Summary: January 29, 2001: The Special Session on Children. Organizational arrangements for the preparatory process. Update on reviews and appraisals. Statement by Ambassador Thomas Hammarberg, Head of Delegation of Sweden on behalf of the European Union (New York)
Madame Chairperson,
Distinguished delegates
1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU on Agenda item 4: Update on reviews and appraisals. The Central and Eastern European Countries associated with the European Union (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia) and the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, as well as the EFTA countries members of the EEA Iceland and Liechtenstein align themselves with this statement.
Madame Chairperson,
2. I would like to thank UNICEF for their presentation of the preliminary results of the implementation of the goals of the World Summit for Children. We note with satisfaction that there have been significant developments in many countries in the achievement of the goals over the past decade. The considerable advances made demonstrate that a clear and strong commitment can contribute to substantial changes. However, the UNICEF presentation we just heard also demonstrated that many serious
problems remain. We noted for instance that still only one third of the world's children are registered at birth. It is noteworthy that in our own region, substantial progress has been made in attainment of some of the goals, for example in the under-five mortality, although we started at what was ten years ago considered an already low level.
3. Many of these results have been anticipated. The monitoring and systematic analysis of progress of the WSC goals through annual reporting has permitted us to track the outcome of our efforts. The reporting to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which has now reviewed the second reports of many EU countries, has been even more instrumental for assessing advances, identifying obstacles and recommending further action at the national level.
4. One of the greatest achievements of the WSC is clearly that it has contributed to the development of indicators and systematic monitoring. The availability of base-line data provides us with better and more accurate ways of identifying areas where progress has been achieved, where new or intensified interventions are needed, and how to reallocate our efforts and resources to provide the best results for children, both within our countries and in other parts of the world. Although there is
still a need to refine data collection and increase comparability, we no longer have any excuse not to be proactive in our approach to children and their rights.
5. The goals of the WSC cannot be fully achieved without the universal realization of all the rights of the Convention. Since its adoption the Convention has been the obvious starting point for our endeavors at national level within the European Union. We are encouraged to learn that this is the practice adopted in many other places around the world. The Convention on the Rights of the Child has provided us with a yardstick against which to measure our progress to secure that every child - boy
or girl - has the opportunity to enjoy his or her rights.
6. But we have to continue our efforts. That is why the French Presidency organized the first meeting for ministers in charge of children on 20 November last year. The aim was to allow for each country to benefit from best practises of the others in many particularly sensitive areas with regard to the respect and promotion of the rights of the child.
In our region, we are focussing on the following issues:
Best interests of the child - identifying the best interest of the child and ensuring that it guides decision-making affecting the child should become a habit for all people dealing with children. Best interests of the child should be taken into account at three levels, which require different measures or instruments: decision-making concerning individuals, legislation and political decision-making. A part of this task is to institute as far as possible child impact analysis at the local and national government level. We need to continue to develop methods for assessing the effect of our decisions on children and refine our budgetary instruments accordingly.
Participation - how can we ensure that children are heard and involved in all matters affecting their lives? They should be able to take an active and meaningful part in decision-making, which shapes their lives and their future.
Discrimination - there are groups of children, among them recent immigrants from countries outside of the EUs borders, who need increased attention to ensure that they have the same possibilities to enjoy their human rights as other children.
Reaching the un-reached children. A significant number of children in European countries have difficulties because of a disability, social problems, dysfunctional families or problems in school, children belonging to ethnic or other minorities, and victims of child exploitation and abuse. A wide range of measures need to be taken in order to reach these groups.
Violence - the countries in the EU are increasingly focusing on ways to eradicate violence against children, as well as domestic violence by and large, including legislation prohibiting corporal punishment of children. We also recognise that this is one part of long-term strategy to change deep-rooted attitudes in many societies, which must be complemented by raising the awareness of the right of the child to be treated with respect and dignity.
The role of fathers - we have long worked to guarantee that mothers in working life are given the best opportunities to care for their children. We now have to devote the same attention to ensure that the importance of the father to a child is fully recognised and that conditions are created for sharing equal family responsibilities.
Monitoring of child rights - many of the members of the EU have established independent ombudsman offices or other agencies to monitor the respect for the rights of the child. Their recommendations and conclusions should be seriously considered and implemented by relevant authorities.
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