> Call to the International community

 

 

 

One year after the adoption of the Convention, on 29 and 30 September 1990, a World Summit for children took place in New York; 159 countries attended this meeting, including 71 Heads of State and government. The international community agreed upon a 10 year-action plan containing a number of specific objectives to "ensure a better future for each child" in line with the Convention.

After ten years, during the 2001 UN General Assembly, the international community admitted, in the declaration "A World Fit for Children", that "the results were generally not up to (the standards of the) national obligations and international commitments taken." [84] The General Assembly then adopted a new demanding action plan developed in 10-points.

At present, although not legally binding, which is, on the contrary the case for the Convention, this plan has been partly overshadowed by the Millennium Development Goals that are less ambitious in relation to children and whose aims could be unevenly reached.

 

 

 

Taking into account the best interests of the child and his/her rights concerns the international community as a whole. This constitutes a priority that goes beyond the borders of each State: it does not only concern their own citizens [85].

States have to respect their commitments in terms of international cooperation, namely by increasing the budget allocated to cooperation in order to reach 0.7% of their GDP [86]. They also have to improve the efficiency of development aid.

We also want to underline the importance of applying the principles of the Declaration of Paris (2005) and the Accra Agenda for Action (2008) for the realisation of the rights of the child in relation to issues dealing with environment, public health, migration, and illegal activities and trafficking.

 

 

 

The Convention, like any other international human rights treaty, it the result of a consensus between different legal, political and cultural sensitivities. Agreed standards are often a minimum. It is therefore unacceptable if signatory States do not respect them.

We call for the strengthening of the Convention verification, evaluation and monitoring systems through the Committee on the Rights of the Child, for the implementation of child rights recommendations issued during the Universal Periodic Review, and by regional human rights protection systems.

 

 

 

Considering the scope of worldwide human rights challenges and the need to coordinate efforts, the international community has to recognize the United Nations' regulating role when dealing with international human rights obligations [87].

This role also implies the involvement of all UN funds, institutions and programs to take into consideration the rights of the child [88] in all their programs.

In addition, this role is very important when dealing with transnational issues, namely human trafficking, child pornography networks, traffic in organs or illegal substances, illegal services and goods, international migration... Even if States subscribe to binding obligations in these fields[6], the UN has to ensure the coherence of actions through increased means.

 

 

UNICEF, the High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as other UN or UN-related institutions can provide technical assistance services on several matters dealing with the implementation of the Convention.

We plead for an increasing cooperation among intergovernmental, regional and international organizations, UN funds and programs and other international institutions with States and the Committee on the Rights of the Child in view of implementing the Convention. In so doing, they will promote the implementation of the Committee recommendations [89].

 

 

Finally, we believe that development aid has to integrate more clearly the issue of human rights, including the rights of the child in its approach.

 

 

[83] A World Fit for Children A/S-27/Rev.1.

[84] The need for international cooperation is explicitly mentioned in the following articles of the Convention: art 7 Par.2), 11 (par.2), 17 (al. e), 22 (par.2), 23 (par.4), 24 (par.4), 27 (par.4), 28 (par.3), 34 and 35.

[85] The decision to fix the contribution of each country to 0,7% of its GDP is indicated in the Report of the International Conference on Financing for Development, Monterrey (Mexico), 18-22 March 2002 (A/Conf.198/11).

[86] The necessary strengthening of the United Nations Organization is reaffirmed, among others, in the 8^th Millennium Development Goal, op.cit.

[87]  See General Comment 5 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, op.cit § 64.

[88] In accordance, among others, with Articles 34 and 35 of the Convention.

[89] See: General Comment. 5 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, op.cit, § 63-64 and Chapter VII "Interaction with specialized agencies and bodies of the United Nations" on Working methods of the Committee on the Rights of the Child:

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/workingmethods.htm#a7