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12 October 2000
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Fifty-Fifth General Assembly
Third Committee
20th Meeting (AM)
12 October 2000
Of the 250 million children at present working in the world, 60 million were engaged in the worst forms of child labour, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) was told this morning, as it continued deliberating the promotion and protection of children's rights.
Legislative action, technical support and universal cooperation would bring those children a decent childhood, continued the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Director of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour.
He said the ILO Convention on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour was the fastest ratified in ILO history. It applied to persons under age 18, and directed governments to ban practices such as child slave labour and bondage, and the use of children in armed conflicts and in the service of drug trafficking, as well as in all forms of hazardous work. In 70 developing countries, the ILO was eliminating child labour sustainably by being sensitive to the developmental context, particularly in situations of parental un- or under- employment.
The representative of India said that the report of the Secretary-General on children in armed conflict made recommendations to the Security Council that had little to do with the Council’s mandate of maintaining international peace and security. He added that, in trying to find a solution to the problem of children in armed conflict, it was most important to bear in mind that they were the future of humanity. They must live in peace and security, with full dignity and without want. That was what the international community should dedicate itself to if humanity was to prosper without barriers.
Peace and stability were prerequisites for preventing the handicaps that armed conflicts created in children, said the representative of Sudan. Children’s rights should be on every peace agenda, with provisions for their ongoing care in post-war situations. Enlisting local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) would improve the effectiveness of international efforts to protect children.
Because armed conflict caused permanent trauma in children, the representative of Uganda urged all States to sign the relevant optional protocol. Those who profited from involving children in armed conflict should be brought to justice, and not merely “held accountable”. The illicit sale of arms across borders was a contributing factor which must be eliminated. Also, refinements in juvenile justice should continue.
Also speaking this morning were the representatives of Mongolia, Ukraine, Belarus, China, Cyprus, Croatia, Iraq, Brazil and Rwanda.
The Committee was also addressed by a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Committee will meet again at 3:00 p.m. to continue its deliberations on children's rights.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to continue its deliberations on promoting and protecting the rights of children.
Statements
PUREVJAVYN GANSUKH (Mongolia) said that his country had reason to attach great importance to protecting the rights of children: 37 per cent of its population was under the age of 15, and nearly half were under 18. The State and Government, then, had been consistent in their efforts to ensure access to health and education and to mobilize resources for national-level implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the goals set at the World Summit for Children. During the 1990s, a national plan of action for the development of children had accomplished much, but further efforts and concerted action were needed at both national and international levels for the full achievement of those goals. As Mongolia was a country still grappling with the challenges of transition, the growing number of street children –- poverty- stricken or hungry children, children who were school dropouts –- was a cause for concern. Mongolia’s new Government was closely focused on social policy and was, therefore, making every effort to address the present situation of children. Most recently, it had ratified the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
Aside from that, he said, the Government was actively working to identify the root causes of those problems, as well as newly emerging social ills like teen suicide, alcoholism and prostitution, in order to comprehensively address the complex issues facing children today. To that end, the Government was actively cooperating with international organizations, other Member States and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as United Nations agencies. Chief among those had been the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He informed the Committee that Mongolia had designated the year 2000 as the “National Year for Child Development” as a manifestation of its strong political commitment to the cause of improving the situation of children.
MYKOLA MELENEVSKY (Ukraine) said that the Committee’s review of the current situation of the world’s children had identified numerous examples of flagrant abuses. But the most burning issues were sexual exploitation, children in armed conflict, and the situation of disabled and street children. It was also important to note that universal health care would be impossible without a plan to combat poverty and hunger. Providing basic services for the world’s children was imperative.
Another important problem for children today was that of child-labour abuse, he continued. In that regard, he highlighted the importance of the ILO Convention on child labour. That instrument should, however, remind the international community that the problem concerned more than just economic exploitation -- it also involved child slavery and sexual exploitation. He hoped the Convention would come into force soon.
His Government, he said, gave high priority to the issue of children in armed conflict. Millions of children were killed in conflict and others were further exploited by being forced to watch killings or participate in them. In that regard, he welcomed the increasing attention paid to that important issue by the Security Council, UNICEF and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He noted that Ukraine’s President had signed the Convention’s two Optional Protocols during the Millennium Summit.
These were just a few of the problems facing children today, but sadly, he said, closer examination would show that other serious problems persisted. The upcoming Assembly special session on children would present a new opportunity to address those problems and identify strategies to combat them. While all those problems no doubt had multifaceted complexities, national governments should be at the forefront in seeking answers. Ukraine’s government had, therefore, instituted many policies and programmes aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of children. But deep production decline and its impact on adults had severely affected children. Another major problem was the continuing nightmare associated with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1985. Fifteen years of monitoring the effects of that incident on the health of the population had shown evidence of sharp increases in childhood leukaemia and other blood disorders and congenital abnormalities.
