CRC 61th SESSION: Committee closes session, issues Concluding Observations

Summary: The Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded its 61st session on 5 October, adopting its Concluding Observations and recommendations on reports presented by Liberia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Namibia, Andorra, Austria, Albania and Canada under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols.

The Committee on the Rights of the Child concluded its 61st session on 5 October, adopting its Concluding Observations and providing information on the broader work it has carried out during the session.

State Reviews

Below are the Concluding Observations issued by the Committee for the States reviewed, as well as the alternative reports submitted by NGOs prior to the reviews and CRIN's Wiki page for each country.

You can read more about CRIN's Children's Rights Wiki here. Please note that this is a work in progress. We welcome input, contributions and comments. Email us at [email protected]

The following States were examined on their compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC):

- Albania
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

- Andorra
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

- Austria
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

-Bosnia and Herzegovina
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

- Canada
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

- Liberia
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

- Namibia
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

The following States were examined on their compliance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (OPSC):

- Albania
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

- Canada
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

The following States were examined on their compliance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (OPAC):

- Albania
Concluding Observations / Alternative Reports / Wiki Page

The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children have extracted references to corporal punishment made by the Committee for the countries above.

• Find out what the Committee said here.

Next CRC Session

The 62nd session of the Committee will be held in Geneva from 14 January to 1 February 2013, during which it will review reports from Guinea, Guyana, Malta, and Niue Islands under the Convention on the Rights of the Child; Slovakia, Burkina Faso and the United States under the two Optional Protocols on children and armed conflict, and on the sale of children, child pornography and child prostitution; and the Philippines under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child pornography and child prostitution.

Opportunities for NGOs

NGOs have an important role to play in monitoring the progress made by States in implementing the set of recommendations issued to them by the Committee in their Concluding Observations.

• Find out more about follow-up methods
• Share your experiences by contacting CRIN

Other work of the Committee

During the session, the Committee discussed a number of issues:

 
OP3 CRC - Complaints Mechanism

The Committee worked on the elaboration of rules. Mr Zermatten welcomed the ratification of the new Optional Protocol by Gabon and Thailand (the first two countries to ratify), and hoped that the Protocol could enter into force in 2013. 

• Read more about the new Optional Protocol here.

General Day of Discussion - International Migration

Agnes Akosua Aidoo, the Rapporteur of the Committee, said the Committee had also held a day of general discussion on children and international migration.

• You can read a full summary of the discussion compiled by CRIN staff, here.

General Comments

Five draft general comments were worked on during the session.

• The Committee would undertake the final reading of the General Comments on the best interest of the child, on the right to leisure, play and participation, and on child rights and the business sector and adopt them at its sixty-second session.
• On the draft general comment on the right to health, consultations had been held with partners to review the revised draft and then the working group would work on it.
• On the joint draft General Comment on children and harmful practices, which the Committee was working on with the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women, two meetings were planned with CEDAW on 8 and 9 October to review the revised outline. The working group would then decide on the next step to be taken in 2013.

View all of the Committee's previous General Comments here.

Further Information

• Visit the webpage of the Committee
• Read all CRIN's CRC news
• Read CRIN's new "Children's Rights at the UN" CRINMAIL