Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: The NGO Group for the CRC has
prepared an overview regarding NGO
participation in the forthcoming Day
of General Discussion on the Private
Sector.
The Private Sector as Service Provider and Its Role in
Implementing Child Rights
Committee on the Rights of the Child - Day of General Discussion
The Committee on the Rights of the Child has decided to devote
its next day of general discussion to the theme of the private
sector as service provider and its role in implementing child rights.
The meeting will take place at the Palais Wilson in Geneva,
Switzerland, on Friday, 20 September 2002. The meeting is open
to the public and representatives of UN programs and agencies,
NGOs, governments and other interested individuals and
organisations are welcome to attend. In light of the theme for
the upcoming discussion, representatives of the private sector as
well as international financial institutions are particularly
encouraged to attend.
The focus of the general discussion will be on the impact of the
increasing participation of private sector actors in the provision
and funding of traditional state functions and the issues arising
from the privatisation of services. The main objectives will be to
examine the different types of partnerships and assess the
positive and negative impact this has on the realisation of
children's rights. There is also the need to explore the legal
obligations of States Parties in the context of privatisation
including with respect to ensuring equal and affordable access as
well as the quality and sustainability of services. The third
objective is to assess the implications of private sector
involvement in service provision on governance issues, including
accountability, transparency and independence. Finally, the
Committee would like to look at best practices in order to identify
possible models of implementation for States Parties. A copy of
the outline for the day of general discussion is available at
href="http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crcdod4.htm">www.u
nhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crcdod4.htm
NGOs are invited to submit written contributions to the Office of
the High Commissioner as soon as possible, and before 28 June
2002. Although documents may be submitted in English, French
or Spanish, they will not be translated into the other languages.
If possible, documents should be sent electronically. Oral
contributions from NGOs are also welcome during the day itself
but should be limited to interventions in the debate rather than
formal statements.
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. To register, please send your name,
organization and contact details by email to the Office of the High
Commissioner before 13 September 2002. Please note that there
is no funding available for travel expenses either from the United
Nations or the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the
Child.
For registration and to submit written contributions, please
contact:
Committee on the Rights of the Child - Secretariat
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights-UNOG
CH-1211 Geneva 10 - Switzerland
E-mail [email protected] or [email protected]
If you have any questions, please contact:
Laura Theytaz-Bergman
CRC/NGO Liaison Officer
NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child
P.O. Box 88, CH-1211 Geneva 20 - Switzerland
E-mail: [email protected]