Children’s rights: UN committee to review Nauru, Sierra Leone, New Zealand, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Suriname

GENEVA (6 September 2016) – The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is meeting in Geneva from 13 to 30 September to review children’s rights in the following countries: Nauru, Sierra Leone, New Zealand, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Suriname.

The Committee, which is composed of 18 independent experts, monitors how States that have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) are complying with its obligations. The Committee also reviews how States are implementing two optional protocols to the Convention – one on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OPSC) and one on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC).

States that are party to the Convention must submit regular written reports to the Committee. During the meetings in Geneva, Committee members hold question and answer sessions with the respective government delegations. The Committee bases its evaluation on the State party’s report and written replies, the delegation’s replies and also on information from other UN bodies and agencies and NGOs.

The sessions will be held on the following dates at Palais Wilson in Geneva:
Nauru (13-14 Sep), Sierra Leone (14-15 Sep), New Zealand (15-16 Sep), South Africa (19-20 Sep), Saudi Arabia (20-21 Sep), Suriname (21-22 Sep).

The sessions will be webcast here: http://webtv.un.org/live/. The morning sessions run from 10:00-13:00 and the afternoon sessions from 15:00-18:00.

More information is available at: http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/SessionDetails1.aspx?SessionID=987&Lang=en The CRC will publish its findings, known as concluding observations, here on 6 October.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact:
Liz Throssell - +41 22 917 9466 / +41 79 752 0488 ethrossell@ohchr.org
Ravina Shamdasani - +41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org
Cécile Pouilly +41 22 917 9310 / cpouilly@ohchr.org

Background

Members of the CRC are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties. The Committee’s concluding observations are an independent assessment of States’ compliance with their human rights obligations under the treaty. To learn more about the Committee on the Rights of the Child: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRC/Pages/CRCIndex.aspx

Convention on the Rights of the Child (ratified to date by 196 States):
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CRC.aspx

Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (ratified to date by 173 States):  http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/OPSCCRC.aspx

Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (ratified to date by 165 States): http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/OPACCRC.aspx

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