Committe on the Rights of the Child : General observations

The Committee on the Rights of the Child

Role and competence – General Observations and Days of General Debate

Beyond the examination of the reports and communications of States, the Committee on the rights of the child publishes General Observations and organizes Days of General Debate.

General Observations

The Committee on the rights of the child formulates interpretations on certain dispositions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to explain the focus of certain rights and thus to guide the States in their implementation.

These interpretations are published under the form of General Observations. At the present time the Committee has published 12 General Observations:

  • 2001 : General observation n° 1 “The goals of education”
  • 2002 : General observation n° 2 “The role of the independent national institutions of defense of human rights”
  • 2003 : General observation n° 3 “HIV/AIDS and the rights of the child”
  • 2003 : General observation n° 4 “Health and development of the adolescent”
  • 2003 : General observation n° 5 “General measure of implementation of the Convention relating to the rights of the child”
  • 2005 : General observation n° 6 “Treatment of the non-accompanied children and children separated outside of their country of origin”
  • 2005 : General observation n° 7 “Implementation of the rights of the child in early childhood”
  • 2005 : General observation n° 8 “The right of the child to a protection against physical punishments and other forms of cruel or degrading punishments”
  • 2006 : General observation n° 9 “The rights of special needs children”
  • 2007 : General observation n° 10 “The rights of the child in the justice system for minors”
  • 2009 : General observation n° 11 “Indigenous children and their rights by virtue of the Convention”
  • 2009 : General observation n° 12 “The right of the child to be heard”

Days of General Debate

Since 1992, the Committee of the rights of the child holds a day of general debate each year.

The objective of that day is to favor better comprehension of the content and issues of the Convention with regard to certain dispositions or certain specific themes.

During that day, public debates are organized with all the representatives, active in the promotion and the protection of the rights of the child participating.

Invited are representatives of governments, of non-governmental organizations, of mechanisms of the United Nations relating to human rights and of specialized departments of the United Nations, as well as experts.
At the end of that day, the Committee adopts a recommendation that summarizes the body of the questions raised and the answers discussed (2).