SVETLANA BEINAROVICH (Belarus) said protection of children was linked to equality of the sexes and the situation of the family. The Convention and the Protocols were important protections for children. In her country, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was resorted to both by officials and family members in order to bring about justice in cases of crimes against children.
She said that the fate of children who had gone through the Chernobyl crisis was of particular concern for her country. They were given subsidies and health assistance, but still the problems were getting worse. Both women and children were falling ill, while the ailing economy created depression among the people. The work programme of the special session next year should address such concerns to secure the rights of all children for the next decade.
YONG ZHU (China) said his country had 300 million children, or one fifth of the world total. Family values had always been a tradition in China, and an outline for development of the child had been elaborated on the basis of Convention on children’s rights. County agencies had been set up to oversee implementation. As a result, mortality rates for children had dropped and immunizations had led to the elimination of diseases such as smallpox and polio. Educational differences between the sexes had dropped significantly. China had submitted its first report in 1995 and was now preparing its second. He welcomed the two Protocols to the Convention as important measures that would lead to reducing and eliminating exploitation and abuse of children. He called for new guidelines to address issues for the next decade.
ILHAM IBRAHIM MOHAMED AHMED (Sudan) said the situation of children today was clear to all mankind. Technological progress in some places had created good conditions for some, while the poverty of developing countries affected children most. Children in armed conflict were particularly handicapped by the effects of war. The international community must strive to establish peace and stability in areas so affected. During his next mandate, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict should work to strengthen local values in troubled situations so as to heighten regional stability. National mechanisms must also be strengthened to protect children in armed conflict while displaced children should be provided support, particularly displaced girls. The international community, she said, must insist on peaceful initiatives to resolve conflicts and must call on all parties to participate in putting children’s rights on the peace agenda. That meant providing children with ongoing care in post-war situations while affected areas were rebuilt. Also, the efforts of local NGOs must be enhanced to heighten the effectiveness of international programmes.
Describing her country’s national programme for implementing the Convention, she said the Executive Director of UNICEF would launch a campaign against polio there this month. Also, the Sudan would sign the optional protocol on children in armed conflict before the end of the year. But the causes of children’s displacement must be addressed, including their exploitation in the south of her country. Special efforts must be expended for unaccompanied children, for example, by establishing family groups for them and removing them from the type of labour that impacted negatively on their health. Trafficking in children must be treated as a very serious phenomenon. Moreover, the conditions of aggression and intimidation in the occupied Palestinian territories must be corrected.
DEMETRIS HADJIARGYROU (Cyprus) said that progress in primary education had not kept pace with increase in population, illiteracy was rampant in many parts of the globe and malnutrition and maternal mortality still presented serious problems. The AIDS crisis and the exploitation of children were also areas that demanded further consideration. Cyprus had consistently pursued active promotion and protection of the rights of the children. It had ratified the Convention in 1990 and vigorously promoted implementation of its provisions. Existing national legislation was extensive and effective. Laws on violence in the family, and relations between parents and children were among the initiatives aimed at creating a legal framework in line with the tenets of the Convention and the European Union.
Cyprus, he said, had invested heavily in education and health. The government had subsidized children’s programmes operated by NGOs. A multidimensional five-year plan of action for children had been developed. While all those plans and programmes would, no doubt, have a positive effect on the situation of most children in his country, there was one category of children whose fundamental right to education and other basic rights had been utterly violated. That group was the enclave of Greek-Cypriot children living in an area of the country illegally occupied by Turkey since 1974. Upon completing elementary school, those children were forced to decide whether to forgo secondary education altogether, or to be separated from their families by pursuing further education in the Government-controlled area of the country. That was a choice that no child should have to make. Finally, he said that the Convention on the Rights of the Child was the most ratified treaty in human history. That was indisputable proof that governments possessed the political will to pursue policies in the interest of their most precious group of citizens.
TANIA VALERIE RAGUZ (Croatia) said that 10 years after the World Summit for Children, the time was right for the international community to renew its commitment to children. With near-universal ratification, there was no doubt that the Convention had become the centrepiece of national and international action to protect and promote the rights of children. Croatia also looked forward to working with all relevant actors in preparing for the upcoming Assembly special session on children. That session would provide a chance to identify measures to improve implementation in the twenty-first century. For its part, Croatia had been enacting policies that attached specific significance to the rights of children. Quality education was a strategic developmental priority for the overall evolution of Croatian society. Furthermore, attention was now being paid to implementing a new law on children’s allowances. That law would introduce a stable system of budget financing and increase the number of children entitled to benefit.
