Joint letter on the cancellation of the May pre-session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

Joint letter on the cancellation of the May pre-session of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to Permanent Missions to the United Nations in Geneva and New York and the Secretary-General of United Nationas:

Excellencies,

The undersigned civil society organisations working for the promotion and protection of children’s rights worldwide express great concern over the cancellation of the pre-session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (the Committee), scheduled to take place from 27 to 31 May 2024, due to the UN liquidity crisis. This sets a terrible precedent, which will have a negative impact on the ability of the Committee to undertake its core work in monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (the Convention) through the review of States parties in a way that allows for children, civil society, and other stakeholders to contribute to this process.  We also regret that this measure will add to backlogs for future dialogue with States parties.

We join the Committee in expressing deep concern that the scheduled opportunities to consult with children, who are rights holders under the Convention, have been postponed alongside opportunities to interact with civil society representatives and UN agencies. Children and civil society representatives from the countries scheduled for the pre-session have been preparing for months to interact with the Committee. Postponing the pre-session will have a clear impact on their future ability to engage. The postponement, announced just days before child and civil society submissions were due, has also resulted in disruptions and squandered efforts by all, and in frustrations for children who now feel discouraged rather than empowered.

This measure comes after the announcement in January of the cancelling of hybrid modalities for UN human rights bodies and mechanisms just a few days before the February pre-session of the Committee was planned to take place in a hybrid format. At the time, many civil society representatives and some children were not able to interact with the Committee online for the pre-session after months of preparations.

In the context of the UN liquidity crisis, we are also concerned that the Day of General Discussion that would normally take place as part of the drafting process for the Committee’s new General Comment on “Children’s right to access justice and effective remedies” might be postponed or even cancelled. Given that this is one of the main opportunities for States, civil society, UN agencies, and especially children, to interact with the Committee on emerging issues, such a step would be a further and significant setback.

These series of measures have all come at the expense of meaningful and effective engagement with civil society and participation of children. They come at a time when the work of the Committee continues to be more crucial than ever amidst the multitude of crises that disproportionately affect children in the world today, including armed conflicts, climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, growing poverty and persisting inequalities, shrinking civic space, among others. It also comes at a time when the Secretary-General, in his Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming, has mandated the mobilization of the UN system to collectively strengthen and elevate a shared UN child rights agenda, including through meaningful and effective child participation.

We deeply regret that the UN liquidity crisis is impacting the overall regular functioning of the Committee, in particular the spaces for children and civil society to engage, adding to the worldwide trends of shrinking civil society space. Such measures have not only impacted the Committee, but also on the proper functioning of the treaty bodies system, the work of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN human rights mechanisms as a whole, setting a dangerous precedent.

We call on UN Member States worldwide to comply with their financial commitments to the UN by paying their fees to the UN in full and without delay so as to ensure that the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the UN human rights system as a whole can continue its critical work.

Please accept, Excellencies, the assurances of our highest consideration.

 

List of signatories (As 24.04.2024):

