24 January 2006 CRINMAIL 748
Special Edition on the 41st Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
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- SESSION REPORTS: Bangladesh, Morocco, Peru, Ghana, Liechtenstein [news]
- METHODS OF WORK: Informal meeting with States parties [news]
- ALTERNATIVE REPORTS: NGO Reports to the 41st Session [reports]
- UNITED STATES: Campaign for US Ratification of the Convention [event]
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Your submissions are welcome if you are working in the area of child rights. To contribute, email us at [email protected]. Adobe Acrobat is required for viewing some of the documents, and if required can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
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SESSION REPORTS: Bangladesh, Morocco, Peru, Ghana, Liechtenstein [news]
The Committee has so far examined reports from Switzerland (on the Optional Protocol on children and armed conflicts, or OPAC), Bangladesh (OPAC), Kazakhstan (Optional Protocol on the sale of children, or OPSA), Morocco (OPSA), Peru (3rd periodic report), Ghana (2nd periodic report), Liechtenstein (2nd periodic report), Andorra (OPAC and OPSA), Trinidad and Tobago (2nd periodic report), Hungary (2nd periodic report), Lithuania (2nd periodic report), Azerbaijan (2nd periodic report), and Mauritius (2nd periodic report).
The NGO Group for the Convention of the Rights of the Child is producing summaries of the Committee sessions for each country. These are being made available on the CRIN website, on a news page devoted to the activities of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Reports for Bangladesh, Morocco, Peru, Ghana and Liechtenstein are already available.
The remaining session reports will be posted on the CRIN website as they become available.
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METHODS OF WORK: Informal meeting with States parties [news]
[GENEVA, 17 January 2006] - The Committee on the Rights of the Child held an informal meeting with the States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on its methods of work.
During the meeting, the Committee informed the States parties of its experiences with the new method of work for the examination of the reports of the States parties, commencing with the current session, namely the holding of two simultaneous and parallel meetings in order to be able to take up the reports of two countries in the same day.
The representatives of some States inquired how the Committee intended to ensure that its work would remain coherent, in particular with regards to the need to maintain an equitable geographical and gender repartition of its members. An Expert noted that, from preliminary results, the new working method allowed for an improved interaction with the delegations, and that the first results were encouraging.
The debate also focused on the current reform of the examination of reports and their submission, and of the oversight of bodies created by international human rights instruments. The Chairperson, Jacob Egbert Doek, said that the Committee had already expressed its concerns with regards to the idea of one single treaty body, which would dilute the specificity of each treaty.
There was another solution that had already been proposed, he said, which was an alternative to the dissolution to the seven currently-existing treaty bodies and the creation of a single body, and this would be to establish a bureau made up of the seven chairpersons of the existing treaty bodies, with the role of co-ordinating the work of the seven bodies, and of ensuring greater coherency among the concluding observations.
Several speakers intervened to support the idea of a true reform of the treaty body system. Mr. Doek underscored that there was no single solution to the problems encountered. Regarding follow-up to the concluding observations of the Committee, Mr. Doek said that if some bodies had put in place follow-up procedures, the Committee had neither the capacity nor the time required to do so.
[Source: United Nations Office at Geneva]
Read the press release.
See also CRIN's coverage of the reform of the UN human rights system
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ALTERNATIVE REPORTS: NGO Reports to the 41st Session [reports]
Reports submitted by NGOs to the Committee on the Rights of the Child are made available on the CRIN website, in partnership with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. These reports are known as NGO Alternative Reports.
The reports are submitted in accordance with article 45(a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that "The Committee may invite the specialised agencies, the United Nations Children's Fund and other competent bodies as it may consider appropriate to provide expert advice on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their respective mandates."
Search reports by country, CRC session or by NGO on the CRIN website
View NGO Alternative reports for the 41st Session
View NGO alternative reports for all sessions
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UNITED STATES: Campaign for US Ratification of the Convention [event]
The Campaign for US Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is hosting a Summit entitled "The Convention on the Rights of the Child: Mobilising Communities for Ratification," which will take place at the American University in Washington DC from 18-20 May 2006.
The Summit Planning Committee expects this conference to be a forum for a dynamic and diverse gathering of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government officials, the private sector, child rights advocates, scholars, religious organisations, parents, youth, students, and others committed to promoting US Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
In addition to morning and afternoon plenary sessions, an integral feature of the Summit will be interactive workshops, panels, and artistic presentations organised by and for the national child rights community. These meetings will share best practices for advancing children's rights, offer skill building opportunities, provide organising strategies and much more.
Interested individuals or organisations are invited to submit proposals for such workshops, panels and presentations that are focused on the themes of the Summit. The Committee is seeking proposals on the following topics or targeted to the specific populations mentioned below:
- Organising for child rights at the local, State, and/or national level
- Introduction to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- US ratification of the CRC: implications for US children
- Opposition to the Convention: exploring counter arguments and seeking clarification
- Best practice models for advancing children's rights
- Workshops targeting parents, religious leaders, youth, or scholars and how they can mobilise for US ratification of the CRC
- Training on a particular skill related to advocating for child rights
In order to allow for the widest possible participation, the committee will consider proposals from NGO representatives, advocates, activists, students, scholars, government officials, community organisers, social service providers, religious leaders, youth, and parents.
To promote a greater opportunity for sharing of diverse experiences, the format will enable maximum interaction with attendees. Therefore, priority will be given to workshops that foster dialogue and demonstrate potential to forge alliances among participants. Intergenerational presentations are particularly welcomed.
Application deadline: 15 February 2006
For more information, contact:
Joanne Selinske, Executive Director
International Social Service - USA Branch
207 East Redwood Street
Baltimore, MD 21202, USA
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.childrightscampaign.org
More information here.
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