Poverty remained among the most important human rights challenges for children today. Concerted efforts aimed at poverty eradication must be undertaken to bridge the widening gap of disparity many children faced as they attempted to realize their economic, social and cultural rights. Several United Nations agencies, including UNICEF and the ILO, had taken the lead in addressing that issue. There also must be concerted efforts to address the serious problem of children in armed conflict. That would be critical in ensuring a successful agenda for both national and international action to address the problem. A clarion call should also be issued to all international actors, including the Security Council, world governments and United Nations agencies, to give the rights of children the highest priority on peace agendas and in peace accords. To that end, Croatia welcomed the Organization’s initiative to integrate child protection clauses into peacekeeping mandates.
FELA HESAN AL-RUBAIE (Iraq) said that the rights of children and youth were suffering mainly because of armed conflicts, natural disasters, sanctions and all forms of exploitation. The persistence of those issues should force the world community to take the problem of the children’s human rights very seriously. Iraq’s action plan for the protection of the rights of children had met with some success, despite the continued unjust economic embargoes on that country by the United States and the United Kingdom. Iraq had joined the Convention and had reported to the Committee on the Rights of the Child the devastating effects the sanctions had on implementing the Convention’s provisions. The Committee had noted in its report that sanctions had a seriously negative effect on civilian populations, particularly children. Along with the effects of the global embargo came a dangerous lack of resources, such as medicines and school books, that would normally be earmarked for their use.
The sanction had resulted in the deaths of over 1 million children. More than 15,000 children would die in Iraq this month alone. That was mainly due to malnutrition and lack of proper health care, but also to the deleterious effects of depleted uranium ordnance. Those and other problems for Iraq’s children had been underscored by a UNICEF study, which reported an increase in deaths of children under the age of five. Now that the international community was carrying out a review of the Convention and World Summit, it should also recognize that the children of Iraq were suffering from genocide as a result of the continued sanctions against the country. It was unfortunate that Special Representative Olara Otunnu had not mentioned the effect of sanctions on children in his most recent report. Would it take another million deaths of Iraqi children before the issue was deemed important enough to be given priority in the international community?
MARCELA NICODEMOS (Brazil), speaking on behalf of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and associated countries, said that, despite an ageing population, the ratio of children and young people in the population of her region was still high. The welfare of those children was a major priority, and the Convention on children’s rights was the framework for efforts to promote their welfare. The rapid signing of the Protocols was a matter of satisfaction. Several MERCOSUR countries had already signed or were finalizing their internal procedures to do so.
The situation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child was of concern, however, she said. The positive results overloaded the small Committee with work. Amendment of the Convention’s article 43, which would increase the number of Committee experts from 10 to 18, had not entered into force because not enough instruments of acceptance had been received yet. All States parties to the Convention should put the amendment of article 43 into force.
The region’s preparatory process for next year’s special session on children was well under way, she continued. Countries were assessing achievements and identifying obstacles to implementation of the Plan of Action for children, adopted 10 years ago at the World Summit. Special areas of concern to be addressed immediately were the needs of youths vulnerable to abuse, education and health care for the poorest.
ROSETTE NYIRINKINDI KATUNGYE (Uganda) allied herself with all those combating the negative effects of armed conflict on children. She recalled that abducted children from northern Uganda were still being held under heinous conditions by the so-called Lords Resistance Army. She asked why the Special Representative on Children in Armed Conflict had not provided more detail on his role in terminating the atrocious situation. She invited him to work with her country on resolving the condition.
Further, she said that since the effects of armed conflict on children created permanent trauma, all States should sign the relevant optional protocol. Perpetrators should not only be held accountable, they should be brought to justice. Steps must be taken to ensure they did not profit from involving children in armed conflict. The illicit sale of arms across borders abetted such crimes and must be halted. Also, international work in the area of the administration of juvenile justice should continue, so that the special needs of children caught in the criminal or penal system were considered.
On related issues, she said the health of children on a global scale was of concern. “A healthy child makes a healthy adult”, she said. That would reduce the morbidity rates of societies and would impact on transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Adolescent health issues should be addressed as a priority. And, of course, special regard must be given to the impact of absolute or abject poverty on the welfare of the child.
