26 March 2008 - Rights CRINMAIL 40
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COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Communications procedure lobbying pack
DAY OF GENERAL DISCUSSION 2008: Children's right to education in emergencies [event]
LATIN AMERICA: Child rights in practice [training]
COURSE: Monitoring children's rights [training]
IRELAND: Human rights based approaches [training]
INTERNSHIP: International Bureau for Children's Rights [job posting]
**NEWS IN BRIEF**
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Rights CRINMAIL is a component of a project of the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN). It is published monthly with the purpose of informing and building the community of practitioners in rights-based programming. Your submissions are welcome. To contribute, email us at [email protected].
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COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: Communications procedure lobbying pack
A group of organisations recently launched a campaign to establish a Communications/complaints mechanism to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Such a procedure would provide a mechanism that would ensure the availability of legal remedies for children at the international level.
Already, more than 300 organisations – human rights institutions, international, regional and national NGOs and others from over ninety countries – have signed a petition urging States to start the process of drafting an Optional Protocol to the Convention.
The first step necessary in order to create the procedure is to establish a drafting Working Group of States, through a resolution at the Human Rights Council. Once drafted, the Optional Protocol would go to the UN General Assembly for adoption.
First step
We are working to have the establishment of the Working Group included in the resolution on children’s rights which will be negotiated in the Human Rights Council session in March. If we are unsuccessful in this first attempt, it will still be useful to have alerted States to the campaign and will help to ensure that the necessary Working Group is established at a future session).
We hope you will consider approaching your Ministry/Department of Foreign Affairs, alone or with other appropriate organisations, preferably before the end of February.
What can you do
1. If you have not as yet signed the petition please consider doing so by going here: http://www.crin.org/petitions/petition.asp?petID=1007#call and encourage others to sign as well;
2. You could consider adapting the draft letter below and sending it, together with the attached briefing, to the relevant Minister and officials.
3. You could also consider requesting a meeting to discuss the proposal.
4. Please also keep us informed of any response/reaction to the campaign by emailing us at: [email protected]
Documents for your campaigning:
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Letter to send to your foreign ministriesThis letter is calling for the Human Rights Council to establish a Working Group to draft an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to develop a communications procedure for children
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Briefing for States PartiesThis briefing paper has been prepared for States Parties to the CRC and explains why an OP to the CRC is needed and answers some of the arguments against such a procedure.
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Communications Procedure, draft and commentaryIt includes a draft text of an Optional Protocol to the CRC, with a commentary. The commentary indicates that many of the provisions are drawn from, or adapted from, the instruments establishing existing communications procedures. The text has been developed from various detailed papers prepared over the last few years.
Please note that this paper is being circulated as a basis for discussion, not as a finalised proposal.
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Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infodetail.asp?id=16477
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DAY OF GENERAL DISCUSSION 2008: Children's right to education in emergencies [event]
Date: 19 September 2008
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
The Committee on the Rights of the Child has decided to devote its next Day of General Discussion (DGD) to children's right to education in emergencies - articles 28 and 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The meeting will be held at the Palais Wilson in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, 19 September 2008 from 10:00-18:00. Read the full outline.
The purpose of the Days of General Discussion is to foster a deeper understanding of the contents and implications of the Convention in relation to specific articles or topics. After the discussion the Committee adopts recommendations, taking into account the issues raised.
The right to education is set out in articles 28 and 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and a number of other international instruments. The 2008 Day of General Discussion is intended to provide States and other actors with more comprehensive guidance as to their obligations to promote and protect the right to education as outlined in articles 28 and 29.
Representatives of Governments, United Nations human rights mechanisms, United Nations bodies and specialised agencies, non-governmental organisations, national human rights institutions, children and experts are welcome to take part.
Participants will split into two working groups to discuss the issue (please see the outline for more details on the two working groups and their respective sub-themes):
Working Group 1: Continuation and/or reconstruction of the educational system
Working Group 2: Content and quality of education provided for children in emergency situations
NGO contributions
NGOs and children are invited to submit written contributions on the themes mentioned above to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as soon as possible. The Committee requests that written contributions be limited to a maximum of seven pages. Although documents may be submitted in English, French or Spanish, they will not be translated into the other languages. Oral contributions from NGOs are also welcome during the day itself but should be limited to interventions in the debate rather than formal statements. Guidelines and additional information are available here: http://www.crin.org/docs/guidelines_DGG_08.doc
Deadline for submissions: 27 June 2008
NGO submissions will be posted on the CRIN website when they are received.
