FOLLOWING ARE SUMMARIES OF STATEMENTS IN TODAY’S THIRD COMMITTEE MEETINGS.  A COMPLETE SUMMARY OF THE MEETINGS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING AS PRESS RELEASE GA/SHC/3748.

Background

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) continued its consideration of the promotion and protection of children’s rights.

For further background information please see Press Release GA/SHC/3746 of 17 October.

Introduction of Draft Resolutions

Introducing amendments (document A/C.3/58/L.12) to a draft resolution on the International Year of the Family (document A/C.3/58/L.2), the representative of Benin said the amendments would welcome the decision of Benin to host a regional preparatory conference in May 2004 in collaboration with the United Nations.  The amendments were also necessary since they guaranteed the launching of the celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family by the Secretary-General.  Furthermore, she said the amendments would guarantee the involvement of regional organizations. 

Introducing a draft resolution on strengthening the United Nations crime prevention and criminal justice programme (document A/C.3/58/L.14), the representative of Italy said the draft included some new provisions and highlighted major developments, such as the entry into force of the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.  The draft resolution also stressed the importance of the entry into force of the two remaining protocols to that Convention. 

Finally, the representative of Mexico introduced a draft resolution on international drug control (document A/C.3/58/L.15), saying that the draft met the request formulated in this forum for simplification.  Special attention had been placed at respecting the balance achieved in previous resolutions to ensure that the interest of all countries was met in the battle against drugs. 

The representative of Rwanda, on behalf of the African group, introduced a draft resolution on the United Nations African Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (document A/C.3/58/L.13).  He said the draft was identical to last year’s resolution.  The African Group commended the Secretary-General for his report on this topic, and it was their hope that the draft resolution would be adopted by consensus. 

Statements on Children’s Rights

MIHNEA MOTOC (Romania) said that after the demise of the Communist regime, Romanians, concerned individuals and organizations in other countries alike became increasingly aware of the dramatic situation of thousands of institutionalized children, victims of an outdated protection system unable to provide decent living conditions for them.  Since then, Romania had taken important steps to reform its childcare system and bring it up to international standards.  Outstanding progress had been achieved in this respect over the last three years. 

The main focus of the reforms had been the closure of institutions, while developing alternative solutions for children living in them, such as foster care and family-type homes.  He said the reforms also supported preventing institutionalization by introducing alternative services to help families in need, such as day care and mother and baby units.  As a result of the reform process, between 2002 and May 2003, the number of institutionalized children had decreased from 44,837 to 41,626, and the number of children protected in substitutive families had increased from 40,754 to 44,724.  Over the same period, the number of alternative services had increased from 270 to 461, and the number of foster parents had increased from 7,825 to 9,536.  By the end of February 2003, 105 of the old type institutions had been closed down. 

IFTEKHAR AHMED CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said urgent and effective actions were imperative to improve the situation of children who continued to suffer from poverty, armed conflicts, trafficking, displacement, HIV/AIDS and sexual exploitation.  Bangladesh had adopted a national action plan that prioritized education and the fight against fatal diseases, with a view to improving nutrition for women and children.  The Government had given the highest allocation of the national budget to education, with special emphasis on education for girls.  Primary education had been made compulsory and free for girls up to the twelfth grade.

Special programmes had also been undertaken for children with disabilities and for abandoned street children, he said.  Significant achievements had been made in phasing out child labour from the garment industry with active support from the International Labour Organization and UNICEF.

He said Bangladesh had accorded particular priority to the elimination of trafficking in persons, especially in children.  It had adopted new laws, initiated awareness-raising programmes and had developed directives for law enforcement agencies to address this problem.  At the regional level, Bangladesh had signed the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Convention on the Rights of the Child on South Asian Regional Arrangements for Promotion of Child Welfare.  It would continue to work with the international community, the United Nations system and civil society to ensure the continuation of concerted efforts to prioritize children in development policies.

NAWAF N. M. A-ENEZI (Kuwait) said his delegation had considered the reports before the Committee on children in armed conflicts.  While welcoming this report, he was concerned by the situation of children in armed conflict.  In order to ensure a better world for children, it was necessary to emphasize that children’s rights were human rights.  Kuwait had ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and it was important to give priority to the development of children.

In Kuwait, children represented more than 50 per cent of the population, and the Government had, therefore, initiated several pilot projects for their development, he said.  The Supreme Council for Children and the Family had been established by a Presidential Decree and was preparing a national report on the situation of Kuwaiti children.

He expressed concern about States having to submit national reports on both Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and urged delegations to make proposals that would allow the speeding up of the process of considering national reports.

