Committee on the Rights of the Child opens sixty-sixth session

26 May 2014

The Committee on the Rights of the Child opened its sixty-sixth session this morning, hearing an address by Nathalie Prouvez, Chief of the Rule of Law and Democracy Section, Research and Right to Development Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Committee also adopted its agenda and programme of work for the session.

Nathalie Prouvez, Chief of the Rule of Law and Democracy Section, Research and Right to Development Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, made an opening statement in which she announced that the General Assembly had decided to convene a high-level meeting on 20 November 2014 to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The anniversary celebrations would rightly highlight the fact that the Convention on the Rights of the Child was the most ratified human rights treaty in history. In fact, following the recent accession by the State of Palestine to the Convention and its Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict, commendably without reservations, there were now more States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child than there were Member States of the United Nations.

In related updates, Ms. Prouvez said the annual day of discussion on child rights took place at the March 2014 session of the Human Rights Council, and focused on access to justice for children. The upcoming June session of the Council would feature two panel discussions relating to children, the first on female genital mutilation and the second on child, early and forced marriage. The Committee’s upcoming Day of General Discussion would take place on 12 September 2014 on digital media and the rights of the child. She also noted with pleasure that the Optional Protocol on individual communications entered into force on 14 April 2014. Ms. Prouvez outlined the outcomes of the treaty body strengthening process which culminated in the adoption of historic resolution 68/268 by the General Assembly on 9 April 2014. The Committee was encouraged to continue to apply the ‘Poznan Formula’ which captured the right balance between autonomy and unity within the treaty body system.

The unresolved and traumatic situation of the Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram more than a month and a half ago was raised in Ms. Prouvez’s concluding remarks. She said the atrocity brought into stark focus the ongoing and serious violations of children’s rights, and in particular girls, occurring in many parts of the world. She compelled all stakeholders to redouble efforts to make the enjoyment of all human rights a reality for all children.

Kirsten Sandberg, Committee Chairperson, spoke about the Committee’s agenda for the session which included the review of 10 country reports. Jordan and India would present periodic reports under the Convention and their initial reports under the Optional Protocols on the sale of children and on children in armed conflict. The United Kingdom would present its initial report under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children. The Committee would also consider the periodic reports of Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia and St. Lucia under the Convention.

During the session the Committee would meet with partners including United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, national human rights institutions and children, the Chairperson said. It would discuss the outcome of the treaty body strengthening process, and the September 2014 Day of General Discussion on ‘digital media and the rights of the child’. The Committee would continue its work on two draft General Comments (on public spending to realize children’s rights and on adolescents), and the draft joint General Comment on harmful practices that it was developing with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

The Secretary of the Committee made several announcements on the status of signatories, ratifications and reports relating to the Convention. The State of Palestine acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 7 April 2014, bringing the total number of ratifications to 194. Seven new reports had been received under the Convention, from Samoa, Barbados, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Suriname, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom. Two initial reports under the Convention remained overdue; those of Nauru and Tonga.

Four more States - Estonia, Ethiopia, State of Palestine and St. Lucia - had ratified the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict since the last session, bringing the total number of ratifications to 156. The ratification by Ethiopia of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography brought the total number of ratifications to 164. The number of signatories to the Optional Protocol on a communications procedure remained at 45, although Costa Rica had now ratified it, bringing the total number of ratifications to ten. Consequently the Optional Protocol entered into force on 14 April 2014. Overall, nine reports had been received by the Committee since the sixty-fourth session, bringing the number of reports pending consideration to 96, the Secretary concluded.

The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it will consider the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of Jordan (CRC/C/JOR/4-5).

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For use of the information media; not an official record