Meeting of States Parties for

Convention on Rights of Child

15^th & 16^th Meetings (AM & PM)

STATES PARTIES TO 1989 CONVENTION ON RIGHTS OF CHILD ELECT

FIVE MEMBERS TO CONVENTION'S MONITORING BODY

Also Elect Chairperson, Three Vice-Chairs for Eighth Meeting

The States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child today elected, in three rounds of voting, five members to the Convention’s monitoring body.  It also elected, without a vote, the Chairperson and three Vice-Chairs of its eighth meeting.

The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, now almost universally ratified, affirms the rights of children to special protection, opportunities and facilities for healthy, normal development.  The monitoring body –- the Committee on the Rights of the Child -- meets regularly to oversee the progress made by States parties in fulfilling their obligations.  It can make suggestions and recommendations to governments and the General Assembly on ways to meet the Convention’s objectives.

According to the Convention, the 10-member Committee shall be elected by States parties from among their nationals and shall serve for four years in their personal capacity, with consideration being given to equitable geographic distribution, as well as to the principal legal systems.  Members shall also be elected by secret ballot from a list of persons nominated by States parties.  The elected shall be those with the largest number of votes and an absolute majority of the votes of the representatives present and voting.  Two-thirds of States parties shall constitute a quorum.

Mario Alemán (Ecuador), nominated by the representative of Kyrgyzstan, was elected as Chairman of the eighth meeting without a vote.  Anna-Maija Korpi (Finland), nominated by the Western European and other States, Vladimir C.Sotorov (Bulgaria), Eastern European States, and Ahmed Snoussi (Morocco), African States, were elected as Vice-Chairs, also without a vote.

In the first round of voting for Committee membership, Ghalia Mohd Bin Hamad Al-Thani (Qatar) and Luigi Citarella (Italy) were elected from a total of

21 candidates, having received the required majority of 93 votes or more.  In the second round of voting, Saisuree Chutikul (Thailand) and Marilia Sardenberg (Brazil) were elected, also having received the required 93 votes or more majority.  In a third round of voting, Ibrahim Abdul Azziz Al-Sheddi (Saudi Arabia) was elected, having received the required majority of 85 votes or more.

15^th & 16^th Meetings (AM & PM)

Attention was also drawn to the fact that the Secretary-General had yet to receive the proper credentials from the number of States parties represented at this meeting, as per the rules of procedure.  It was decided that those representatives present should be entitled to provisionally participate in the meeting, but that they should be urged to submit their credentials to the Secretary-General as soon as possible.

Bacre Waly N’diaye, Director of the New York Office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Representative of the Secretary-General, said today’s session followed an important year during which the Assembly adopted two Optional Protocols on the Rights of the Child -- one on children in armed conflicts and another on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.  He hoped those new instruments would help to make universal implementation of the rights of the child a priority.

He said that since 16 February 1999 no new States had ratified the Convention.  The Protocol on Children in Armed Conflicts had been signed by

76 States and ratified by two so far, while the other additional Protocol had been signed by 71 States and ratified by one.  He said a plan of action of the High Commissioner’s Office to strengthen implementation of the Convention had been in place since 1997.  Since 2000, that plan was part of the Office’s global programme to support the work of treaty bodies, which received extra-budgetary funding through the Office’s annual appeals.

Also, on 12 December 1995, the Conference of the States parties to the Convention had adopted an amendment that would increase membership of the Committee to 18.  The Assembly had approved that amendment and urged States parties to take appropriate measures, so that acceptance by a two-thirds majority could be reached and allow the amendment to enter into force.  As of 26 February this year, the amendment had been accepted by 96 States parties.  He stressed that the increased membership would undoubtedly contribute to enabling the Committee to expeditiously and effectively meet its mandate.

Concurring with that view, the representatives of Syria and Costa Rica both called on all States parties to ratify the amendment.  A valuable and positive response to the amendment would benefit the world’s children.

The representative of Sweden (on behalf of the European Union and associated States) also called upon all States parties to accept, as a matter of priority, the extension of the Committee membership, so that it could respond in an effective and transparent way to its ever-increasing workload.  She also stressed the need to provide the Committee with adequate resources. 

The meeting also took note of notes by the Secretary-General on:  the status of the amendment to the Convention (document CRC/SP/30); and the Plan of Action of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to strengthen the implementation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child (document CRC/SP/31).

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