UNITED
NATIONS	E

	Economic and Social	Distr.
	Council	GENERAL
		E/CN.4/1996/99
		5 December 1995
		Original: ENGLISH

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Fifty-second session
Item 20 (a) of the provisional agenda

1. The General Assembly, in its resolution 44/25 of 20 November 1989, adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child and expressed the hope that it would come into force at an early date. The Convention was opened for signature in New York on 26 January 1990 and, in accordance with article 49 thereof, entered into force on 2 September 1990, on the thirtieth day after the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession.

2. In its resolution 1995/79II of 8 March 1995, the Commission on Human Rights urged all States that had not done so to sign, and ratify or accede to the Convention as a matter of priority; urged States parties that had made reservations to review the compatibility of their reservations with article 51 of the Convention and other relevant rules of international law; took note of the consideration by the Committee on the Rights of the Child of the reservations and declarations entered by States parties; called upon States parties to cooperate closely with the Committee on the Rights of the Child; welcomed the progress made in the working group on a draft optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflicts; requested the working group to meet for a period of two weeks prior to the fifty-second session of the Commission; invited the Committee on the Rights of the Child to offer comments on the draft optional protocol and to be represented at future sessions of the working group; invited Member States and United Nations bodies and organs, as well as other relevant organizations, to contribute to the ongoing study by the expert designated by the Secretary-general on the impact of armed conflicts on children; welcomed the establishment by the Secretary-General of a voluntary trust fund to finance information and training programmes relating to mine clearance; requested bodies and organs of the United Nations; and invited intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and the community at large, to intensify their efforts to disseminate information on the Convention on the rights of the Child, promote understanding of it and assist Governments in its implementation; emphasized the importance of ensuring training on the rights of the child of those involved in actions concerning children; recognized the importance of strengthening international cooperation, as a means to assist Governments in preventing and combating situations of violations of the rights of the child, and requested the Secretary-General to submit a report on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to the Commission at its fifty-second session.

3. As at 1 November 1995 the Convention had received 141 signatures, 136 of which were followed by ratification. In addition, 32 States had acceded to the Convention and 6 had succeeded to it, bringing the total of ratification and accessions to the Convention to 180. A list of States that have ratified or acceded to the Convention, and the dates of their signature, ratifications or accession, appears in the annex to the present report.

4. The Committee on the Rights of the Child held its eighth session from 9 to 27 January 1995 at the United Nations Office at Geneva. At that session the Committee considered reports submitted by six States parties to the Convention. In addition, the Committee reviewed its cooperation with United Nations bodies. On 23 January 1995, the Committee held a day of general discussion on "the girl child". The Committee adopted a report on its eighth session (CRC/C/38)

5. The Committee on the Rights of the Child held its ninth session from 22 May to 9 June 1995 at the United Nations Office at Geneva. During that session, the Committee considered reports submitted by five States parties to the Convention. The Committee reiterated its decision to contribute actively to the Fourth World Conference on Women. It also devoted a meeting to a discussion with specialized agencies, relevant United Nations bodies and other competent bodies and decided to institutionalize these meetings on at least an annual basis. It furthermore reaffirmed its readiness to cooperate with the Centre for Human Rights, other relevant bodies within the United Nations system and other competent bodies in the field of advisory services and technical assistance. In the framework of its ongoing cooperation with other United Nations organs and human rights mechanisms, the Committee held discussions with the expert on the impact of armed conflicts on children, as well as with the Special Rapporteurs of the Commission on Human Rights on Rwanda and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The Committee adopted a report on its ninth session (CRC/C/43).

6. The Committee on the Rights of the Child held its tenth session at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 30 October to 17 November 1995. One day was devoted to discussions on the topic of the administration of juvenile justice, focusing on the relevance of the effective implementation of existing standards and the value of international cooperation through programmes of technical assistance. The Committee also reported on the fourth informal meeting it had held, for two weeks in October 1995 in the South Asian region, at which it had participated in a thematic regional consultation organized by UNICEF on the issue of child labour. The Committee adopted a report on its tenth session (CRC/C/46). To ensure better follow-up to the Committee's recommendations as reflected in its concluding observations, and to discuss assistance to States in implementing those recommendations, a meeting was held on 20 November (during the meeting of the presessional working group for the eleventh session) with the participation of various United Nations bodies and specialized agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations, to consider concrete ways to facilitate such follow-up.

7. The eleventh session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child will be held from 8 to 26 January 1996 in Geneva.

8. The Fifth Meeting of the States parties to the Convention was convened by the Secretary-General at United Nations Headquarters on 21 February 1995 for the purpose of electing five members of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to replace those whose terms were due to expire on 28 February 1995.

Annex
STATES WHICH HAVE RATIFIED OR ACCEDED TO THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD AS AT 1 NOVEMBER 1995 (180)