Together with the other TB-Net members, Amnesty International and ISHR, Child Rights Connect has drafted a civil society letter in EN, FR, SP and RU to show support to the Treaty Bodies, express concerns on the current situation and highlight the strong need to see the Treaty Bodies performing their monitoring functions in the midst of the human rights crisis created by the COVID-19pandemic. The letter is signed by 522 NGOs from all regions, including a hundred of child rights organisations and many of Child Rights Connect members, who are worried about the current protection and accountability gap. Since July 2020, most of the Treaty Bodies have met virtually and limited their activities, postponing all the reviews of states parties planned.

Civil society is urging the Treaty Bodies and OHCHR to schedule State reviews no later than 2021, and OHCHR to prioritise resources and tools for this. We recommend anticipating risks and possible scenarios with clear mitigation and contingency plans that are public and proactively communicated to civil society. Should travel restrictions further prevent the scheduling of physical sessions of the Treaty Bodies in 2021, we consider that a pragmatic approach should be taken which allows online/hybrid State reviews on a temporary and exceptional basis.