HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL: 28th Session

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Coverage

 

The Annual Day on the Rights of the Child

The 28th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) starts in Geneva on Monday (2 March) and ends on 27 March. Out of the Council’s three annual sessions, the March session is the most interesting for children’s rights because this is when the Council’s annual day on the rights of the child takes place.

This year’s theme will be on “better investment in the rights of the child”, and will take place on Thursday 12 March. You can find the session’s full programme, as well as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) report on better investment in the rights of the child that will inform the day’s discussions on the Council’s 28th session page. The report sets out the obligations of States to invest adequately in the rights of children, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It considers the different stages of the budget process – preparation, allocation, spending and monitoring – and provides a framework for a human rights-based approach to budgeting.

Read all submissions to the OHCHR’s report, including CRIN's submission.

The day will start with an overview of key aspects and challenges in planning, mobilising, allocating and spending public resources to realise children’s rights, followed by an afternoon panel focused on illustrating how the process of investing in children can be conducted in a manner respectful of human rights principles at local, national, regional and international levels. The concept note contains further details, including the list of speakers.

CRIN will be reporting live from Geneva during the week of the annual day (9 - 13 March). We will be sending out daily CRINmails with a full round-up of discussions, as well as analysis of the implications for children’s rights.

A number of Special Procedures will be presenting their annual reports to the HRC during this same week, they include:

Additional resources

 

Other issues

The rest of the Council’s 28th session will cover other issues, some of which have important implications for children’s rights. They include:

  • Presentations by the independent Commissions of Inquiry on Syria (17 March), Eritrea (16 March) and the 2014 Gaza Conflict (23 March).
  • The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights will present a report on the human rights situation in Iraq in light of abuses committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and associated terrorist groups (25 March).
  • The human rights situations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Myanmar, the occupied Palestinian territories, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti and Mali will also be discussed.
  • The Biennial High-Level Panel Discussion on the Question of the Death Penalty is scheduled for 3 pm on Wednesday, 4 March.
  • The annual interactive debate on the rights of persons with disabilities is set for 3pm on 10 March.

 

Side events

As always, a range of side events put on by NGOs will also take place during the Council’s session. Please note that details, particularly room numbers, can change at the last minute so check the side events schedule which you can find on the Human Rights Council extranet (login details can easily be requested from this page.)

Unless otherwise stated, all events are to take place at the OHCHR (Palais des Nations, CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland).

The following events feature children’s rights:

9 March

A call for an empowering, inclusive and safe digital environment for children
The Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and
Time: 12:00 until 14:30
Venue: room XXI 

10 March

“Investing in prevention to end violence against children”
Organiser: Working Group on Children and Violence of Child Rights Connect
Time: 12:00 - 14:00
Venue: Room XXVII

Child rights: Children deprived of liberty
Organiser: Defence for Children International (DCI)
Time: 13:30 - 15:00
Venue: room XI

Human Rights Defenders and National Security
Organiser: International Service for Human Rights
Time: 15:00 - 16:30
Venue: room XI

Human rights in Syria: Woman and children
Organiser: World Barua Organization
Time: 14:00 - 16:00
Venue: room XXII

Education and children
Organiser: African Development Association
Time: 16:00 - 18:00
Venue: XXI

11 March

Children of prisoners
Organiser: Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC)
Time: 09:00 - 10:30
Venue: room XIX

Children of incarcerated parents
Organiser: Working Group on Children of Incarcerated Parents
Time: 13:00 - 15:00
Venue: Room V

Human Rights in Colombia
Organiser: Asociación Miraísmo International
Time: 14:00 - 16:00
Venue: Room XXI

Palestine and the International Criminal Court
Organiser: International Institute for Peace, Justice and Human Rights
Time: 16:30 - 18:00
Venue: Room XXI

12 March

Agency Internationale pour Le Developpement
Children in conflict zones
Time: 15:00 - 16:30
Venue: room XIX

Children's rights
Organiser: Plan International Inc.
Time: 17:00 - 18:30
Venue: room XXI

13 March

Violence against children
Organiser: Iranian Elite Research Center
Time: 10:00 - 11:30
Venue: room XXIII

16 March

LGBTI children and human rights
Organiser: International Lesbian and Gay Association
Time: 16:30 - 18:30
Venue: room XXI

18 March

Child rights: early and forced marriage
Organiser: Mouvement Mondial des Mères
Time: 11:00 - 13:00
Venue: room XII

23 March

Human rights in Sudan: Defenders and children
Organiser: World Barua Organization
Time: 13:00 - 15:00
Venue: room XXIV

26 March

Rights of the child
Organiser: International Social Service
Time: 13:00 - 15:00
Venue: room XXIII

27 March

Rights of the child
Organiser: Le Collectif des Femmes Africaines du Hainaut
Time: 09:00 - 11:00
Venue: room XXIV

For more information:

Note that details for some are yet to be published, and that dates and times can change at the last minute.  

 

Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

During the 28th session of the Human Rights Council, the following States will have their UPR reports adopted (from the 20th session of the UPR held from 27 October to 7 November 2014):

Italy, El Salvador, Gambia, Bolivia, Fiji, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Angola, Iran, Iraq, Madagascar, Slovenia, Egypt and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

You can find all the reports on the OHCHR’s website.

 

NGO Participation

Oral statements

The deadline for requesting to make oral statements at the Council’s 28th session opened Thursday 26 February. You can already get login details for the online system, but note that you should use the same logins if you have already made a written statement for the session. Guidelines to use the online system are available in English, French and Spanish.

Written statements

The deadline for written statements for this session has now closed. You can view all statements made by NGOs on the Council’s extranet (login details can be easily requested).

How can I participate?

As always, to be able to participate in the work of the HRC, including getting into sessions, organising side events and making written or oral statements, your organisation needs to have accreditation (ECOSOC Status). If you don’t know what this is, like CRIN, you probably don’t have it. If you would like to join our campaign to make the UN more accessible for civil society, email us at [email protected].

Follow the session live

Even if you can’t make it to Geneva, you can still find out what’s going on by watching the live webcast and following #HRC28 on twitter. As mentioned above, CRIN will also be reporting live from Geneva during the discussions with daily CRINmail round-ups, analysis and commentaries on some of the neglected issues.

 

Organisation: 
Human Rights Council Secretariat

Countries

    Please note that these reports are hosted by CRIN as a resource for Child Rights campaigners, researchers and other interested parties. Unless otherwise stated, they are not the work of CRIN and their inclusion in our database does not necessarily signify endorsement or agreement with their content by CRIN.