RAMACHANDRA REDDY (India) said the report of the Secretary-General on children in armed conflict made a number of recommendations to the Security Council that had very little to do with the Council’s mandate of maintaining international peace and security. While it was true that the impact of conflict on children was deplorable, the argument that the issue had peace and security implications was not tenable. The recommendations enumerated in the report were not pragmatic or well thought out. For example, one recommendation called for armed groups to accept the Convention and its optional protocol on children in armed conflict. While that might be a desirable hope, armed rebels obeyed no laws. In fact, some might offer to sign in the hope that it would give them the legitimacy they craved but had been denied. No group of armed rebels could be trusted to implement an agreement. And unlike governments, they could not be monitored or held accountable. One only had to look at the situation in Sierra Leone. The situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban had shown that conventions and protocols had no meaning for those determined to abuse children. Indeed, schools and seminaries in that country were misused to instill hatred and intolerance, and the affected children became fodder for terrorist groups that threatened the fabric of plural and democratic societies. Would such purveyors of violence respect the Optional Protocol? he asked.
Another of the report’s recommendations urged Member States to make any political, diplomatic, financial and military assistance for State or non-State parties to armed conflict contingent on compliance with relevant international safeguards for children’s rights. Was that an argument for legitimizing armed assistance to non-State actors by Member States? Would armed groups that killed persons or allowed children above the age of 18 to kill persons qualify for military assistance from Member States? “That would be a sure recipe for anarchy”, he said. In trying to find a solution to the problem of children in armed conflict, it was most important to note that they were the future of humanity. They must live in peace and security, with full dignity and without want. That was what the international community should dedicate itself to if humanity was to prosper without barriers.
JOSEPH MUTABOBA (Rwanda) said that, with its limited resources, Rwanda was trying desperately to improve living conditions by taking a holistic approach to some of the problems it faced. To that end, a decentralization process was being implemented in various Government sectors. Local leaders were now responsible for identifying children orphaned by genocide or orphans requiring residence. Those children were given free health care, education and shelter. Those were among the problems Rwanda’s current Government had inherited, and efforts at alleviating them at both national and local levels were under way. Because the country’s basic social fabric had been destroyed, a culture of tolerance and reconciliation was now being taught. Young children who had participated in the genocide had been taken to rehabilitation centres, where they were being taught lessons of love and reconciliation, and a respect for life. The Ministry of Education was mainstreaming those moral values into its programmes to allow children and future generations to benefit.
He said the scourge of AIDS had only exacerbated the situation of children in Rwanda. Many children were now orphaned, as they had lost both parents to the disease. The Government had been offering all the assistance possible to support those children. The issue of street children was also a challenge. Joint efforts with local NGOs had not succeeded in resolving their plight. Research had concluded that poverty was the sole cause of street children, and the Government was, therefore, encouraging foster families to adopt such children. That initiative had reduced the problem to some degree.
MR. HELLE, Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said the plight of children affected by armed conflict had become a priority for the international community. Efforts today must focus on ratifying and implementing treaties such as the Geneva Conventions and their Protocols, as well as those related specifically to children. The ICRC Advisory Service helped States draft national legislation for implementing international humanitarian law. It offered the same support for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Protocols.
Underscoring the importance of spreading knowledge about the Convention, he described the ICRC education programmes. He further delineated activities related to protection of children, to tracing and reuniting children and families, and to setting up databases about missing persons and unaccompanied children.
FRANS ROSELAERS, Director of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, the International Labour Office, Geneva, of the ILO, recalled that, one year ago, the ILO Director-General had addressed the Committee. He had urged creation of a global movement for ratification of the ILO Convention on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Now 37 countries had ratified it, making it the fastest ratified in ILO history.
The Convention applied to all persons under age 18, he continued. It directed governments to ban practices such as slave labour and the bondage of children. Other actions to be banned were the exploitation of children through prostitution or pornography, their use in armed conflicts, in the service of drug trafficking and in all forms of hazardous work. The convention called for enactment of laws, their implementation and enforcement, as well as monitoring and reporting on progress. It was a framework for global action that called for international cooperation and assistance.
The ratification performance could not have been achieved without the moral indignation behind the determination to eliminate the injustice that such labour imposed on children in all regions of the world. Some 70 developing countries were working with the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour. The programme was the global leader, and proved that child labour could be eliminated sustainably. In entire industries and geographical areas, child workers had been taken from factories and put into schools. That worked because of accompanying measures to improve employment for parents and prevent siblings from ending up in child labour.
He said ILO worked most effectively on a system of broad-based in-country partnerships to deal with child labour in a developmental context, linking it to national, economic and social policies. The ILO worked with sensitivity to the context, particularly in situations of extreme poverty and parental un- and underemployment. The aim was a decent childhood for 250 million children who, at present, were obliged to work -- 60 million of them in the worst forms of child labour. Legislative action, technical support and universal cooperation would bring that about.
