REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Addendum

Annex XII

PROGRAMME BUDGET IMPLICATIONS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONOF THE COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD ON ITS WORKING METHODS

In accordance with rule 26 of its provisional rules of procedure (CRC/C/4), the following statement of programme budget implications was prepared for the Committee with respect to the recommendation adopted at its thirty-fourth session concerning its working methods (see chap. I, sect. C):

“1.The Committee on the Rights of the Child is established under article 43 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and is mandated to monitor implementation of the Convention and its two Optional Protocols on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and on the involvement of children in armed conflict through the review of reports which are to be submitted on a periodic basis by States parties. There are currently 192 States parties to the Convention, 62 States parties to the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and 59 States parties to the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict. The Committee on the Rights of the Child consists of 18 members. Currently, it holds three annual sessions of three weeks’ duration each, at Geneva. A pre-sessional working group also meets at Geneva for one week approximately two to three months in advance of each session. Resource requirements relating to the Committee are included in the proposed programme budget for the 2004‑2005 biennium. The Committee currently considers the reports of 9 States parties at each session, or 27 States parties annually. The reports of 47 States parties have been submitted and are awaiting review, while the initial reports of 13 States parties and the second periodic reports of 100 States parties have not been submitted in accordance with the requirements of the Convention, and are accordingly overdue. From January 2004, States parties will begin submitting reports required under the Convention’s Optional Protocols.

“2.Concerned at the significant number of reports of States parties awaiting consideration and that the information contained therein will become obsolete, and as a measure to encourage States parties to submit their reports in a timely manner, the Committee requests the General Assembly to approve the Committee’s decision to meet in two parallel chambers for an initial period of two years, as of October 2004 for its thirty-seventh pre-sessional working group and as of January 2005 for its thirty-eighth session. At the end of the two-year period the system would be evaluated for possible renewal.

“3.The total estimated cost to cover the staff cost requirements and conference service facilities would amount to US$ 4,122,181: US$ 651,960 in 2004 and US$ 3,470,221 in 2005, as shown in the following table:

	2004	2005
Conference services	413,360	3,231,621
1 Professional staff (P-3)	121,800	121,800
1 General Service staff	116,800	116,800
Total	651,960	3,470,221

“4.No provision has been made under the proposed programme budget 2004-2005 to cover these activities and it is not anticipated that they can be covered from available resources.”

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