Publications

La présente étude a pour objet de préparer une base de travail pour soutenir le processus de réflexion en vue de Maroc d’un mécanisme indépendant de recours et de suivi des droits de l’enfant, conformément aux recommandations du séminaire international organisé, le 10 décembre 2009 sur ce thème. La revue des expériences étrangères montre qu’il n’existe pas un modèle unique. Le mécanisme de recours peut revêtir différentes formes, dont le choix doit résulter d’une large consultation prenant en considération l’environnement politique, social et les possibilités offertes au niveau national et au niveau local. Deux modèles sont proposés : le modèle intégré et le modèle séparé. Les avantages et les inconvénients sont décrits et mis en comparaison.

This report reviews the implementation in Canada of the general measures of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It recalls the recommendations made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and by Canada’s Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights to bolster Canada’s legal and institutional arrangements to build a truly protective and rights-enabling framework for all children.

The research theme was identified within the framework of the European Network for the Research Agenda on Children in Armed Conflict and has been developed by UNICEF IRC with the co-operation of a number of Network partners and UNICEF offices in the field. It reviews the problem of non-registration in conflict-affected countries while drawing on case studies to analyze successful or promising initiatives to ensure registration. The ultimate goal is to assist practitioners in the field in conflict and post-conflict environments to promote emerging encouraging practices in ensuring the right of the child to birth registration and thereby to the enjoyment of many rights.

Since its adoption in November 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has been ratified by states across all regions and today it is in force in all but two countries. The CRC is the first binding international human rights instrument incorporating in the same text social, cultural, economic, civil and political rights. To monitor progress achieved in the realization of children’s rights, the CRC has established an international expert body, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which also provides awareness and understanding of the principles and provisions of this treaty. The present publication contains the eight General Comments issued by the Committee, and the CD Rom accompanying this text includes all the Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee in relation to State Parties presented between 1993 and 2006. The CD-Rom also includes the status of ratification of the Convention and its two Optional Protocols, as well as the text of the reservations and/or declarations made by European States and Asian Republics at the moment of signature and ratification of those legal instruments.

In 2003 the Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted an important statement: its General Comment n°5 on General Measures of Implementation. That same year, the Innocenti Research Centre began a study of the general measures of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The study reviews 62 countries, representing all regions of the world, that have submitted two reports to the Committee on implementation of the CRC. This analytical review is based primarily on the reports of States Parties to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and other documents generated as part of the reporting process established under the CRC and it is supplemented in some cases by information received from UNICEF field offices and partners, and by expert discussions and consultations. The overall objective of the study includes the promotion of the universal recognition of children’s rights, through the documentation of actions undertaken in the context of CRC implementation.

Desde su adopción en Noviembre de 1989, la Convención ha sido ratificada por Estados a través de todas las regiones y en la actualidad es aplicable en todos los países, a excepción de dos. La CDN es el primer instrumento internacional que crea obligaciones y responsabilidades para los Estados y que incorpora en un mismo texto derechos sociales, culturales, económicos, civiles y políticos. La CDN ha establecido un órgano internacional formado por expertos, el Comité de los Derechos del Niño, que tiene como finalidad vigilar y analizar el progreso que se ha alcanzado en la realización de los derechos de la infancia, así como también sensiblizar y proveer conocimiento sobre los principios y provisiones de la CDN. La presente publicación contiene las siete Observaciones Generales emitidas por el Comité, y en el CD-Rom que acompaña este texto se incluyen todas las Conclusiones Generales adoptadas por el Comité referentes a los informes presentados por los Estados Europeos y Repúblicas Asiáticas entre los años de 1993 y 2005. El CD-Rom, a su vez, incluye el estado de ratificación de la Convención y de sus Protocolos Facultativos, así como también el texto de las reservas y/o declaraciones introducidas por los Estados Europeos y las Repúblicas Asiáticas al momento de firmar y ratificar tales instrumentos internacionales.

Since its adoption in November 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has been ratified by states across regions and today it is in force in all but two. The CRC is the first binding international human rights instrument incorporating in the same text social, cultural, economic, civil and political rights. The Committee on the Rights of the Child exists to monitor progress achieved in the realization of children’s rights. The present publication contains the seven General Comments issued by the Committee, and the CD Rom accompanying this text includes all the Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee in relation to State Parties reports presented by European Countries and the Asian Republics between 1993 and 2005. The CD-Rom also includes the status of ratification of the Convention and its two Optional Protocols, as well as the text of the reservations and/or declarations made by European States and Asian Republics at the moment of signature and ratification of those legal instruments.

