CRINMAIL 67:
In this issue:
To read this CRINMAIL online, click here
CRIN recently revamped its main Human Rights Council webpage to enable readers to navigate the information more easily. The page is regularly updated with news and events at the Council.
Visit our HRC page here.
HRC 16th Session : 28 February - 25 March
On the agenda of the upcoming session is the Day on the Rights of the child, the adoption of UPR reports and the presentation of Special Procedure reports. You can view the agenda, here.
Key events on children's rights
- Day on the Rights of the Child
The theme for the Day on the Rights of the Child, which takes place on wednesday March 9th, will be "Children working and/or living on the streets".
- Key reports concerning children's rights
-Report of the SRSG on violence against children - not yet available
-Report of the SR on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
-References to children's rights in other Special Procedure reports
NGO Deadlines
A reminder for NGOs that monday 14th February is the deadline for:
-Submission of NGO written statements
-Requests for NGO parallel-event rooms (online only)
Consult the HRC NGO Participation page for further information.
CRIN's coverage of the 16th Session
CRIN will be covering the Council's 16th Session, including discussions during the Day on the Rights of the Child. Follow the coverage on our main HRC page.
Proposed theme for 2012 Day of Discussion
Members of the working group on the HRC are lobbying Members of the HRC to make the theme, "Children and the administration of justice" for the Human Rights Council Day on the Rights of the Child in March 2012.
This is a joint initiative by:
Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO)
International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE)
Defence for Children International (DCI)
International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)
Human Rights Advocates
Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)
Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF)
Plan International
World Vision
Other NGOs who are interested in supporting this initiative can contact Carolan Goggin at [email protected].
Read more about the proposed theme, here
Further Information
- Click here for the draft report of the 15th Regular Session
- Click here for information on previous HRC Sessions
- Click here to access CRIN's main HRC page
Universal Periodic Review
10th Session concludes
The 10th Session of the UPR concluded on february 4th. Myanmar, Nepal and Rwanda were amongst the 16 countries reviewed.
CRIN has compiled reports for each of the countries reviewed in the 10th Session, with extracts of children's rights references. Click here to read the reports. Children's rights references will be extracted from the final outcome reports as soon as they are published.
Upcoming 11th Session
The 11th Session of the UPR will take place from 2 - 13 May. Click here to see which countries are due to be reviewed.
CRIN will be compiling reports for each of the above countries, including extracts of children's rights references from the official pre-review reports. Click here to access these reports.
Upcoming 12th Session - Reporting deadlines
The 12th Session of the UPR will take place from 3 - 14 October this year. The deadlines for NGO reports to be submitted to OHCHR ([email protected]) are as follows:
- 14 March 2011 for submissions on Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan and Thailand.
- 21 March 2011 for submissions on Timor Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania and Moldova.
- Click here to access CRIN's main UPR page
NGOs experiences of using the UPR
Back in November, we published a report: "The Status of Children's Rights in the UPR"
We have now produced a short version on NGOs experiences. Read: "CRIN's guide to the UPR based on NGOs experiences"
Upcoming Special Procedure Visits
- The Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants visits Greece from February 18th to March 8th.
- The Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous people visits Suriname from March 14th to 15th.
- The Independent Expert in the field of cultural rights visits Austria from April 4th to 14th.
- The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing visits Argentina from April 13th to 22nd.
- The Working Group of Experts on people of African Descent visits Canada from May 16th to 20th.
Further Information
- Click here for a full list of upcoming visits
- Click here for a list of visits conducted in 2010
- Click here for CRIN's compilation of children's rights references from each of the experts final reports
- Click here for information about Special Procedures
Human Rights Council Review 2011
Where are we?
The Review, which examines the work and functioning of the Council, began with a formal week long meeting in October 2010. Since then, a series of informal meetings and consultations have taken place in an attempt to reach concensus on some of the areas under discussion.
The second (and last) formal meeting is currently underway, taking place in three stages: 7th, 17th-18th and 23th-24th February. Five facilitators were appointed to lead the discussions on each of the areas listed below, and will present their respective reports during this meeting.
- Universal Periodic Review
- Special Procedures
- Advisory Committee / Complaints Procedure
- Agenda / Programme of Work
- Methods of Work / Rules of Procedure
Read the reports on each of the above areas under review.
Update from first part of the second formal meeting
The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) has covered the Council's Review process, reporting how some States are blocking the review's progress by refusing to engage meaningfully with the overall review, notably Egypt (on behalf of the NAM), Nigeria (on behalf of the African Group), and Pakistan (on behalf of the OIC).
Key areas of concern:
- Special Procedures: Nigeria (on behalf of the African Group), Indonesia (on behalf of the ASEAN), Bangladesh, Cuba, Thailand, Nepal, Iran, Myanmar, and China stressed that Special Procedures should carry out their work in strict compliance with their mandates.The African Group further suggested creating an independent legal Committee to review compliance.
- Universal Periodic Review: Members of NAM, OIC, and ASEAN reiterated their position that only those recommendations accepted by states during the first cycle should be subject to follow-up in subsequent cycles.
- Capacity of the Council to address situations: Egypt (on behalf of NAM), Pakistan (on behalf of the OIC), Cuba, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand claimed that there was no need for additional mechanisms to deal with emergency situations and rejected the proposal for a ‘trigger mechanism’ presented by the Brazilian Ambassador.
- Read more on ISHR's coverage of the HRC Review
- Read ISHR's oral statement on the 7th february during the meeting.
When will the Review conclude?
The final negotiations will be taking place in this second formal meeting, with the process scheduled to be completed by June, if not before.
Further information on the review
(Extranet username: HRC extranet, password: 1Session)
Key Events at the Council in 2011
For a brief guide to the key events taking place at the Council this year, click here.
Contact Information
Working Group for the HRC (subgroup of the NGO Group for the CRC)
The Working group for the Human Rights Council, of the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, brings together NGOs willing to promote the rights of the child at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The WG’s aim so far has been to ensure that the Human Rights Council addresses the specific rights and situations of children worldwide in its regular work and sessions on human rights. By advocating for the inclusion of its concerns into the Council's Resolutions, the NGO community has ensured better support and coherence between international politics and local realities affecting the realisation of children's rights.
For more information, contact the co-convenors of the NGO WG:
Alan Kikuchi-White, Geneva Representative
SOS-Kinderdorf International
Email: [email protected]
Or Veronica Yates, CRIN
Email: [email protected]
Visit: http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/NGOCRC/subgroup-CHR.asp
{THE LAST WORD}
"By some estimates, children make up half of the world's population. Yet in the draft Guiding Principles, they remain virtually invisible.[...] It is difficult to imagine that they could provide any meaningful direction for States and business enterprises seeking to “protect, respect and remedy” the human rights of children. Children are particularly and uniquely vulnerable to human rights abuses, and yet are also least able to draw attention to violations of their rights. The draft Guiding Principles do not appear to recognise either of these realities. [...] While corporations are readily recognised as full legal persons in jurisdictions around the world, children almost universally are not. Unlike corporations, children cannot bring lawsuits, sign contracts, or even make simple financial transactions on their own."
CRIN submission to the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General on Transnational Corporations and other Business Enterprises’ Draft Guiding Principles. Read more.
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