Statement by Ms Meaghan Sunderland, Permanent Mission of Canada, on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand to the United Nations Third Committee regarding children's rights. As delivered 14 October 2010.
(as delivered)
Mr. Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand once again reaffirm our strong support for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. The Convention on the Rights of the Child sets the standard against which the actions of all states can be measured and scrutinised. We again reiterate our hope that the goal of universal ratification will soon be achieved, and that States will also give early consideration to signing and ratifying the Convention’s first and second Optional Protocols.
To this end, Canada, Australia and New Zealand strongly support the joint efforts of the following key actors in encouraging universal ratification of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child: the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Ms. Martha Santos Pais; the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy; the Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, Ms. Najat M’jid Maalla; the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; UNICEF; and the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Ensuring the implementation of the obligations of States Parties to the Convention is one of the most critical and effective ways to promote and protect the rights of children, and we continue to encourage all states to do so.
In this regard we recognize the work of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and UNICEF in promoting and making real the commitments contained in the Convention. We also note with appreciation the efforts made by civil society to encourage the promotion and protection of the rights of the child.
We welcome the focus in this year’s rights of the child omnibus resolution on “child rights in early childhood”, an issue of great importance to our three countries.
The universal protection of children from violence must be kept at the forefront of national, regional and international agenda on children’s rights. In order to tackle violence against children, tireless efforts are needed through all stages of prevention, early detection and response. In this regard, we look forward to the ongoing work of Ms. Santos Pais and her office on Violence Against Children. Ms. Santos Pais can draw upon her exceptional experience and skills, and enduring commitment to children’s rights in fulfilling her mandate.
We also commend Ms. Coomaraswamy and her office for the leadership on and dedication to this issue. We welcome her latest report which details the important progress being made in combating grave violations of children’s’ rights. Canada, Australia and New Zealand reaffirm their support for the Paris Commitments and Paris Principles on Children Associated with Armed Forces or Armed Groups and call on all of those states who have not yet done so to express their support.
With last year’s adoption of Security Council Resolution 1882 we have seen positive and welcome improvements to the children and armed conflict agenda. The latest Secretary-General’s report included an examination of the most persistent perpetrators of grave violations against children, including enhanced reporting on incidents of rape and sexual violence against children in situations of conflict. Action plans developed by Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism country teams along with willing state and non-state armed actors in countries of concern are one of the most effective on-the-ground tools in reducing grave violations against children. We hope that with time, the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism’s additional emphasis on rape and sexual violence and killing and maiming of children will result in a marked reduction in the number of these incidents and an increase in the overall protection of children’s rights.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand reaffirm our commitment to work with other Member States, international and non-governmental organisations in a global partnership to ensure a better world and a better future fit for children, where children’s rights are respected and protected, and where they can reach their full potential.