion, Switzerland, in order to discuss in depth the Draft Rules of Procedure for the Optional Protocol on a Communications Procedure as well as a number of issues in its working methods that it had identified over some time. The retreat was kindly sponsored by the Swiss Government.

The Committee’s sixty-first session will be held in Geneva from 17 September to 5 October 2012, during which it will review the reports of Albania, Austria, Namibia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Liberia, Canada and Albania under the main Convention. The reports of Albania, Philippines and Canada on the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, and the report of Albania on the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict will also be considered.

The concluding observations and recommendations, and the country reports, will be published on Monday 18 June 2012, and will be available on the Committee’s webpage.

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For use of the information media; not an official record