Committee on the Rights of the Child opens seventieth session

14 September 2015

The Committee on the Rights of the Child opened its seventieth session this morning, hearing an address by James Heenan, Chief of the Groups in Focus Section of the Human Rights Treaties Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The Committee also adopted its agenda and programme of work for the session.

James Heenan, Chief of the Groups in Focus Section of the Human Rights Treaties Division of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in his opening statement, outlined recent developments in the rights of migrant children, the intergovernmental process in elaborating the Sustainable Development Goals, and the recent annual meeting of Chairpersons of treaty bodies.

Regarding migration, Mr. Heenan noted that crises related to mixed flows of migrants and refugees had continued to dominate the headlines. Since the previous session, the numbers of people on the move had increased, at least in the Mediterranean, resulting in a humanitarian crisis in some parts of Europe and neighbouring countries. The plight of children among those ‘desperate people’ had struck a chord with many in destination countries of Europe. Further, he highlighted that all European Union States had ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and noted that the situation of child migrants had also been a concern to the United Nations System. Concluding, he said that the Committee expected to see a significant focus on the issue at the opening of the thirtieth session of the Human Rights Council.

Turning to the Post-2015 Outcome Document: ‘Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’, Mr. Heenan said that the document exhibited a number of human rights features. The text was explicitly grounded in the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the international human rights treaties. Further, the text offered a universal, integrated and indivisible vision of sustainable development, encompassing key dimensions of all human rights.

Among other things, the document also put combatting inequalities, discrimination and exclusion at its heart, and included an expansive list of groups to be given special focus, including children. He highlighted that the Convention was a relevant instrument to foster a dynamic and well-functioning business sector, recognizing the Committee’s position on State obligations regarding the impact of that sector on children’s rights. Despite remaining shortcomings, all of the elements should be a cause for celebration, he said.

With regards to the twenty-seventh annual meeting of Chairpersons of treaty bodies, Mr. Heenan briefly outlined the outcomes. The Chairpersons had endorsed the San José Guidelines against intimidation or reprisals, which set out harmonized responses available to the treaty bodies in dealing with such acts against individuals or groups cooperating with the Committees. Furthermore, the Chairpersons had had a chance to meet with the representatives of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, and several National Human Rights Institutions. As a final outcome of the meeting, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights welcomed the call made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica to further strengthen the human rights treaty body system.

The Secretariat of the Committee informed that since the end of the previous session, four new reports had been received, which brought the total number of reports pending consideration to 63. As of 14 September 2015, the total number of ratifications of the Convention remained at 195. The initial reports of Nauru and Tonga were still overdue.

Since the previous session, no new country had ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict, and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. On the other hand, Chile had ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on a communications procedure, bringing the total number of ratifications to 18.

The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. this afternoon, when it will consider the second periodic report of the United Arab Emirates (CRC/C/ARE/2).

___________

For use of the information media; not an official record