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Oral Statement by Defence for Children International (DCI)
(New York, January 29) -- Madame Chair, Members of the Bureau,
Honorable Delegates, NGO-colleagues. The NGO which I am representing
here is a network of 70 sections called Defence for Children
International (DCI) and was founded in 1979 - the International Year
of the Child. During the years 1979 until 1989 DCI co-ordinated the
input in the draft text of the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child. Being so connected with the history of the Convention gives us
a specific outlook on the "PrepCom" and the draft outcome document of
the planned Special session of the General Assembly.
While we recognise that it will be an historic occasion, so many
world leaders gathering in a General Assembly Special session on
Children, and while we recognise that this is an attempt to put
children higher on the international political agenda, we like to
point out certain risks:
If the outcome document is not fully building on the Convention and
reaffirms the Convention and new international standards, many will
see the gathering of world leaders as a step back. Therefore we hope
you will in the outcome document reaffirm the Convention and build on
the two Optional protocols and the ILO Convention on the Elimination
of Extreme Forms of Child Labor, the Education or All Declaration and
the UN Standard Minimum Rules on the Administration of Juvenile
Justice.
We demand from Governments to reaffirm all the commitments,
previously made to the provisions of the Convention and the previous
targets of the World-Summit Declaration, while adding new goals.
Reaffirmation of funding commitments by the developed countries is
also essential. Madame Chair. A famous psychoanalyst, Bruno
Bettelheim,wrote a book in the fifties "love is not enough".
Paraphrasing on the title,we'd like to say: ratifications are not
enough.
Reservations of States to some articles of the Convention should be
withdrawn.
Many countries made financial cutbacks pressed by International
Financial Institutions. We need UNICEF to report on this as well. We
have to admit the targets of the Plan of Action of the World Summit
for Children could not be reached, because the conditions imposed by
the International Financial Institutions. On the other hand, these
countries were often hit by donor fatigue, as well and because of
economic reforms they had to change the policies.
From our DCI-perspective, there are still areas neglected such as
Juvenile Justice Systems. Many countries have not appropriate
juvenile justice systems. This needs to be implemented in many
States, with quality legal representation introduced. pdf: www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/DCI2ndStatement