UN Human Rights Treaties

UNITED NATIONS Distr. GENERAL GENERAL ACCEMBLY A/36/662 16 November 1981 ORIGINAL:ENGLISH Thirty-sixth session Agenda item 86 QUESTION OF A CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD Report of the Third Committee Rapporteur: Mr. Naoharu FUJII (Japan) I. INTRODUCTION 1, At its 4th plenary meeting, on 18 September 1981, the General Assembly decided to include in its agenda the item entitled "'Question of a convention on the rights of the child" and to allocate it to the Third Committee. 2. The Committee considered this item jointly with items 75, 85, 87 and 91 -at its 27th to 38th meetings. on 22 to 30 October, and on 2 and 3 November 1981. The views expressed by representatives of Member States on this item are contained in the summary records of those meetings (A/C.3/36/SR.27-38). 3. The Committee had before it the following documents: (a) Report of the Economic and Social Council, chapter XXIII (A/36/3/Add.23 (Part I)); 1/ - (b) Question of a convention on the rights of the child: document submitted by Poland (A/C.3/36/6). 4. At the 27th meeting., on 22 October, the Deputy Director of the Division of Human Rights made an introductory statement on the item. II. CONSIDERATION OF DRAFT RESOLUTION A/C.3/36/L.14 5. At the 27th meeting, on 22 October. the representative of Poland introduced a draft resolution (A/C.3/36/L.14) sponsored by Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan. Dulraria, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Colombia, the Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba., Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, France, . 1/ To be incorporated in Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty sixth Session, Supplement No. 3 (A/36/3/Rev.1). A/36/662 English Page 2 the German Democratic Republic. Germany Federal Republic of Greece, Guyana. India Jamaica, Jordan, Madagascar, Mexico,, Mongolia, Morocco, Hew Zealand Nigeria., Pakistan, Panama Peru the Philippines, Poland. Spain. Sri Lanka. Suriname the Syrian Arab Republic, Uruguay Venezuela, Viet Nam Yugoslavia and Zaire., letter joined by Angola, Dolivia, Chad, Democratic Yemen, the Dominican Republic. EI Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, the Gambia., Guinea., Guinea Dissau, the Lao People 's Democratic Republic, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. Mali, Nozanbique Nicaragua, Rwanda, Saint Lucia. Sao Tone and Principe Somalia. the Under Volta Yemen and Zinbabwe. 6, At its 30th meeting, on 3 November, the Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote (see para. 7). III. RECOWIEHDATION OF THE THIRD COMMTTEE 7. The Third Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the following draft resolution: Question of a convention on the Rights of the child The General Assembly, Recalling! its resolutions 33/166 of ?0 December 1978, 34/4 of 10 October 1979 and 35/131 of 11 December 1080 Nindful of the vital life between programmes benefiting children and the observance of their rights and a broader and more comprehensive framework of overall economic and social development in conditions of Peace, Co that the fresh and necessary impetus to activities Generated by the International Year of the Child should be maintained and that the new perspective it has created should be followed by appropriate action in the years to come, Reaffinung the important role that the United nations Children's Fund has to play in the subject-matter concerned. Aware of the importance of an international. convention on the rights of the child for the protection of children's rights and improvenent in their situation, flaying in mind Commission on Human Rights resolutions 20 (XXXIV) of 8 Harch 1978, 8/19 (XXXV) of 14 March 1979 3/ 36 (XXXVI) of 1' March 1900 4/ and 6 (XXXVII) of 10 March 1931. 5/ as well us Economic and Social Council 2/ See Official Records of the Econostig and Social Council, 1978 Supplement No (E/2978/34) chan. XXVI sect. A. 3/ Ibid., 1979 Supplement No 1 (E/1979/36), chap. XXIV, sect. A 4/ Ibid., 1980 Supplement No 3 (E/1980/13 and corr.1) , chap. XXVI, sect. A 5/ Ibid., 1981 Supplement No 5 (E/1981/25 and corr.1) , chap. XXVIII, sect. A A/36/66.. English Page 3 resolutions 1978/18 of 5 May 1978, 1978A0 of 1 August 1978 and Council decisions 1980/138 of 2 May 1980 and 198l/144 of 8 May 1981, Noting With appreciation further progress made in the elaboration of a draft convention on the rights of the child by the Commission on Human Rights prior to and during its thirty-seventh session, 1. Welcomes Economic and Social Council decision 198l/l44 by which the Council authorized an open-ended working group of the Commission on Human Rights to meet for a period of one week prior to the thirty-eighth session of the Commission to complete the work on the draft convention on the rights of the child; 2. Requests the Commission on Human Rights to give the highest priority to the question of completing the draft convention; 3. Requests the Secretary-General to provide all necessary assistance to the Working Group in order to ensure its smooth and efficient work; 4. Drides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-seventh session the item entitled "Question of a convention on the rights of the child".