Registration
As the meeting is open to the public, written invitations will not be issued by the United Nations or the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child. For security reasons and due to limited space, attendance at the meeting requires advance registration. For this reason, please also note that organisations are strongly encouraged to limit participation in this event to a maximum of three representatives.
As this is a public meeting of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, there is neither a registration fee, nor does the Committee send out individual invitations. The United Nations is not able to provide assistance with visa, travel or accommodation arrangements. Participants are responsible for all expenses and arrangements related to their participation in the discussion day.
Download the registration form
Registration deadline: 15 July 2008
More information
For registration and to submit written contributions, please contact:
Secretariat, Committee on the Rights of the Child
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Email: [email protected]
If you have any questions about NGO contributions, please contact Lisa Myers:
NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Email: [email protected]
Other information
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=16609&flag=event
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LATIN AMERICA: Child rights in practice [training]
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency has announced an advanced international training programme on “Child Rights in Practice”.
The aim of the Programme is to provide participants with an in-depth knowledge of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and how it can be applied in practice. The Programme emphasises national and international contexts using the ideas and experiences of participants.
Who can participate
The first stage of this Programme will take place from 29 September – 17 October 2008 in Stockholm, Sweden; the second stage will be held in Latin America in March 2009.
“Child Rights in Practice” is aimed at professionals from Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru.
The Programme will take a maximum of 25 participants from the public sector and others who work in chid rights.
Other requirements can be found on the website of Sweden’s Ombudsperson for Children.
To apply, go here
Deadline for applications: 18 May 2008
Further information
[Source: Save the Children Sweden – Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean]
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=16755&flag=event
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COURSE: Monitoring children's rights [event]
Date: 17 September - 16 December 2008
Location: Distance learning
This distance learning course is a basic introduction to measuring and monitoring the status of children, including basic health and welfare, education, civil rights and freedoms, and special protection measures. The course will address the full cycle of monitoring, including tool development; methodologies for carrying out monitoring (both organisationally as well as through the involvement of children); and the application of results for improving the promotion and protection of children's human rights.
Deadline: 1 June 2008
For more information, contact:
Human Rights Education Associates
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.hrea.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=16736
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IRELAND: Human rights based approaches [training]
Date: 26-29 May 2008
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Amnesty International will hold a four-day training course on Human Rights Based Approaches in Ireland. The course is directed at individuals working in the public, private and voluntary sector and aims to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to apply human rights in their work in Ireland.
Applicants will need to demonstrate that they will gain from an understanding of human rights based approaches and will have an opportunity to apply human rights based approaches in their work.
The application deadline is 14 May 2008. The fee for the course is €200, with discretionary concession rates.
All applicants must be committed to attend the full duration of the course.
For more information, contact:
HRBA
Amnesty International Irish Section
First Floor, Ballast House, 18-21, Westmoreland St, Dublin 2, Ireland
Tel: (+353 1) 863 8300; Fax: (+3531) 675 1731
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.amnesty.ie
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=16754&flag=event
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EMPLOYMENT: International Bureau for Children's Rights [job posting]
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International Bureau for Children's Rights: Project Manager
The International Bureau for Children’s Rights is currently seeking a Project Manager in the Country Profiles Programme to research, analyse and report on the status of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in certain countries in the Great Lakes region in Africa.
Please send your application (CV, cover letter and writing sample) to Mr. Luc Ouimet, IBCR Deputy Director by email [email protected] or by fax + 1 514 932 9453.
For the full job description and person specification, go to: http://www.ibcr.org.
Deadline: 1 April 2008
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**NEWS IN BRIEF**
Human Rights Council Session 7: Read CRIN's child rights reports
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=15927&flag=event
Inter-American Commission of Human Rights: Child Rights at the 131st Session
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=16696&flag=report
Minority Rights: State of the World's Minorities 2008 (February 2008)
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=16753&flag=report
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