* *** *
Third Committee
20th Meeting (AM)
12 October 2000
Of the 250 million children at present working in the world, 60 million were engaged in the worst forms of child labour, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) was told this morning, as it continued deliberating the promotion and protection of children's rights.
Legislative action, technical support and universal cooperation would bring those children a decent childhood, continued the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Director of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour.
He said the ILO Convention on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour was the fastest ratified in ILO history. It applied to persons under age 18, and directed governments to ban practices such as child slave labour and bondage, and the use of children in armed conflicts and in the service of drug trafficking, as well as in all forms of hazardous work. In 70 developing countries, the ILO was eliminating child labour sustainably by being sensitive to the developmental context, particularly in situations of parental un- or under- employment.
The representative of India said that the report of the Secretary-General on children in armed conflict made recommendations to the Security Council that had little to do with the Council’s mandate of maintaining international peace and security. He added that, in trying to find a solution to the problem of children in armed conflict, it was most important to bear in mind that they were the future of humanity. They must live in peace and security, with full dignity and without want. That was what the international community should dedicate itself to if humanity was to prosper without barriers.
Peace and stability were prerequisites for preventing the handicaps that armed conflicts created in children, said the representative of Sudan. Children’s rights should be on every peace agenda, with provisions for their ongoing care in post-war situations. Enlisting local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) would improve the effectiveness of international efforts to protect children.
Because armed conflict caused permanent trauma in children, the representative of Uganda urged all States to sign the relevant optional protocol. Those who profited from involving children in armed conflict should be brought to justice, and not merely “held accountable”. The illicit sale of arms across borders was a contributing factor which must be eliminated. Also, refinements in juvenile justice should continue.
Also speaking this morning were the representatives of Mongolia, Ukraine, Belarus, China, Cyprus, Croatia, Iraq, Brazil and Rwanda.
The Committee was also addressed by a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Committee will meet again at 3:00 p.m. to continue its deliberations on children's rights.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to continue its deliberations on promoting and protecting the rights of children.
Statements
PUREVJAVYN GANSUKH (Mongolia) said that his country had reason to attach great importance to protecting the rights of children: 37 per cent of its population was under the age of 15, and nearly half were under 18. The State and Government, then, had been consistent in their efforts to ensure access to health and education and to mobilize resources for national-level implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the goals set at the World Summit for Children. During the 1990s, a national plan of action for the development of children had accomplished much, but further efforts and concerted action were needed at both national and international levels for the full achievement of those goals. As Mongolia was a country still grappling with the challenges of transition, the growing number of street children –- poverty- stricken or hungry children, children who were school dropouts –- was a cause for concern. Mongolia’s new Government was closely focused on social policy and was, therefore, making every effort to address the present situation of children. Most recently, it had ratified the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
Aside from that, he said, the Government was actively working to identify the root causes of those problems, as well as newly emerging social ills like teen suicide, alcoholism and prostitution, in order to comprehensively address the complex issues facing children today. To that end, the Government was actively cooperating with international organizations, other Member States and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as United Nations agencies. Chief among those had been the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He informed the Committee that Mongolia had designated the year 2000 as the “National Year for Child Development” as a manifestation of its strong political commitment to the cause of improving the situation of children.
MYKOLA MELENEVSKY (Ukraine) said that the Committee’s review of the current situation of the world’s children had identified numerous examples of flagrant abuses. But the most burning issues were sexual exploitation, children in armed conflict, and the situation of disabled and street children. It was also important to note that universal health care would be impossible without a plan to combat poverty and hunger. Providing basic services for the world’s children was imperative.
Another important problem for children today was that of child-labour abuse, he continued. In that regard, he highlighted the importance of the ILO Convention on child labour. That instrument should, however, remind the international community that the problem concerned more than just economic exploitation -- it also involved child slavery and sexual exploitation. He hoped the Convention would come into force soon.
His Government, he said, gave high priority to the issue of children in armed conflict. Millions of children were killed in conflict and others were further exploited by being forced to watch killings or participate in them. In that regard, he welcomed the increasing attention paid to that important issue by the Security Council, UNICEF and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He noted that Ukraine’s President had signed the Convention’s two Optional Protocols during the Millennium Summit.
These were just a few of the problems facing children today, but sadly, he said, closer examination would show that other serious problems persisted. The upcoming Assembly special session on children would present a new opportunity to address those problems and identify strategies to combat them. While all those problems no doubt had multifaceted complexities, national governments should be at the forefront in seeking answers. Ukraine’s government had, therefore, instituted many policies and programmes aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of children. But deep production decline and its impact on adults had severely affected children. Another major problem was the continuing nightmare associated with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1985. Fifteen years of monitoring the effects of that incident on the health of the population had shown evidence of sharp increases in childhood leukaemia and other blood disorders and congenital abnormalities.
