More than 600 parliamentarians from some 130 countries attending the 122nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) are meeting in Bangkok today to address parliament’s role in realizing the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the Convention, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989 and entered into force in 1990. It is the most comprehensive legal instrument for the protection of children’s rights and has been ratified more quickly and widely than any other human rights instrument.
Legislators discussed the Convention’s impact on the lives of children over the past two decades and the critical role parliaments and their members can play to ensure its full implementation. “As legislators, it is our duty to each other and to future generations to see to it that the terms of this Convention are translated into enforceable national laws”, said IPU President Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, who is also Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Namibia.
Ms. Marta Santos País, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on violence against children, spoke of the Convention’s many accomplishments over the past 20 years, namely the transformed status of children and childhood, the profound influence on legislative frameworks for the care and protection of children across the globe, and the measurable advances in child survival and development.
“Over these 20 years children’s rights issues have gained increasing attention at the international, regional and national levels. This historic process of change is due in large part to Parliamentarians who have played a key role in responding to challenges that the Convention poses for all countries, large and small, rich and poor. Parliamentarians have become spokespersons for the rights of the child, supporting and monitoring the process of national implementation, ensuring that domestic legislation is aligned with the principles and provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, approving national budgets and supporting the development of national plans on the rights of the child. By joining hands with parliamentarians, the protection of children's rights can evolve from a concern of a few into a priority for all” Santos Pais observed.
During a joint panel organized by the IPU and UNICEF and chaired by Dr. Pusadee Tamthai, a Member of Parliament from Thailand, Dr. Sayada Greiss, herself a Member of Parliament from Egypt, emphasized the need to reduce disparities in realizing children’s rights across population groups in every country. “In particular we must address the cultural barriers that continue to lead to discrimination, and prioritize the rights of the girl child”.
The panelists agreed that parliamentarians should use the best interests of children as the primary test of governance, that children’s rights should be reflected in budgets and social protection programmes, and that legislators should ensure effective child participation within parliamentary processes.
“Child participation is one of the guiding principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. As such it is one of the most important rights for children as it enables them to express their views and opinions, receive information, influence policy outcomes and involve themselves in all matters that affect their own lives – in keeping with their age and maturity” remarked Ms. Nanu Adhikari, a Nepal Youth Representative
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