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10 January 2001
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10 January 2001
Statement by Mary Robinson
United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights, 26th Session
Committee on the Rights of the Child
Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Members of the Committee, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to address you during your twenty-sixth session. I should like to brief you about developments of relevance which have taken place since the Committee's last session and to look at what lies ahead.
I would refer in particular to two major events of specific significance to you and your work for child rights: the World Conference Against Racism which will take place in Durban in September and the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children which will also be held in September.
As you know, the process that will lead to the World Conference against Racism is now in full gear. Children should be an important focus of attention in this global effort since they are, all too often, vulnerable targets of discrimination and
exclusion. At the same time, children have a lot to contribute to a shared vision of an inclusive, non-discriminatory world because they have open minds and lack prejudice. I intend that children and young people should be closely involved in the World Conference and to this end will write to Ministers of Education to seek support at the national level which will engage young people in the World Conference. I would appeal to you to raise this with States and with UNICEF, which has always played a very active role in mobilising children and young people in a participatory manner, so as to ensure that the World Conference has real meaning for them.
I welcome the fact that all human rights treaty bodies, including this Committee, are actively participating in the preparatory process for the World Conference against Racism and making a qualitative input. I am aware that Mrs. Marilia Sardenberg participated in the Regional meeting for the Americas in Santiago de Chile and that other members of the Committee will attend forthcoming meetings. And I am aware that you intend to adopt during this session a General Comment on article 29.1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the aims of education which will constitute an important contribution by the Committee to the World Conference process. In this regard, I am happy that resources have been made available to the Committee under the Plan of Action for Child Rights to facilitate the drafting process of this General Comment. I also wish to bring to your attention the first issue of a Newsletter about the World Conference which provides information on forthcoming preparatory meetings, the NGO Forum and other related issues. A copy of this Newsletter has been distributed to you.
The Special Session on Children which will take place in New York in September will provide a valuable opportunity to take stock of progress made over the past decade and the challenges that remain. The meeting will involve Heads of State and Government, representatives of civil society and, perhaps most important of all, children themselves. I am aware of the Committee’s active involvement in this process and would like to reaffirm my Office’s readiness to join with you and other partners in meeting the challenges that lie ahead in the ongoing effort to understand and champion the rights of children.
Among the significant events of last year I would single out the campaign for universal ratification of international human rights treaties which coincided with the Millennium Assembly. This resulted in a significant increase in signatures of both protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. As of today, the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict has been signed by 75 States, including 7 new signatories since your last session. The optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography has been signed by 69 States, which represents 6 new signatories since your last session. On the debit side, no new ratifications were made to either protocol. You will find full details of signatures and ratifications in your files.
I also take this opportunity to inform you that the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which deals with individual complaints and makes provision for inquiries, has now been ratified by 13 States parties and entered into force on 22 December 2000. It will be extremely interesting and important to see over time to what extent women in general and girls in particular who are victims of human rights violations will be able to benefit from the individual complaint mechanism under this new instrument.
Since your last session, four additional State parties have formally confirmed their acceptance of the amendment to article 43.3 of the Convention which would increase membership of your Committee from 10 to 18. As of today a total of 96 States out of the required 120 have formally accepted the amendment. Again, you will find related documentation in your files. Concerning membership of the Committee, as you are aware the next elections have been scheduled for 26 February and related documentation will be made available to you during this session for your information. Finally, it is also worth mentioning that the ILO Convention on the Worst forms of Child Labour has now been ratified by 52 States and entered into force on 19 November 2000.
Turning to the discussion day of the Committee on "State violence against children" held last year on 22 September 2000, I wish to inform you that the 55th session General Assembly resolution on the rights of the child took note of the related recommendations, including that which called for a comprehensive study on the issue of violence against children. I know that you are already in the process of preparing your next discussion day on the topic of "violence against children at home and in schools". Recommendations which emerge from the meeting will have to be taken into account within the framework of any comprehensive study. At its 56th session, the GA will no doubt address this question again and consider whether to engage the United Nations in such a study. A copy of the relevant resolution is in your files.
The Plan of Action on Child Rights is giving specific attention to the issue of the administration of juvenile justice. Within the framework of the UN Coordination Panel on Technical Assistance and Advice in Juvenile Justice, it organized last November a National Strategy Development seminar in Uganda. I note that Mr. Jaap Doek from the Committee took part in this meeting which aimed at following up a specific recommendation made by the Committee after the consideration of the initial report of Uganda.
I would also draw your attention to the report of my visit last November to the Middle East following the special session of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. I devoted a specific sub-section of my report to the impact on children of the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. You will also find in my report a full set of recommendations to the parties involved.
Finally, I wish to inform you that my Office recently launched our second Annual Appeal for funding. In addition to being a fundraising instrument, the Annual Appeal is also a useful information and outreach tool which reflects all the activities of the Office funded through voluntary contributions. As you will see in the document that has been distributed to you, specific importance has been given to the programme to support the work of treaty bodies, including support to the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Distinguished Members,
As usual you have before you a very busy agenda. May I express my appreciation to all of you for your dedication and hard work in dealing with the tasks at hand. Allow me to assure you of my continued personal support and that of my Office in your vital efforts. I wish you well in your deliberations over the next four weeks, and extend to you my very best wishes for a stimulating and successful session.