SVETLANA BEINAROVICH (Belarus) said protection of children was linked to equality of the sexes and the situation of the family. The Convention and the Protocols were important protections for children. In her country, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was resorted to both by officials and family members in order to bring about justice in cases of crimes against children.
She said that the fate of children who had gone through the Chernobyl crisis was of particular concern for her country. They were given subsidies and health assistance, but still the problems were getting worse. Both women and children were falling ill, while the ailing economy created depression among the people. The work programme of the special session next year should address such concerns to secure the rights of all children for the next decade.
YONG ZHU (China) said his country had 300 million children, or one fifth of the world total. Family values had always been a tradition in China, and an outline for development of the child had been elaborated on the basis of Convention on children’s rights. County agencies had been set up to oversee implementation. As a result, mortality rates for children had dropped and immunizations had led to the elimination of diseases such as smallpox and polio. Educational differences between the sexes had dropped significantly. China had submitted its first report in 1995 and was now preparing its second. He welcomed the two Protocols to the Convention as important measures that would lead to reducing and eliminating exploitation and abuse of children. He called for new guidelines to address issues for the next decade.
ILHAM IBRAHIM MOHAMED AHMED (Sudan) said the situation of children today was clear to all mankind. Technological progress in some places had created good conditions for some, while the poverty of developing countries affected children most. Children in armed conflict were particularly handicapped by the effects of war. The international community must strive to establish peace and stability in areas so affected. During his next mandate, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict should work to strengthen local values in troubled situations so as to heighten regional stability. National mechanisms must also be strengthened to protect children in armed conflict while displaced children should be provided support, particularly displaced girls. The international community, she said, must insist on peaceful initiatives to resolve conflicts and must call on all parties to participate in putting children’s rights on the peace agenda. That meant providing children with ongoing care in post-war situations while affected areas were rebuilt. Also, the efforts of local NGOs must be enhanced to heighten the effectiveness of international programmes.
Describing her country’s national programme for implementing the Convention, she said the Executive Director of UNICEF would launch a campaign against polio there this month. Also, the Sudan would sign the optional protocol on children in armed conflict before the end of the year. But the causes of children’s displacement must be addressed, including their exploitation in the south of her country. Special efforts must be expended for unaccompanied children, for example, by establishing family groups for them and removing them from the type of labour that impacted negatively on their health. Trafficking in children must be treated as a very serious phenomenon. Moreover, the conditions of aggression and intimidation in the occupied Palestinian territories must be corrected.
DEMETRIS HADJIARGYROU (Cyprus) said that progress in primary education had not kept pace with increase in population, illiteracy was rampant in many parts of the globe and malnutrition and maternal mortality still presented serious problems. The AIDS crisis and the exploitation of children were also areas that demanded further consideration. Cyprus had consistently pursued active promotion and protection of the rights of the children. It had ratified the Convention in 1990 and vigorously promoted implementation of its provisions. Existing national legislation was extensive and effective. Laws on violence in the family, and relations between parents and children were among the initiatives aimed at creating a legal framework in line with the tenets of the Convention and the European Union.
Cyprus, he said, had invested heavily in education and health. The government had subsidized children’s programmes operated by NGOs. A multidimensional five-year plan of action for children had been developed. While all those plans and programmes would, no doubt, have a positive effect on the situation of most children in his country, there was one category of children whose fundamental right to education and other basic rights had been utterly violated. That group was the enclave of Greek-Cypriot children living in an area of the country illegally occupied by Turkey since 1974. Upon completing elementary school, those children were forced to decide whether to forgo secondary education altogether, or to be separated from their families by pursuing further education in the Government-controlled area of the country. That was a choice that no child should have to make. Finally, he said that the Convention on the Rights of the Child was the most ratified treaty in human history. That was indisputable proof that governments possessed the political will to pursue policies in the interest of their most precious group of citizens.
TANIA VALERIE RAGUZ (Croatia) said that 10 years after the World Summit for Children, the time was right for the international community to renew its commitment to children. With near-universal ratification, there was no doubt that the Convention had become the centrepiece of national and international action to protect and promote the rights of children. Croatia also looked forward to working with all relevant actors in preparing for the upcoming Assembly special session on children. That session would provide a chance to identify measures to improve implementation in the twenty-first century. For its part, Croatia had been enacting policies that attached specific significance to the rights of children. Quality education was a strategic developmental priority for the overall evolution of Croatian society. Furthermore, attention was now being paid to implementing a new law on children’s allowances. That law would introduce a stable system of budget financing and increase the number of children entitled to benefit.
