Photo credit: Marie Bourrel
UNICEF Pacific welcomes The Government of the Republic of Nauru’s first report submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on 27 October 2015.
The Government of Nauru reports to the Committee as part of its obligations as a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), ratified by the Government in 1994.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child that came into force in November 1990, is an international treaty that recognises the human rights of children, defined as persons up to the age of 18 years. The Convention establishes in international law that States Parties must ensure that all children - without discrimination in any form - benefit from special protection measures and assistance; have access to services such as education and healthcare; can develop their personalities, abilities and talents to the fullest potential; grow up in an environment of happiness, love and understanding; and are informed about and participate in, achieving their rights in an accessible and active manner.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most rapidly and widely ratified international human rights treaty in history. It changed the way children are viewed and treated – i.e. as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity.
The CRC reporting process is intended as a tool to support measures including legislative and policy development, and implementation resulting in the protection, promotion and fulfilment of all children’s rights. UNICEF, as mandated under the CRC, will continue to support the Government to focus on the rights and needs of children, while working to support further implementation of the CRC.
The next step for the Government of Nauru is a direct dialogue with the Committee on the Rights of Child in Geneva, involving additional inputs from civil society, NGOs and other UN agencies.
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About UNICEF:
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicefpacific.org
For more information, please contact: Laura Gibbons, UNICEF on (679) 800 8383 or [email protected]