ADEKUNBI ABIBAT SONAIKE (Nigeria) said the international community still faced numerous challenges posed by the commercial and sexual exploitation of children, the adverse impact of armed conflict on children, and diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.  Nigeria had recently passed into law a bill on child’s rights.  A child rights information bureau had been established to ensure the implementation and monitoring of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  A national education programme had been established to ensure that every child above the age of five had access to free and compulsory education up to the junior secondary level.

She said Nigeria was deeply concerned about the increasing incidence of child trafficking, particularly in the West African region.  The Government had enacted a law against human trafficking, which had established an agency to enforce the law and to promote communication to facilitate the exchange of information concerning offences and to prescribe punishment for offences including forced labour and the trafficking of children.  The agency had also undertaken measures to provide rehabilitation for trafficked children.  Transit camps and homes for child victims had been set up, along with skills acquisition centres, and efforts had been undertaken to reintegrate them with their families.

She added that the Nigerian Government had also prioritized the fight against HIV/AIDS, which continued to have a devastating impact on children.  A campaign against the pandemic had been initiated, including the creation of a national action committee to coordinate a multisectoral approach to combat HIV/AIDS.

CATHERINE OTITI (Uganda) thanked the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for the tireless efforts undertaken to publicize and help end the plight of young boys and girls in northern Uganda who were being abducted by the so-called “Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA) -– a terrorist group which had, since 1988, enslaved children as soldiers and human shields to strengthen its ranks.  The LRA had also launched an offensive in the north-eastern part of the country where civilians were being rounded up and shot to death on the spot.  This month, approximately 500 people had been abducted by the LRA from Pader District in northern Uganda, and 100 people remained in the hands of the rebels.  Internally displaced camps had also been attacked, depriving communities of any sense of reasonable livelihood.  Children, in particular, were being robbed of all their human rights, she said.

Many children in Uganda had also been negatively impacted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  As a result of the death of one or more of their parents, many had to take on parental roles for which they were not equipped.  Their development was therefore being interrupted due to compromised care, nutrition, education and socialization.  HIV/AIDS education had been included in the primary school curriculum since 1996, and to date, 15,000 primary school teachers had been trained and equipped to teach life skills based on HIV/AIDS.  Paediatric AIDS case management however, remained a challenge that was almost universally caused by mother-to-child transmission.  The Government had therefore adopted a policy and strategy of prevention of mother-to-child transmission, focusing on voluntary counselling and testing, anti-retroviral therapy, palliative care, and community education.

EROS GASPERONI (San Marino) said it was vital for each State to adopt domestic measures to guarantee every human being the necessary conditions for favourable development, a decent standard of living, and education, all critical elements for ensuring the well-being of children.  The presence of adults was also vital to the proper development of children, and adults had a duty to guide them.

He said the Convention on the Rights of the Child represented the best international instrument for improving conditions for children around the world.  With a view to ratifying the Convention’s protocol concerning trafficking, child prostitution and child pornography, San Marino had recently adopted a new law against the sexual exploitation of minors.  He noted that it was critical to improve educational opportunities for young girls, who often lacked access to education for cultural reasons or because they had been victimized by violence.

Children around the world suffered greatly as a result of armed conflict, disease, violence, and poverty and it was up to the United Nations to address this, he concluded.

Ms. RADHI (Bahrain) said her Government attached great importance to a better future for children, and the interest in children and their rights emanated from the belief in the rights of the individual.  The Kingdom of Bahrain had made great strides locally to protect the economic, social and cultural rights of children.  Her Government was also considering the implementation of international standards for the rights of children, while ensuring that they were in conformity with local and national laws.

During the special session on children, the First Lady of Bahrain had headed the national delegation and had highlighted efforts made by Bahrain through its constitution and legislation to ensure the legal and social protection of children, she said.  The international community had been urged to address all violations of the rights of children, including those committed in armed conflicts.

An analytical study of the situation of children in Bahrain had been undertaken to identify remaining gaps in their protection, she said.  As a result of this study, a Council had been established to develop a strategy for the promotion and protection of children’s rights.  Bahrain was also striving to improve the educational sector to strengthen the country’s human resources.  Much work had been undertaken by the Ministry of Education, including the setting up of day-care projects and assistance to families with limited resources.

CHEICK SIDI DIARRA (Mali) said his country had set up a national action plan and had undertaken measures to prohibit and eliminate child labour, to increase public awareness about the rights of children and to promote activities providing support services for children in need.  The Criminal law had been reformed to include labour code provisions to address the problem of child labour.  Mali looked forward to continued cooperation with UNICEF and other United Nations agencies to promote the welfare of children in Mali.

