22 May 2003: CRINMAIL 475 Contents: Special Edition on the 33rd Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child ******************************************************************************** - COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: 33rd Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child [event] - COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: 33rd Session Opens in Geneva [press release] - ERITREA: Committee on the Rights of the Child Reviews Initial Report of Eritrea [news] - CYPRUS: Committee on the Rights of the Child Reviews Second Periodic Report of Cyprus [news] - NGO GROUP FOR THE CRC/CRIN: NGO Alternative Reports [publications] ******************************************************************************** Your submissions are welcome if you are working in the area of child rights. To contribute, email us at info@crin.org. Please note that we are unable to respond to emails addressed to crinmail_english@domeus.co.uk Adobe Acrobat is required for viewing some of the documents, and if required can be downloaded from www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html ******************************************************************************** - COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: 33rd Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child [event] The 33rd Session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19 May to 6 June 2003. States Parties reports being considered are as follows: Eritrea, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Syrian Arab Republic, Morocco, Jamaica, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Zambia. Information about this session is available at http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crc/doc/session33.htm - This link includes all the country documentation for the Committee's 33rd session, including: States Parties Reports, lists of issues, States' written replies to the lists of issues, delegation lists and statements, as well as the Committee's concluding observations. It will be updated on a daily basis during the session. For more information, contact: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Committee on the Rights of the Child 8-14 Avenue de la Paix, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Tel: 00 41 22 917 9000; Fax: 00 41 22 917 9022; Email: khemmerich@ohchr.org or jmermet@ohchr.org Website: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/6/crc/ See also: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=2439&flag=event ----------------------------------------------------- - COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD: 33rd Session Opens in Geneva [press release] [Geneva, 19 May 2003] - Committee Elects Board; High Commissioner for Human Rights Addresses "Historic Session" of the Committee ? The Committee met in private at the beginning of the morning and decided to elect for two years Jacob Egbert Doek as Chairperson, and Joyce Aluoch, Marilia Sardenberg Goncalves and Saisuree Chutikul as Vice Chairpersons. It was later announced that Moushira Khattab had been appointed as Rapporteur. The Committee also adopted its agenda. The elected or re-elected members of the Committee made a solemn declaration to perform their duties and exercise their powers as members of the Committee on the Rights of the Child honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously. These include Joyce Aluoch (Kenya); Jacob Egbert Doek (the Netherlands); Kamel Filali (Algeria); Moushira Khattab (Egypt); Lothar Krappmann (Germany); Yanghee Lee (the Republic of Korea); Norberto Liwski (Argentina); Rosa Maria Ortiz (Paraguay); Awa N?Deye Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso); Lucy Smith (Norway); Marjorie Taylor (Jamaica), and Nevena Vuckovic-Sahovic (Serbia and Montenegro). Sergio Vieira de Mello, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, addressed the Committee, noting that this was a historic session as it was the first time the Committee met as an 18-member body since eight new members had been elected. The High Commissioner spoke of the expansion of the workload of the Committee, and pledged his support. With regard to recent developments relating to the Secretary-General's report on strengthening the United Nations, he said he was also looking forward to suggestions to be made to this effect by the Committee. [source: OHCHR. For the full press release, go to: http://www.unog.ch/news2/documents/newsen/crc0314e.htm] --------------------------------------------------- - ERITREA: Committee on the Rights of the Child Reviews Initial Report of Eritrea [news] [Geneva, 20 May 2003] - The Committee on the Rights of the Child today considered the initial report of Eritrea on how that country was implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, hearing a Government delegation describe the great amount of work that had been done in this field. Askalu Menkorios Berhane, the Minister of Labour and Human Welfare of Eritrea and head of the delegation, said that Eritrea had many challenges facing it, and was doing its best to live up to and overcome these challenges. The presence of the delegation at the Committee today was evidence of this commitment, which would further be illustrated by Eritrea's desire to implement the suggestions made by the Committee. Much work had been done to date with regard to improving the situation of the rights of the children of Eritrea, and much work would continue to be done. The