This page is background information, last updated in May 2002 and still available for reference. For the latest on the Special Session on Children, please go to the Special Session index.

First Global Meeting Of Independent Human Rights Institutions For Children

PRESS RELEASE

Children in every state need an independent human rights institution to act as their champion and ensure their rights, views and feelings are respected. Already, more than 30 states have established independent children's rights commissioners or ombudspeople with legal authority to promote, protect and monitor the human rights of children. These institutions have different names and forms; all share a common purpose in promoting the effective implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The first global meeting of these children's rights institutions is being held in the UN headquarters in New York as world leaders gather for the UN General Assembly's Special Session on Children (SSC - opening tomorrow - May 8). The meeting of independent institutions urges governments and the United Nations system to -
· mainstream and give priority to children's rights and support implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
· ensure every state has an effective independent human rights institution for children;
· place the best interests of children at the core of national, regional and international decision-making;
· develop laws and procedures that enable breaches of children's rights to be challenged;
· respect in law, policy and practice children's rights to have their views heard and taken seriously when any decision affecting them is being made.

Since adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by the UN General Assembly in 1989, all but two states have ratified. The global meeting urges the US and Somalia to join the 191 other states that have accepted their commitments to realise children's economic, social, cultural and civil and political rights.

We reaffirm that all rights recognised by the Convention on the Rights of the Child are the rights of all children and should be guaranteed without any discrimination whatsoever. "We commit ourselves to working with children, with governments and/or parliaments, child-led groups and with non-governmental organisations to hold international agencies and governments to account for the promises they made to children and of the obligations they committed themselves to by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The world has fallen far short of what was expected for the children of the world, when the UN Convention was adopted."

"We cannot tolerate another decade of non-compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We will work hard within our States to make sure that the obligations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child are fully understood and complied with. After decades of international standard-setting activities and ratifying human rights treaties, States must focus on their full implementation. Having rights on paper means little or nothing when they are not known about or cannot be enforced. We can and must do better!"

"We will contribute our independent role to the reporting process under the Convention. We will promote effective follow-up to the Special Session on Children and will monitor progress in our countries in meeting the goals set at the Session."

The UN Secretary General, in his review of the follow-up to the World Summit on Children held in 1990, notes how far States are from meeting their obligations under the Convention and fulfilling the promises made at the World Summit. The report - We the Children - also notes progress in establishing independent human rights institutions for children. It suggests that existing institutions should be assessed "to shed light on the difference they can make to children's lives and to inform the establishment of new ones". We strongly support the Secretary-General's proposal that standards for these institutions be developed, building on the standards for national human rights institutions that were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993.

Finally, representatives of the Independent Human Rights Institutions present at the meeting urge all media to recognise the very special role that they themselves have to play in the protection of the rights of the child, including to help make known the role of national institutions for children.

Background

This meeting of human rights institutions for children is considering the formation of global and regional networks of ombudspeople and commissioners for children - a European Network of Ombudspeople for Children already exists and the Asia/Pacific region has recently formed a cooperative group - and debating how best to encourage the development of independent institutions in every state. They are also discussing draft Standards to ensure adequate independence and to maximise their effectiveness in advocating for children and ensuring their protection.

Since 1981, when Norway's Parliament passed an Act establishing the world's first Children's Ombudsman, many states in Europe, Latin America, the Pacific and other regions have established special institutions - Defenseurs des Enfants, Children's Rights Commissioners, Procuraduría Especial de la Niñez y la Adolescencia. In other countries, national human rights commissions and ombudsman offices have developed focal points on children. These institutions vary in title, size and resources, legal powers and activities. All share the aim of increasing knowledge of and respect for children's rights. They act as a spokesperson for children and encourage respect for the views of children within government, institutions and the family. Some have powers to investigate individual cases and complaints; others advocate on behalf of children as a group.

During the meeting, the institutions shared information on their strategies, activities and challenges to their work. They list an impressive range of achievements - influencing changes in legislation and government policy and lobbying successfully on a variety of children's rights issues. Not only are these institutions working reactively on children's rights violations; they also work proactively towards more child-friendly societies, in which children's rights can pass from rhetoric to reality.