1. ACARI – Associação Civil de Articulação para a Cidadania
2. Acción por los Niños
3. ACOLEA
4. ACPE – Agir Contre la Prostitution des Enfants et les violences sexuelles
5. Al Mezan Center for Human Rights
6. Aldeas Infantiles SOS España
7. All Survivors Project
8. Amnesty International
9. ARARTEKO. Ombudsperson of Basque Country (Spain)
10. Asdown Colombia
11. Associação de Mulheres contra a Violência
12. ASSOCIAÇÃO NACIONAL DOS CENTROS DE DEFESA DA CRIANÇA E DO ADOLESCENTE – ANCED-BRASIL
13. Associação Pamen CHEIFA
14. Associação Portuguesa de Estudos sobre as Mulheres (APEM)
15. Associação Portuguesa pelos Direitos da Mulher na Gravidez e Parto (APDMGP)
16. Association “Our Children” Sarajevo/ Network Stronger Voice for Children, Bosnia and Herzegovina
17. Association “Our Children” Sarajevo/ Network Stronger Voice for Children, Bosnia and Herzegovina
18. Association du Développement et de la Promotion de Droits de l’Homme
19. Association EPA
20. Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women – ESE
21. Association Maladies du Foie depuis l’Enfance (AMFE)
22. Association Mauritanienne pour la santé de la Mére et de l’enfant AMSME
23. Association of the Survivors of Makobola Massacres < ARMMK>
24. Bornesagen – Joint Council for Child Issues in Denmark
25. Boutokaan Inaomataia ao Mauriia Binabinaine Association (BIMBA)
26. Bris (Children’s Rights in Society)
27. Cabildo por las Mujeres de Cuenca
28. Campaña Latinoamericana por el Derecho a la Educación (CLADE)
29. Casa da Criança e do Adolescente
30. CATW-LAC chapitre Haïtienne
31. CEDECA-RJ
32. Central Union for Child Welfare (Finland)
33. Centre for Civil and Political Rights (CCPR-Centre)
34. Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation
35. Centro de Defesa dos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente – CEDECA RIO DE JANERIO, BRASIL
36. Centro Dom Helder Câmara de Estudos e Ação Social – CENDHEC
37. CESIP – Centro de Estudios Sociales y Publicaciones
38. Child Law Clinic, University College Cork
39. Child Rights Coalition Asia (CRC Asia)
40. Child Rights Coalition Cambodia (CRC-Cambodia)
41. Child Rights Connect
42. Child Rights Information Center/ CRIC
43. Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
44. Child Rights Network Switzerland
45. Child Welfare League Foundation
46. ChildFund Alliance
47. ChildFund Korea
48. Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE)
49. Children’s Law Centre (Northern Ireland)
50. Children’s Parliament (Scotland)
51. Children’s Rights Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand
52. Children’s Rights Alliance for England, part of Just for Kids Law
53. COFRADE
54. Colectivo de Derechos de Infancia y Adolescencia de Argentina
55. Collectif Intersexe Activiste – OII France
56. COLTE/CDE Guinée
57. Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la Ciudad de México
58. Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines
59. Comunidad de Derechos Humanos
60. Confederación Española de Familias de Personas Sordas -FIAPAS
61. Conscience and Peace Tax International (CPTI)
62. Coordinadora de Profesionales por la Prevención de Abusos (CoPPA)
63. Coordinadora por los Derechos de la Infancia y la Adolescencia
64. Defence for Children International
65. Defence For Children International – Canada
66. Defensa de Niñas y Niños – Internacional DNI Americas
67. Defensa de Niñas y Niños – Internacional, DNI Costa Rica
68. Défenseurs Plus
69. Doncel
70. Dr EM Knudsen, Department of Social Work, Trent University, Canada (Individual)
71. Droit d’Enfance
72. Dutch NGO Coalition on Children’s Rights | Kinderrechtencollectief
73. ECPAT International
74. ECPAT Luxembourg
75. ECPAT NZ
76. ECPAT Sri Lanka
77. Ecuador Violencias Cero
78. Edmund Rice International
79. educo
80. Espace Boris Vian (centre social)
81. European Network on Statelessness
82. EYEYA MUNZEBE JULINNE
83. FENASE
84. Fondation « Zanmi Timoun »
85. Fondation Apprentis d’Auteuil International
86. Fondation pour l’Enfance
87. Fórum estadual de prevenção e erradicação do trabalho infantil do Rio de janeiro
88. Fundación PANIAMOR
89. Fundación para Estudio e Investigación de la Mujer
90. Grupo de Iniciativa Nacional por los Derechos del Niño. GIN-PERU
91. Global Campaign for Education
92. Global Detention Project
93. Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR)
94. Greek Helsinki Monitor
95. Grupo Curumim
96. Grupo de Iniciativa Nacional por los Derechos del Niño. GIN-PERU
97. Grupo Impulsor para Poner Fin a la Violencia contra las Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes
98. Hope and Homes for Children
99. Hope For Children – CRC Policy Center
100. Human Rights Watch
101. Humanist Union of Greece
102. ICASM International Coalition for the Abolition of Surrogate Motherhood
103. Icelandic Human Rights Centre
104. Institute for NGO Research
105. Institute of Child Protection Studies
106. Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Direitos Humanos – IDDH
107. INSTITUTO PROMOVIENDO DESARROLLO SOCIAL – IPRODES
108. Intact Denmark
109. International Catholic Child Bureau
110. International Social Service – General Secretariat
111. INTERSEX-BELGIUM
112. Izmir Another School Is Possible Education Cooperative
113. Jubilee Campaign USA
114. Justice for Girls
115. Juvenile Justice Advocates International
116. Kids Empowerment
117. Kindernothilfe e.V.
118. Lawyers for Human Rights
119. Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights
120. Make Mothers Matter
121. Methoria
122. Minority Rights Group – Greece
123. Molo Songololo
124. Movimento de Emaus- CEDECA-Emaus
125. Mulher Século XXI – Associação de Desenvolvimento e Apoio às Mulheres
126. National Coalition Austria, Netzwerk Kinderrechte Österreich
127. National Coalition Germany _ Network for the Implementation of the UN Convention on the rights of the child
128. National Secular Society
129. Núcleo Cearense de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre a Criança
130. Núcleo de Pesquisas e Estudos sobre o Desenvolvimento da Infância e Adolescência
131. Observatório da População Infantojuvenil em Contextos de Violência/Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
132. Ombudsman for Children, Croatia
133. Ombudsman for Children’s Office, Ireland
134. Organisation des Jeunes pour le Monde d’Avenir (OJMA)
135. Peace Movement Aotearoa
136. PINCat- Plataforma d’Infància de Catalunya
137. Plan International
138. Plataforma de Direitos Humanos – Dhesca Brasil
139. Plataforma de Infancia
140. Plataforma de Organizaciones de Infancia de Madrid
141. Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights
142. Positive Discipline in Everyday Life
143. Punanga Tauturu Inc
144. QADER for Community Development
145. Red Niña Niño
146. Rede Ecpat Brasil
147. Rede Não Bata, Eduque
148. REDIM Red por los Derechos de la Infancia en México
149. REGARDS DE FEMMES
150. REIPER
151. Repatriate the Children – Sweden
152. Right to Education Initiative
153. Save the Children
154. Save the Children in Albania
155. Save the Children New Zealand
156. Save the Children Norway
157. Save the Children South Africa
158. SED
159. Síndic de Greuges de Catalunya (Spain)
160. SOS Children’s Villages International
161. South African National Child Rights Coalition (SANCRC)
162. StopIGM.org / Zwischengeschlecht.org
163. TACTEENNAEIL_ECPAT Korea
164. TB-Net
165. Terre des Hommes International Federation
166. The Advocates for Human Rights
167. The Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children (CCRC)
168. The Child and Youth Friendly Governance Project
169. The Egyptian Foundation for the Advancement of Childhood Conditions
170. The Office of the Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia
171. The Public Health Foundation of Georgia
172. Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights)
173. “TOFASINASINA” Incorp. For Restorative of Justice
174. Uganda Child Rights NGO Network
175. UNICEF Ireland
176. University of Auckland Faculty of Law
177. Validity Foundation – Mental Disability Advocacy Centre
178. Voces Ciudadanas
179. Vulnerable Children Assistance Organization (VCAO)
180. Western Cape Commissioner for Children
181. World Organisation Against Torture
182. World Organization for Early Childhood Education – OMEP
183. WORLD Policy Analysis Center, UCLA
184. World Vision International