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UN Convention on the Rights of the Child African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child More information UN Security Council The Working Group has a mandate to review the reports of the monitoring and reporting mechanism and the progress in the development and implementation of action plans on steps taken by groups named in the Secretary General’s lists to stop recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. It also makes recommendations on measures to promote the protection of children affected by armed conflict. The Working Group also considers country reports. At its fourth meeting on 26 June, 2006,the Group discussed an overview from the Secretary-General on situations of armed conflict where children are severely affected. This drew attention to situations in Chad, Sri Lanka and Somalia. The Group has agreed its work programme around these discussions. It will hold a meeting on the situation in Somalia in December to which the permanent representative will be invited to attend. More information Special Procedures The country mandate on Somalia was created in 1993. The current Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia is Mr. Ghanim Alnajjar of Kuwait who was appointed by the UN Secretary-General in 2001. Read a transcript of discussions about the Independent Expert's report on Somalia which was presented to the Human Rights Council in September 2006. More information
Somalia is one of two States which have not yet ratified the Convention. The other is the United States of America. Somalia has not had a central government since 1991, when President Siad Barre was overthrown. It ratified four international human rights treaties before 1991 and has not ratified any since.
Somalia signed the African Charter in June 1991, but again, has not yet ratified it
African Commission on Human and People's Rights: Resolution 51 on the Resolution of the Peace and National Reconciliation Process in Somalia (2000)
In July 2005, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1612 which created two important structures: a monitoring and reporting mechanism and a Working Group on children and armed conflict.
Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council in February 2005, p.7
“Special procedures” is the general name given to the mechanisms established by the Commission on Human Rights (which has now been replaced by the Human Rights Council) to address specific country situations or thematic issues. They are set up to examine, monitor, advise, and publicly report on human rights situations in specific countries or on specific thematic issues. The new Human Rights Council has renewed country mandates for one year but is reviewing them as a result of criticism levelled at the Commission that country mandates always focus on the same countries and avoid condemning human rights violations in certain countries, when given the opportunity,