This study provides a critical and constructive analysis of how far the international community and individual states have come in their efforts to establish the normative, legal, and institutional frameworks which are essential if the aspirations of the Convention are to be translated into reality. Within this context the study seeks to achieve three objectives: (1) to draw up a balance sheet of some of the Convention’s achievements and shortcomings in terms of laying the foundations for an effective Convention-based regime; (2) to provide a balanced perspective on the Convention’s importance within the overall range of endeavors to improve the well-being of children in the world; and (3) to expose and examine some of the dilemmas and complexities which arise in efforts to promote and give effect to the Convention.

La Convención de los Derechos del Niño introduce por primera vez en un tratado de derecho internacional, el concepto de ‘capacidades evolutivas’ del niño(a). Este principio ha sido descrito como un nuevo principio de interpretación en derecho internacional, reconociendo que, a medida que los niños(as) adquieren mayores capacidades, hay menos necesidad de protección y mayor capacidad para adquirir responsabilidad por las decisiones que afectarán su vida. La Convención permite reconocer que los niños(as) que crecen en diferentes espacios y culturas, y que se enfrentan a diversas experiencias de vida, adquirirán estas capacidades a diferentes edades. Es necesario tomar acción a través del derecho, las políticas y la práctica para que sea reconocidas la contribución que la infancia brinda así como sus capacidades. El propósito de este estudio es abrir la discusión y promover el debate para adquirir un mejor entendimiento de la protección que debe darse a la niñez, de acuerdo con sus ‘capacidades evolutivas’, y asimismo proveer oportunidades de participación en el pleno cumplimiento de sus derechos.

Pour la première fois dans un traité internacional relatif aux droits humains, la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant introduit le concept des ‘capacités évolutives’ de l’enfant. Ce principe revêt de profondes implications pour les droits humains de l’enfant. Il établit que l’acquisition de compétences majeures de la part des enfants s’accompagne d’une moindre nécessité de les diriger et d’une plus grande nécessité de leur confier la responsabilité des décisions qui concernent leur existence. La Convention reconnaît que les enfants acquièrent des compétences à des âges différents en fonction des environnements, des cultures et des expériences de vie, et que l’acquisition de ces compétences varie selon les circonstances. Elle tient également compte du fait que les capacités des enfants diffèrent selon la nature des droits à exercer.Cette étude a pour objectif d’ouvrir la discussion et de favoriser le débat afin de mieux discerner les moyens de promouvoir les changements culturels nécessaires pour que les enfants soient adéquatement protégés conformément à leurs capacités évolutives, et qu’ils soient respectés en tant que citoyens, en tant que personnes et en tant que titulaires de droits.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child introduces for the first time in an international human rights treaty, the concept of the ‘evolving capacities’ of the child. This principle has been described as a new principle of interpretation in international law, recognising that, as children acquire enhanced competencies, there is a diminishing need for protection and a greater capacity to take responsibility for decisions affecting their lives. The Convention allows for the recognition that children in different environments and cultures, and faced with diverse life experiences, will acquire competencies at different ages. Action is needed in law, policy and practice so that the contributions children make and the capacities they hold are acknowledged. The purpose of the study is to open the discussion and promote debate to achieve a better understanding of how children can be protected, in accordance with their evolving capacities, and also provided with opportunities to participate in the fulfillment of their rights.

The CRC Implementation Report addresses areas where the potential of the treaty can be maximized, to advance the cause of children's rights and support UNICEF's agenda, as defined in its Medium Term Strategic Plan. Further the study constitutes a contribution to the follow-up to the Declaration and Plan of Action of the General Assembly Special Session on Children (UNGASS) and its support to the Millenium Declaration and achievements of the "Millenium Development Goals" (MDGs). The Plan of Action adopted by the Special Session, highlights the importance of effective implementation of the CRC and calls for the development of national legislation, policies, actions plans and other measures to promote and protect the rights of the child. Outcomes of the study will assist governments, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF and other relevant actors at national, regional and international levels, in furthering this important agenda. This study focuses on the general measures of implementation of the CRC in 62 countries, with a particular emphasis on legal and institutional reforms at the national level aimed at ensuring the effective application and enforcement of the provisions of the CRC.