He noted that as part of his Government’s efforts to fight the trafficking of children, Mali had signed with Côte d’Ivoire a bilateral convention to combat the trafficking of children.  Mali was also especially concerned about the recruitment of children for armed conflict, and it was urgent to end this practice. 

He said Mali was committed to continue working for the well-being of children and urged the international community to continue working to make the world worthy of children -- a world free of war, poverty, and the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

JUNE CLARKE (Barbados), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said it was now widely accepted that development could not be sustained if its future custodians were not nurtured and protected today.  However, children were often the persons most vulnerable to and affected by the obstacles that crippled States’ development, including persistent poverty, pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, armed conflict and inadequate social and economic conditions.  It was for this reason that the Millennium Development Goals placed heavy emphasis on ensuring the health, education and security of children through time-bound, action-specific goals. 

The Millennium Development Goals were, in the opinion of experts, technically feasible and financially affordable, yet the world was not on track to meet them in 2015, she said.  One fifth of the world’s people still experienced severe poverty and lived on less that one dollar a day.  Another 1.6 billion lived on less than two dollars a day. 

It was undisputable that the global targets set by the international community required financial support and new approaches, she continued.  The CARICOM States called for a re-commitment to the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.  Time was running out for the world’s children, and developing countries needed concrete action and assistance to make these targets and goals a reality. 

At the national level, it would require universal access to social services of good quality and the commitment of all countries to the full implementation of the 20/20 initiative.  Internationally, debt relief and the commitments on trade made at Doha must be realized, she continued.  Official development assistance (ODA) was critical to the achievement of international agreed development goals and targets, and in this regard, CARICOM urged developed countries to take concrete steps towards fulfilling the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product as ODA to developing countries. 

After sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean was the region most severely affected by HIV/AIDS, with high incidences of infection devastating populations and orphaning thousands of children, she said.  The CARICOM believed that the best chance the world had of combating the effect of HIV/AIDS on children was through education.  Throughout the region, both boys and girls were entitled to free primary and secondary education, and in the majority of cases, attendance was mandatory between the ages of five and 16 years. 

The high incidence of teenage pregnancy in the region had forced several Caribbean States over the years to create special programmes to reintegrate adolescent mothers into the education system.  Girls born to teenage mothers were 83 per cent more likely to become teenage mothers themselves.  Allowing teen mothers to continue their education could help reduce this legacy, she said. 

RANIA AL HAJ ALI (Syria) said children’s issues were a priority for Syria, and this was reflected in its national action plan.  Her Government had created a Committee for the Child, which aimed to promote the rights of children.  Syria had signed the Optional Protocol on children in armed conflict, as well as the protocol on trafficking in children, child prostitution and child pornography.  It had also acceded to International Labour Organization measures and was cooperating with UNICEF to eliminate child labour.

She said her Government’s health care strategy was based on the expansion of early health care, especially in remote rural areas, with a focus on improving the quality of life for women and children.  Compulsory education and health care were provided free of charge.  There were also education courses designed to introduce the importance of services for children.

She noted that despite such achievements, the Government had been unable to help all Syrian children since many of them were living under Israeli occupation in the Golan Heights and suffered every day from abuses by the occupying forces.  Children in the occupied territories were denied educational opportunities and were routinely displaced from their homes as a result of property confiscation by the occupying forces.  She reiterated Syria’s regret that the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict had to date been unable to visit the occupied territories and to produce a report on acts perpetrated by Israeli forces.

AMANUEL GIORGIO (Eritrea) said his country supported the development of a new international convention on the rights of people with disabilities, with a specific provision on disabled children that would provide legal protective measures for children with disabilities.  Eritrea welcomed the enlargement of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to allow it to accelerate its review of country reports.

He said the report submitted by his Government highlighted that much work had been done on improving the situation of children in Eritrea.  An inter-ministerial committee that included members of civil society had been established, and programmes had been set in motion to improve the delivery of basic social services at the national, regional and local levels.  Eritrea believed that cooperation within its government bodies and among United Nations agencies, donor countries and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) would continue to play an important role in addressing the concerns of children.

He noted that the recent border war with Ethiopia had left several thousand children in need of special protection measures.  He urged the strengthening of post-conflict development programmes to fully address the concerns of children who suffered from trauma, disability, displacement, the loss of parents, and exposure to landmines and unexploded ordinance.

