[child-rights] CRC 32nd Session: Committee Members and government representatives review procedures

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release

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xxxxxxxxxxCOMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD HOLDS DISCUSSION WITH STATES 
PARTIESxxxxxxxxxx

CRC
32nd session
29 January 2003

The Committee on the Rights of the Child held a discussion today with
representatives of States parties to the Convention on the Rights of
the Child, reviewing procedures and fielding questions on such
matters as proposed changes in country reporting procedures and
expansion of the Committee's membership to help deal with a growing
backlog of work.

In an opening statement, Committee Chairman Jacob Egbert Doek said it
was the first time the Committee was meeting with States parties in
such a fashion. He said the Committee had been striving to work
efficiently, for example by considering nine country reports during
each session. The Committee also had adopted a series of general
comments to guide States parties in their implementation of the
provisions of the Convention.

Mr. Doek said the Committee's workload would further grow when in
2004 it would receive the first country reports on implementation of
two Optional Protocols to the Convention concerning the involvement
of children in armed conflict and the sale of children, child
pornography and child prostitution. The increase in the Committee's
membership from 10 to 18, which would take place next session, might
contribute to reducing the Committee's backlog of work, he said.

The Committee currently is composed of 10 independent Experts. States
parties have adopted an amendment to the Convention on the Rights of
the Child that will increase the membership to 18. The amendment
entered into force on 18 November 2002, and the new members will be
appointed following elections to be held on 10 February in New York.

Mr. Doek went on to say that the Committee was in the process of
revising its 44-page guidelines on country reports in light of a
report of the Secretary-General on "Strengthening the United Nations:
an agenda for further change".

Representatives of States parties who took the floor stressed, among
other things, the need for exchange of best practices among treaty
bodies. The Committee was asked how it could proceed with its work
after the expansion of the Committee from 10 to 18 members; if
equitable geographical distribution of membership would be
maintained; about the Committee's opinion on a proposal for the
submission of a consolidated country report to all human rights
treaty bodies -- one report common to all committees; and if it was
considering creating working groups to dealt with various issues and
to reduce its backlog.

Responding to these queries, Mr. Doek said among other things that
the Committee had so far received 245 initial and periodic reports,
and that another 206 initial, second and third periodic reports were
overdue. The Committee usually reviewed some 27 country reports per
year in three three-week sessions. There would be a two-year backlog
under the group's current working pace.

With 18 members, the Committee could attempt to reduce its backlog
and could accelerate its work through the creation of several working
groups dealing with different issues, the Chairman said. The idea of
creating parallel chambers to consider country reports simultaneously
might result in additional expense for the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights. Concluding observations and
recommendations should be adopted by the Committee itself and not by
parallel chambers even if they were created to reduce workload, Mr.
Doek added.

Differing views were expressed by States representatives and
Committee members on the subject of the presentation of a
consolidated report to all treaty bodies. Since the number of States
parties to each committee was different, each State party might have
difficulties in addressing all the issues of different treaties in
one common report of a few pages, speakers said.

The need for technical assistance was emphasized by some national
representatives. They said such advice was valuable in helping States
to prepare and present useful and timely reports. The United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) was cited as a principal provider of
technical assistance to States parties.

Some speakers said the press releases coming out of the meetings
should reflect correctly the debate. The Chairperson said the press
releases were the subject of ongoing discussion. He said sometimes
negative issues might appear to be highlighted in the press releases
rather than positive ones.

Participating in the discussion were representatives of Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, Italy, the Netherlands,
the United Kingdom, Egypt, Brazil, Argentina, Sweden, Haiti, Cuba,
Georgia, Denmark, Switzerland, Thailand and Jamaica.

One-hundred-ninety-one States have ratified the almost-universal
Convention on the Rights of the Child. Only Somalia and the United
States are not parties to the Convention.

When the Committee reconvenes at 3 p.m., it will continue its work in
closed session. It is next scheduled to meet in public at 10 a.m.
Friday, 31 January, the last day of its spring three-week session. At
that meeting the Committee is expected to release its conclusions and
recommendations on the nine country reports it has reviewed during
its thirty-second session.

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