CRC Committee Returns to the Pacific to take stock of children’s rights.

Suva, Apia, 10^th November 2023 - Three years after its 84^th Extraordinary Outreach Session in Apia, Samoa, the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) is returning to the Pacific to meet with Pacific Island Countries to take stock of their efforts to advance children’s rights.

The 10-day mission will see members of the CRC Committee visiting the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Tuvalu and then Samoa to meet with children, communities, governments and civil society. Throughout the visit, they will listen to the progress made in protecting children’s rights in Pacific Island Countries, and understand firsthand the issues impacting children, including protection from all types of violence, child justice, health and wellbeing. They will also hear about the impact of climate change: children are uniquely and disproportionately vulnerable to pollution, diseases and extreme weather conditions, yet children’s rights, unique needs for special protection and their perspectives are not sufficiently taken into consideration in climate policies, action and investment. 

Composed of 18 independent experts, the CRC Committee is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by State Parties. All Pacific Island Countries have signed and ratified the Convention, obliging them to promote and protect children’s rights and to submit regular reports to the CRC Committee on the progress made in implementing the Convention. The CRC Committee examines each report and provides its concerns and recommendations to State Parties in a document called "concluding observations". In turn, State Parties implement and follow-up on these recommendations.

The Committee delegations will first visit the three countries reviewed in 2020, then convene for a workshop in Apia, Samoa to meet with government delegations from all Pacific Island Countries from 20^th to 22^nd November. “The Regional Experience Sharing Workshop on Implementation of Recommendations” in Apia will bring Pacific Island Country governments and the CRC Committee together to discuss children’s rights issues, including protection from violence and exploitation, protection in the administration of justice system, and protection and promotion of children’s rights in the context of environment and climate change. The CRC Committee will listen to opportunities to improve children’s rights and good practice stories from the Pacific, as well as challenges and difficulties faced by governments, civil society, and children.

The first day of the regional workshop in Apia, Samoa will host the Pacific Launch of the Committee’s general comment no. 26 on Children's Rights and the Environment with a Special Focus on Climate Change on the occasion of World Children’s Day (20^th November). On this day, the Committee Members will meet with school children to discuss children’s rights and celebrate World Children’s Day and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This follow-up visit to the Pacific will play a pivotal role in ensuring that children's rights are protected and upheld across the region. By engaging with governments, civil society, and children themselves, this initiative seeks to make a tangible difference in the lives of Pacific Island children and to promote a stronger commitment to the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.