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[20 November 2013] - The South Sudanese parliament Wednesday approved a bill to ratify the UN convention on the rights of the child, making the country the latest State to do so. The UNICEF office in Juba, Capital of South Sudan, said in a press statement that the South Sudanese National Legislative Assembly has passed the bill to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC is the first legally-binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights -- civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have. “By passing the bill for ratification, the parliament of South Sudan have today shown the people of this country, especially our children and the international community, that we are committed to ensuring that the rights of children in the world’s youngest nation are realised,” the release quoted Anne Abyei, Member of the South Sudanese Parliamentary Committee on Gender, Child, Social Welfare, Religious Affairs, Youth and Sports, as saying in a statement received by PANA in Khartoum, Wednesday. Since its adoption by the UN General Assembly in 1989, 193 countries have ratified the CRC, making it the world’s most ratified international treaty. South Sudan will become the 194th nation to ratify the convention once it is signed by President Salva Kiir. By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the CRC, national governments commit to protecting and ensuring children's rights and agree to be held accountable for this commitment before the international community. “If the CRC is ratified, more children will be able to go to school, child labour will stop and girls will no longer be married off at a young age,” the release quoted 13-year-old John Peter, as saying following the assembly’s move. UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Child, Social Welfare, Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and Save the Children International, have worked hard to ensure that the Government of South Sudan ratifies the CRC. “The United Nations (family) in South Sudan and its partners congratulate the country on the passing of the bill for ratification of the CRC and the two optional protocols. We are committed to continue supporting the government and other partners in its implementation to ensure that children’s rights are realized,” UNICEF’s Chief of Child Protection, Ms Fatuma Ibrahim, concluded. FURTHER INFORMATION: