COMMUNICATION FROM CHAIRPERSON ON RIGHTS OF THE

UNCLAS GENEVA 002522 SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/SHA, DRL/MLA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM UNHRC SUBJECT: COMMUNICATION FROM CHAIRPERSON ON RIGHTS OF THE CHILD REGARDING OVERDUE REPORTS ¶1. Mission received the following communication from Jakob Egbert Doek, Chairperson, Committee on the Rights of the Child regarding the two overdue reports on optional protocols that were ratified by the United States, Children in Armed Conflict and the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. This communication has been forwarded to IO/SHA via e-mail and is number 37 on the Geneva 2005 Communications Log. ¶2. Begin text of letter: 12 October 2005 Your Excellency, The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child notes with great appreciation that your country has ratified the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. It notes however with concern that the initial reports, due within two years of ratification, should have been submitted on 23 January 2005. The Committee would highly appreciate the submission of your initial reports due under both Optional Protocols as soon as possible. The General Assembly has authorized the Committee to meet in two chambers during 2006, starting from the forty- first session. This new method of work will allow the Committee to review reports in a more timely manner, and it is expected that reports can be reviewed within about one year of their submission. The Committee would like to draw your attention to the guidelines it has adopted for the drafting of these initial reports (CRC/OP/AC/1 and CRC/OP/SA/1). If you have any question regarding the drafting and/or submission of the reports please do not hesitate to contact the secretariat of the Committee (Ms. Maja Andrijasevic-Boko at mandrijasevic-boko@ohchr.org tel.+41 22 9179216 fax +41 22 9179022). The Committee very much hopes that the initial reports will be submitted within a year from now. Further periodic reporting should take place in accordance with the rules of the Optional Protocols, that is every five years (in accordance with article 8.2 of the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and article 12.2 of the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography). Thank you for your kind cooperation. Yours sincerely. Jakob Egbert Doek Chairperson Committee on the Rights of the Child End text of letter. MOLEY