Poverty remained among the most important human rights challenges for children today. Concerted efforts aimed at poverty eradication must be undertaken to bridge the widening gap of disparity many children faced as they attempted to realize their economic, social and cultural rights. Several United Nations agencies, including UNICEF and the ILO, had taken the lead in addressing that issue. There also must be concerted efforts to address the serious problem of children in armed conflict. That would be critical in ensuring a successful agenda for both national and international action to address the problem. A clarion call should also be issued to all international actors, including the Security Council, world governments and United Nations agencies, to give the rights of children the highest priority on peace agendas and in peace accords. To that end, Croatia welcomed the Organization’s initiative to integrate child protection clauses into peacekeeping mandates.
FELA HESAN AL-RUBAIE (Iraq) said that the rights of children and youth were suffering mainly because of armed conflicts, natural disasters, sanctions and all forms of exploitation. The persistence of those issues should force the world community to take the problem of the children’s human rights very seriously. Iraq’s action plan for the protection of the rights of children had met with some success, despite the continued unjust economic embargoes on that country by the United States and the United Kingdom. Iraq had joined the Convention and had reported to the Committee on the Rights of the Child the devastating effects the sanctions had on implementing the Convention’s provisions. The Committee had noted in its report that sanctions had a seriously negative effect on civilian populations, particularly children. Along with the effects of the global embargo came a dangerous lack of resources, such as medicines and school books, that would normally be earmarked for their use.
The sanction had resulted in the deaths of over 1 million children. More than 15,000 children would die in Iraq this month alone. That was mainly due to malnutrition and lack of proper health care, but also to the deleterious effects of depleted uranium ordnance. Those and other problems for Iraq’s children had been underscored by a UNICEF study, which reported an increase in deaths of children under the age of five. Now that the international community was carrying out a review of the Convention and World Summit, it should also recognize that the children of Iraq were suffering from genocide as a result of the continued sanctions against the country. It was unfortunate that Special Representative Olara Otunnu had not mentioned the effect of sanctions on children in his most recent report. Would it take another million deaths of Iraqi children before the issue was deemed important enough to be given priority in the international community?
MARCELA NICODEMOS (Brazil), speaking on behalf of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and associated countries, said that, despite an ageing population, the ratio of children and young people in the population of her region was still high. The welfare of those children was a major priority, and the Convention on children’s rights was the framework for efforts to promote their welfare. The rapid signing of the Protocols was a matter of satisfaction. Several MERCOSUR countries had already signed or were finalizing their internal procedures to do so.
The situation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child was of concern, however, she said. The positive results overloaded the small Committee with work. Amendment of the Convention’s article 43, which would increase the number of Committee experts from 10 to 18, had not entered into force because not enough instruments of acceptance had been received yet. All States parties to the Convention should put the amendment of article 43 into force.
The region’s preparatory process for next year’s special session on children was well under way, she continued. Countries were assessing achievements and identifying obstacles to implementation of the Plan of Action for children, adopted 10 years ago at the World Summit. Special areas of concern to be addressed immediately were the needs of youths vulnerable to abuse, education and health care for the poorest.
ROSETTE NYIRINKINDI KATUNGYE (Uganda) allied herself with all those combating the negative effects of armed conflict on children. She recalled that abducted children from northern Uganda were still being held under heinous conditions by the so-called Lords Resistance Army. She asked why the Special Representative on Children in Armed Conflict had not provided more detail on his role in terminating the atrocious situation. She invited him to work with her country on resolving the condition.
Further, she said that since the effects of armed conflict on children created permanent trauma, all States should sign the relevant optional protocol. Perpetrators should not only be held accountable, they should be brought to justice. Steps must be taken to ensure they did not profit from involving children in armed conflict. The illicit sale of arms across borders abetted such crimes and must be halted. Also, international work in the area of the administration of juvenile justice should continue, so that the special needs of children caught in the criminal or penal system were considered.
On related issues, she said the health of children on a global scale was of concern. “A healthy child makes a healthy adult”, she said. That would reduce the morbidity rates of societies and would impact on transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Adolescent health issues should be addressed as a priority. And, of course, special regard must be given to the impact of absolute or abject poverty on the welfare of the child.
