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[GENEVA, 6 June 2008] – The ‘dire need’ for adopting guidelines on the alternative care of children, and plug a critical gap in the implementation of the CRC, was stressed at a Human Rights Council special event. The Permanent Mission of Brazil, with the support of a number of other States who make up a Group of Friends behind the project, hosted the high-level panel discussion to make progress towards the adoption of the draft UN Guidelines on the appropriate use and conditions of alternative care for children. The panel included representatives of the Government of Brazil, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF, and civil society. Following presentations by panellists, the floor was opened up for an interactive dialogue amongst States wishing to raise questions or comment on the draft. Ms. Christina Baglietto of the International Social Service read a joint statement which reiterated the strong and continuing NGO support for the draft, and Ms. Kersti Kukk, a young person from Estonia, representing SOS-Kinderdorf International, provided a youth perspective on the need for such guidelines founded on her own experience of alternative care. She was one of the youth participants in the drafting process. Ms. Patricia Lamego, of the Special Secretariat for Human Rights in the Brazilian government, reminded delegates of the history of the consultations on the draft, which date back beyond the UNCRC’s Day of General Discussion on this topic in 2005. Ms.Lamego said Brazil wanted to bring the draft forward as a resolution during the 9th session of the Council later this year. Ms. Moushira Khattab, of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, emphasised the ‘dire need’ for the guidelines with respect to a critical gap in CRC implementation. Aware of an increasing number of children living in deteriorating and/or unacceptable conditions, the Committee held its Day of General Discussion in 2005. A call to action followed, which led to the expert consultations to produce an initial draft for consideration. Ms Khattab emphasised the ongoing and strong support of the Committee for a highly participatory process, and said that the Committee’s concerns for had been fuilly represented in the current draft. She asked that the Human Rights Council take the draft forward to the General Assembly as a matter of priority. Noting UNICEF’s strong support for the draft guidelines Ms. Alexandra Yuster, Senior Adviser of the Social Welfare and Justice Systems Child Protection Section, emphasised the synergy between the draft guidelines and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. She noted that the guidelines do not serve to establish additional obligations on State Parties but provide essential guidance on the implementation of the Convention, notably with regards to Articles 9, 20 & 25. Ms.Yuster added that the current draft is already having an impact on policy and practice at the country level through UNICEF national offices. Mr. Nigel Cantwell spoke of the long term, and ongoing, commitment of civil society to the guidelines. He also spoke of the progress being made regionally, particularly regarding translation and consultation, notably with the League of Arab States. Mr. Cantwell also pointed out the two basic principles which underlie the essentially preventative intentions for policy and practice of the guidelines. These are the ‘necessity’ principal, which governs the decision to remove a child from their family and, the ‘suitability’ principle, which ensures that the best possible alternative care option is chosen in any particular case. In the interactive dialogue, fourteen States made interventions and these were largely supportive of the draft and complimentary of Brazil’s considerable efforts to promote the draft within the Council. There were a few notes of caution but, on the whole, the dialogue emphasised the strong cross-regional support which the draft has attracted. The chair of the meeting, Mr. Alejandro Artucio Rodríguez, Vice-President of the Human Rights Council, concluded that, given the level of support expressed during the dialogue, there was sufficient encouragement to take the next steps to ensure that the Guidelines form the backbone of a resolution to be adopted during the 9th session of the Human Rights Council this September. For the webcast of the Special Event, visit the HRC webcast site at: http://www.un.org/webcast/unhrc/archive.asp?go=080606#noon