PATRICE LAQUERRE (Canada) said Canada’s National Plan of Action was intended to be a multi-sectoral, long-term, child-centred framework for children in the coming decade.  The implementation of the Plan would be the responsibility of all Canadians.  Canada supported efforts to strengthen the monitoring of, reporting on, and accountability for violations of children’s rights in armed conflicts.  He encouraged close coordination with existing initiatives, such as those related to the protection of civilians in armed conflict, and among all actors, whether in the field or at headquarters. 

Canada welcomed efforts made by the Untied Nations system actors and NGO implementing partners to adopt practical measures to prevent and effectively address incidents of sexual abuse and exploitation against war-affected children, particularly refugees and internally displaced children.  Such efforts must continue to be pursued and strengthened, he said.  Canada hoped to be in a

position to ratify the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Pornography and Child Prostitution, once necessary domestic consultations had concluded. 

The unimaginable suffering of children who were being trafficked could only be effectively addressed by collective action on the part of the world’s States.  In this regard, Canada welcomed the recent entry into force of the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. 

FARAH AJALOVA (Azerbaijan) said Azerbaijan placed emphasis on child trafficking and the elimination of child labour in the country, and the Government was closely cooperating with UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) on that issue.  The ILO Convention on the elimination of the worst forms of child labour had been translated into Azerbaijani with a view to submit it for ratification by the Parliament.  Apart from that, the State Commission on the issues of minors had included in its agenda issues concerning child labour and child trafficking.  Concerned about the plight of homeless and street children, the Government had recently adopted a State Program on homeless and street children, envisaging a set of concrete actions, including the establishment of rehabilitation centres, special training for teachers, medical and social workers and measures on bringing these children back to schools.

She raised concern about the number of children suffering and dying from violence, exploitation and abuse during armed conflicts.  Areas of ongoing and protracted armed conflicts and post-conflict regions served as hotbeds for trafficking in human beings, particularly in women and children, illicit drug trafficking and other kinds of illegal activity.  The military aggression of Armenia and occupation of 20 per cent of the territory of Azerbaijan had led to the emergence of 250,000 child refugees and internally displaced children, and caused tremendous financial and moral damage.  Children had become orphaned and disabled and hundreds had been killed, taken hostage or were still missing.  For countries with an economy in transition, it was extremely difficult to tackle these problems.  Words and standards must be translated into concrete action and effective cooperation at all levels.

MAVIS KUSORGBOR (Ghana) said her Government welcomed the increase in membership of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, as this would enhance equitable geographical representation and would improve the capacity of the Committee to monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

She said that during the past decade, Ghana had undertaken various legal reforms to protect children’s rights.  Nationwide publicity campaigns and seminars had been held to educate the public about the need to promote children’s rights.  The Government had also established a Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs with the aim of integrating and designing comprehensive child-related policies and programmes into the national development agenda.

To promote educational opportunities for children, the Government had instituted a free, compulsory education programme for all children that had remarkably improved the primary school attendance rate.  Educational programmes had also specifically targeted youth awareness of preventive and treatment measures against HIV/AIDS.  She stressed that ensuring children a good start in life was the best investment a country could make in the drive to achieve sustainable development.

MARC NTETURUYE (Burundi) said the question of the rights of the child was the foundation for human rights.  In his country, the Government had always worked to support and promote the well-being of children, which was why the Government had already ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  Unfortunately, children were often party to conflicts and were abuse and exploited by warring parties.  Burundi had witnessed the destruction and pillaging of schools, health centres and hospitals, violating the right of children to education and health.  Rape and other sexual violence had been used as weapons of war, which had exposed girls to an array of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS. 

The Government of Burundi had decided to prohibit the recruitment of children under the age of 18 years of age, as provided under the Arusha peace agreement, he said.  According to the agreements made, the future for the children of Burundi looked more hopeful.  This however depended on rebel movements refraining from using children in armed conflict.  Within the framework of rehabilitation and reconstruction, the protection of children played a central role.  Particular attention had been placed on education, health, nutrition,

re-education of child combatants and the particularly needs of the girl child.

SAMIR KOUBAA (Tunisia) urged the international community to redouble efforts to address the precarious situation of children, especially in Africa.  His delegation appealed for the mobilization of all efforts and coordinated action in the areas of health, education and poverty reduction to improve the situation of children.

He said Tunisia was working nationally, regionally and internationally to prioritize the interests of children.  It had adopted a national action plan, created a special council for children and had also established a children’s parliament to encourage the participation of children in the formulation of policies and programmes concerning them.

A high-level congress on the protection of children’s rights would be held in Tunis in January 2004, he said.  Tunisia encouraged the contribution of NGOs in the promotion of children’s rights and reiterated its commitment to continue to promote and protect the rights of children.

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