law, she said, would be the ultimate instrument for the protection of the children of Eritrea, and although the process of making all the population aware of these laws would take time, it would be done. Committee Experts asked the delegation, among other issues, about funds allocated to children; data gathering; conflicts between customary law and the Convention; the governmental structures which protected children; facilities for psychological and social help for abused children; corporal punishment; the serious environmental situation and the need to address environmental issues such as food security and water notably with regard to girls and women since they were the traditional providers of food and water; and infant mortality rates. In preliminary concluding remarks, Moushira Khattab, the Committee Expert who served as Rapporter to the report of Eritrea, said that the Committee was aware of the achievements of Eritrea, and had therefore mostly focused on the challenges. The Committee's formal concluding observations on the report of Eritrea will be issued towards the end of its three-week session, which concludes on 5 June. [source: OHCHR. For the full report, go to: http://www.unog.ch/news2/documents/newsen/crc0315e.htm] --------------------------------------------------- - CYPRUS: Committee on the Rights of the Child Reviews Second Periodic Report of Cyprus [news] [Geneva, 21 May 2003] - The Committee on the Rights of the Child today considered the second periodic report of Cyprus on how it was implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Leda Koursoumba, Law Commissioner of Cyprus and head of the Cypriot delegation, said that Cyprus was traditionally a child-centered society, with a strong family focus, as measured by societal rules. However, the situation was not perfect, although it had improved, and there remained room for improvement. The delegation of Cyprus said that the institution of Law Commissioner had been instituted in 1972 and kept the gap between the law and the implementation of the law as small as possible. In reality, the important part of conventions and laws was not their ratification, but their implementation. With regard to the budget, there was no particular percentage of the Governmental budget earmarked for children, and this was a point which required remedy now that it had been pointed out, the delegation noted. Ministries would be encouraged to allocate part of their budgets specifically to children. Committee Experts questioned the delegation, among other things, about who had participated in the drafting of the report; the decrease in the birth rate; how children with disabilities were integrated and what was the reaction of society to these children; whether programmes existed to inform children about their rights, and domestic violence. In preliminary concluding remarks, Marilia Sardenberg Goncalves, the Committee Expert who served as Rapporteur on the report of Cyprus, said that the discussion had been most interesting and informative. Cyprus had a window of opportunity to enhance children's rights and to bring the important concept of children as subject to these rights to the front of the political discussion on that island. [source: OHCHR. For the full report, go to: http://www.unog.ch/news2/documents/newsen/crc0316e.htm] --------------------------------------------------- - NGO GROUP FOR THE CRC/CRIN: NGO Alternative Reports [publications] The NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child is a coalition of international non-governmental organisations, which work together to facilitate the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It was originally formed in 1983 when members of the NGO Group were actively involved in the drafting of the Convention. The NGO Group has a Liaison Unit that supports participation of the NGOs, particularly national coalitions, in the reporting process to the Committee on the Rights of the Child as well as other activities to ensure the implementation of the Convention. One important area is the management of NGO Alternative Reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The reports are submitted in accordance with article 45(a) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that 'The Committee may invite the specialised agencies, the United Nations Children's Fund and other competent bodies as it may consider appropriate to provide expert advice on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their respective mandates.' The reports for the 33rd session will soon be available at: http://www.crin.org/resources/treaties/CRC.asp?catName=International+Treaties&flag=legal&ID=6 Archives of previous NGO Alternative Reports are also available at: http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/treaties/crc.25/annex-vi-crin.htm For more information, contact: NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child c/o Defence for Children International, 1 rue de Varembé, P.O. Box 88, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland. Tel: 00 41 22 740 47 30; Fax: 00 41 22 740 1145; Email: ngo-crc@tiscalinet.ch Website: www.crin.org/NGOGroupforCRC ********************************************************************************** The CRINMAIL is an electronic mailing list of the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN). CRIN does not accredit, validate or substantiate any information posted by members to the CRINMAIL. 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