RAMACHANDRA REDDY (India) said the report of the Secretary-General on children in armed conflict made a number of recommendations to the Security Council that had very little to do with the Council’s mandate of maintaining international peace and security. While it was true that the impact of conflict on children was deplorable, the argument that the issue had peace and security implications was not tenable. The recommendations enumerated in the report were not pragmatic or well thought out. For example, one recommendation called for armed groups to accept the Convention and its optional protocol on children in armed conflict. While that might be a desirable hope, armed rebels obeyed no laws. In fact, some might offer to sign in the hope that it would give them the legitimacy they craved but had been denied. No group of armed rebels could be trusted to implement an agreement. And unlike governments, they could not be monitored or held accountable. One only had to look at the situation in Sierra Leone. The situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban had shown that conventions and protocols had no meaning for those determined to abuse children. Indeed, schools and seminaries in that country were misused to instill hatred and intolerance, and the affected children became fodder for terrorist groups that threatened the fabric of plural and democratic societies. Would such purveyors of violence respect the Optional Protocol? he asked.
Another of the report’s recommendations urged Member States to make any political, diplomatic, financial and military assistance for State or non-State parties to armed conflict contingent on compliance with relevant international safeguards for children’s rights. Was that an argument for legitimizing armed assistance to non-State actors by Member States? Would armed groups that killed persons or allowed children above the age of 18 to kill persons qualify for military assistance from Member States? “That would be a sure recipe for anarchy”, he said. In trying to find a solution to the problem of children in armed conflict, it was most important to note that they were the future of humanity. They must live in peace and security, with full dignity and without want. That was what the international community should dedicate itself to if humanity was to prosper without barriers.
JOSEPH MUTABOBA (Rwanda) said that, with its limited resources, Rwanda was trying desperately to improve living conditions by taking a holistic approach to some of the problems it faced. To that end, a decentralization process was being implemented in various Government sectors. Local leaders were now responsible for identifying children orphaned by genocide or orphans requiring residence. Those children were given free health care, education and shelter. Those were among the problems Rwanda’s current Government had inherited, and efforts at alleviating them at both national and local levels were under way. Because the country’s basic social fabric had been destroyed, a culture of tolerance and reconciliation was now being taught. Young children who had participated in the genocide had been taken to rehabilitation centres, where they were being taught lessons of love and reconciliation, and a respect for life. The Ministry of Education was mainstreaming those moral values into its programmes to allow children and future generations to benefit.
He said the scourge of AIDS had only exacerbated the situation of children in Rwanda. Many children were now orphaned, as they had lost both parents to the disease. The Government had been offering all the assistance possible to support those children. The issue of street children was also a challenge. Joint efforts with local NGOs had not succeeded in resolving their plight. Research had concluded that poverty was the sole cause of street children, and the Government was, therefore, encouraging foster families to adopt such children. That initiative had reduced the problem to some degree.
MR. HELLE, Representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said the plight of children affected by armed conflict had become a priority for the international community. Efforts today must focus on ratifying and implementing treaties such as the Geneva Conventions and their Protocols, as well as those related specifically to children. The ICRC Advisory Service helped States draft national legislation for implementing international humanitarian law. It offered the same support for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Protocols.
Underscoring the importance of spreading knowledge about the Convention, he described the ICRC education programmes. He further delineated activities related to protection of children, to tracing and reuniting children and families, and to setting up databases about missing persons and unaccompanied children.
FRANS ROSELAERS, Director of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, the International Labour Office, Geneva, of the ILO, recalled that, one year ago, the ILO Director-General had addressed the Committee. He had urged creation of a global movement for ratification of the ILO Convention on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Now 37 countries had ratified it, making it the fastest ratified in ILO history.
The Convention applied to all persons under age 18, he continued. It directed governments to ban practices such as slave labour and the bondage of children. Other actions to be banned were the exploitation of children through prostitution or pornography, their use in armed conflicts, in the service of drug trafficking and in all forms of hazardous work. The convention called for enactment of laws, their implementation and enforcement, as well as monitoring and reporting on progress. It was a framework for global action that called for international cooperation and assistance.
The ratification performance could not have been achieved without the moral indignation behind the determination to eliminate the injustice that such labour imposed on children in all regions of the world. Some 70 developing countries were working with the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour. The programme was the global leader, and proved that child labour could be eliminated sustainably. In entire industries and geographical areas, child workers had been taken from factories and put into schools. That worked because of accompanying measures to improve employment for parents and prevent siblings from ending up in child labour.
He said ILO worked most effectively on a system of broad-based in-country partnerships to deal with child labour in a developmental context, linking it to national, economic and social policies. The ILO worked with sensitivity to the context, particularly in situations of extreme poverty and parental un- and underemployment. The aim was a decent childhood for 250 million children who, at present, were obliged to work -- 60 million of them in the worst forms of child labour. Legislative action, technical support and universal cooperation would bring that about.
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