Submitted by crinadmin on
Buenos Aires, 4 January 2007 Dear CRIN, In the next few days, the Committee on the Rights of the Child will hold its 44th session. This will be the last session during my term as a member of the Committee which began in 2003 and for which I was chosen by the 192 State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The children and young people of this world, and of Latin America in particular, are the most important source of evaluation and critical analysis of my time with the Committee, others include: civil society organisations, UN and Inter-American agencies committed to children’s rights, especially UNICEF and the Inter-American Institute for Children, and State representatives. However, I also feel that it is my ethical duty to share some personal reflections about this important experience. Firstly, I would like to recognise the great value of this Treaty Body which was created by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and out of the humanity and professionalism of each of its members, with strong support from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Committee has, during its first 16 years of existence, made known some of its potential and warned of the tough challenges ahead. From the very beginning, I have been aware that this collective management of the Convention’s compliance mechanisms should be undertaken within the framework of the oath which we took when our mandates began. Honouring this function in the most participatory way has become a permanent concern and aim of the Committee. Bringing the Committee closer to the realities of Latin American children has been one of the main goals of my term. Indeed, there has been more contact, dialogue and interaction with the different institutional actors in Latin America. The will is now there to open up new spaces for the voices of rights holders - that is to say children and young people - in the Committee to contribute their experiences and desire to be able to fully exercise their rights. Furthermore, the Committee’s visibility in Latin America has been increasing, not only through the presence of its members, but also through its commitment to critical issues which characterise the specific context in terms of threats to, and violations of, children’s rights. Without a doubt, tackling poverty, inequality and violence not just in terms of their effects on children and young people, but also identifying their causes, carrying out advocacy work and following up on the Recommendations are some of the most important information of the Committee’s existence. With this in mind, public investment must be increased as far as possible given the available resources, and with international cooperation, to carry out the institutional transformations necessary to guarantee economic, social and cultural rights. There are tough challenges ahead for States Parties and this UN Treaty Body to consolidate and extend their work. I could not finish these lines without acknowledging all the national and international organisations and other individuals who petitioned the Government of Argentina to reconsider their withdrawal of my candidacy for a new term. As my time in the Committee is drawing to a close, I recognise the value in having had this collective experience with the spirit of transformation which the Convention proposes. Being part of a new social contract between States, societies and their Children implies not only pointing out what has been achieved so far, but also what we must do now to enforce rights. Finally, I would like to express my commitment to continue along the long and shining path towards building a culture of human rights, and child rights in particular, using to this end my modest experience and unerring commitment to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The basic platform from which we must continue and extend our task of guaranteeing children and young people’s human rights is built from the strengthening of democratic institutions, the strength of social movements, especially children and young people’s organisations, and the development of new spaces for participating in the the construction of rights. In any event, we will always meet along this road. Yours faithfully, Dr. Norberto Liwski Email: [email protected], [email protected] Further information
Vice-President and Member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child
United Nations