Statement by Mary Robinson
United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights, 26th Session
Committee on the Rights of the Child
Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Members of the Committee, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to address you during your twenty-sixth session. I should like to brief you about developments of relevance which have taken place since the Committee's last session and to look at what lies ahead.
I would refer in particular to two major events of specific significance to you and your work for child rights: the World Conference Against Racism which will take place in Durban in September and the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children which will also be held in September.
As you know, the process that will lead to the World Conference against Racism is now in full gear. Children should be an important focus of attention in this global effort since they are, all too often, vulnerable targets of discrimination and
exclusion. At the same time, children have a lot to contribute to a shared vision of an inclusive, non-discriminatory world because they have open minds and lack prejudice. I intend that children and young people should be closely involved in the World Conference and to this end will write to Ministers of Education to seek support at the national level which will engage young people in the World Conference. I would appeal to you to raise this with States and with UNICEF, which has always played a very active role in mobilising children and young people in a participatory manner, so as to ensure that the World Conference has real meaning for them.
I welcome the fact that all human rights treaty bodies, including this Committee, are actively participating in the preparatory process for the World Conference against Racism and making a qualitative input. I am aware that Mrs. Marilia Sardenberg participated in the Regional meeting for the Americas in Santiago de Chile and that other members of the Committee will attend forthcoming meetings. And I am aware that you intend to adopt during this session a General Comment on article 29.1 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the aims of education which will constitute an important contribution by the Committee to the World Conference process. In this regard, I am happy that resources have been made available to the Committee under the Plan of Action for Child Rights to facilitate the drafting process of this General Comment. I also wish to bring to your attention the first issue of a Newsletter about the World Conference which provides information on forthcoming preparatory meetings, the NGO Forum and other related issues. A copy of this Newsletter has been distributed to you.
The Special Session on Children which will take place in New York in September will provide a valuable opportunity to take stock of progress made over the past decade and the challenges that remain. The meeting will involve Heads of State and Government, representatives of civil society and, perhaps most important of all, children themselves. I am aware of the Committee’s active involvement in this process and would like to reaffirm my Office’s readiness to join with you and other partners in meeting the challenges that lie ahead in the ongoing effort to understand and champion the rights of children.
Among the significant events of last year I would single out the campaign for universal ratification of international human rights treaties which coincided with the Millennium Assembly. This resulted in a significant increase in signatures of both protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. As of today, the optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict has been signed by 75 States, including 7 new signatories since your last session. The optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography has been signed by 69 States, which represents 6 new signatories since your last session. On the debit side, no new ratifications were made to either protocol. You will find full details of signatures and ratifications in your files.
I also take this opportunity to inform you that the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which deals with individual complaints and makes provision for inquiries, has now been ratified by 13 States parties and entered into force on 22 December 2000. It will be extremely interesting and important to see over time to what extent women in general and girls in particular who are victims of human rights violations will be able to benefit from the individual complaint mechanism under this new instrument.
Since your last session, four additional State parties have formally confirmed their acceptance of the amendment to article 43.3 of the Convention which would increase membership of your Committee from 10 to 18. As of today a total of 96 States out of the required 120 have formally accepted the amendment. Again, you will find related documentation in your files. Concerning membership of the Committee, as you are aware the next elections have been scheduled for 26 February and related documentation will be made available to you during this session for your information. Finally, it is also worth mentioning that the ILO Convention on the Worst forms of Child Labour has now been ratified by 52 States and entered into force on 19 November 2000.
Turning to the discussion day of the Committee on "State violence against children" held last year on 22 September 2000, I wish to inform you that the 55th session General Assembly resolution on the rights of the child took note of the related recommendations, including that which called for a comprehensive study on the issue of violence against children. I know that you are already in the process of preparing your next discussion day on the topic of "violence against children at home and in schools". Recommendations which emerge from the meeting will have to be taken into account within the framework of any comprehensive study. At its 56th session, the GA will no doubt address this question again and consider whether to engage the United Nations in such a study. A copy of the relevant resolution is in your files.
The Plan of Action on Child Rights is giving specific attention to the issue of the administration of juvenile justice. Within the framework of the UN Coordination Panel on Technical Assistance and Advice in Juvenile Justice, it organized last November a National Strategy Development seminar in Uganda. I note that Mr. Jaap Doek from the Committee took part in this meeting which aimed at following up a specific recommendation made by the Committee after the consideration of the initial report of Uganda.
I would also draw your attention to the report of my visit last November to the Middle East following the special session of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. I devoted a specific sub-section of my report to the impact on children of the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. You will also find in my report a full set of recommendations to the parties involved.
Finally, I wish to inform you that my Office recently launched our second Annual Appeal for funding. In addition to being a fundraising instrument, the Annual Appeal is also a useful information and outreach tool which reflects all the activities of the Office funded through voluntary contributions. As you will see in the document that has been distributed to you, specific importance has been given to the programme to support the work of treaty bodies, including support to the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Distinguished Members,
As usual you have before you a very busy agenda. May I express my appreciation to all of you for your dedication and hard work in dealing with the tasks at hand. Allow me to assure you of my continued personal support and that of my Office in your vital efforts. I wish you well in your deliberations over the next four weeks, and extend to you my very best wishes for a stimulating and successful session.