COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDForty-ninth session Geneva, 15 September – 3 October 2008

provisional agenda and annotations

Note by the Secretary-General

The forty-ninth session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child will be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 15 September to 3 October 2008. The first meeting of the session will be convened on Monday, 19 May at 10 a.m.

In accordance with rule 6 of the provisional rules of procedure, the Secretary-General has prepared, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Committee, the attached provisional agenda for the forty-ninth session. Annotations to the provisional agenda are also attached.

Pursuant to rule 32 of the provisional rules of procedure, the meetings of the Committee shall be held in public unless the Committee decides otherwise.

The attention of the States parties is drawn, in particular, to the annotations to item 4, containing the list of reports that will be before the Committee at its forty-ninth session.

GE.08-43019A pre-sessional working group, established in accordance with rule 63 of the provisional rules of procedure, met at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 6 to 10 October 2008.

Provisional agenda

1. Adoption of the agenda.

2. Organizational matters.

3.Submission of reports by States parties.

4.Consideration of reports of States parties.

5.Cooperation with other United Nations bodies, specialized agencies and other competent bodies.

6.Methods of work of the Committee.

7. Days of general discussion.

8.General comments.

9.Future meetings.

10.Other matters.

Annotations

Item 1. Adoption of the agenda

6.Under rule 8 of the provisional rules of procedure, the first item on the provisional agenda shall be the adoption of the agenda, except for the election of officers when required under rule 16. In accordance with rule 9 of the provisional rules of procedure, the Committee may revise the agenda and may, as appropriate, add, defer or delete items. Only urgent or important items may be added to the agenda.

Item 2. Organizational matters

7.Under this item, the Committee may wish to consider its programme of work for the session, as well as any other matter concerning the modalities of discharging its functions under the Convention.

Item 3. Submission of reports by States parties

Reports received

8.In addition to the reports which are scheduled for consideration by the Committee at its forty-ninth session (see the timetable for consideration of reports under item 4 below), and reports included in the provisional agenda for the forty-eighth session, document CRC/C/48/1, the Secretary-General has received the following reports under the Convention and its Optional Protocols.

Convention on the Rights of the Child

State party	Due in	Symbol
Ecuador, fourth	2007	CRC/C/ECU/4
Mongolia, third and fourth	2007	CRC/C/MNG/4
Cameroon, second	2000	CRC/C/CMR/2
Argentina, third and fourth	2008	CRC/C/ARG/4
Japan, third	2006	CRC/C/JPN/3
Guatemala, third and fourth	2006	CRC/C/GTM/4
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, second	1998	CRC/C/MKD/2
Nigeria, third and fourth	2008	CRC/C/NGA/4
Grenada, second	1997	CRC/C/GRD/2
Spain, third and fourth	2003	CRC/C/ESP/4
Tunisia, third	2004	CRC/C/TUN/3
Nicaragua, fourth	2007	CRC/C/NIC/4
Sudan, third and fourth	2007	CRC/C/SDN/4

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvementof children in armed conflict

State party	Due in	Symbol
Serbia	2005	CRC/C/OPAC/SRB/1
Israel	2007	CRC/C/OPAC/ISR/1
Ecuador	2006	CRC/C/OPAC/ECU/1
Sri Lanka	2004	CRC/C/OPAC/LKA/1
Nicaragua	2007	CRC/C/OPAC/NIC/1
Japan	2006	CRC/C/OPAC/JPN/1
Mongolia	2006	CRC/C/OPAC/MGN/1
Sierra Leone	2004	CRC/C/OPAC/SLE/1

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children,child prostitution and child pornography

State party	Due in	Symbol
Mongolia	2005	CRC/C/OPSC/MNG/1
Sierra Leone	2004	CRC/C/OPSC/SLE/1
El Salvador	2006	CRC/C/OPSC/SLV/1
Japan	2007	CRC/C/OPSC/JPN/1
Estonia	2006	CRC/C/OPSC/EST/1
Serbia	2004	CRC/C/OPSC/SRB/1
Nicaragua	2007	CRC/C/OPSC/NIC/1
Ecuador	2006	CRC/C/OPSC/ECU/1

Overdue reports due

Under rule 67 of the provisional rules of procedure, the Secretary-General is required to notify the Committee at each session of all cases of non-submission of reports. The full list of initial and periodic reports due under the Convention and the initial and periodic reports due under the Optional Protocols can be found in the document on the status of submission of reports (CRC/C/49/2). This document also indicates exceptional measures granted by the Committee to States parties that are encountering problems in complying with the strict time frame for submission of reports established by the Convention in article 44, paragraph 1, or the consideration of whose reports has been delayed. These recommendations apply as exceptional measures taken for one time only.

Item 4. Consideration of reports of States parties

A tentative timetable for consideration of reports at the forty-ninth session, prepared by the Secretary-General in consultation with the Chairperson and subject to approval by the Committee, is given below.

Tentative timetable for consideration of reports of States parties

Date	Time	Agenda item	Report
Monday, 15 September 2008	3 p.m.	4	Austria, OPSC
Tuesday, 16 September 2008	10 a.m.	4	Uganda, OPAC and OPSC
	3 p.m.	4	Uganda (cont’d.)
Wednesday, 17 September 2008	10 a.m.	4	Djibouti
	3 p.m.	4	Djibouti, (cont’d.)
Thursday, 18 September 2008	10 a.m.	4	Lithuania, OPSC
Monday, 22 September 2008	10 a.m.	4	Bhutan
	3 p.m.	4	Bhutan (cont’d.)
Tuesday, 23 September 2008	10 a.m.	4	United Kingdom
	3 p.m.	4	United Kingdom (cont’d.)
Wednesday, 24 September 2008	10 a.m.	4	United Kingdom, OPAC (cont’d.)
Monday, 29 September 2008	10 a.m.	4	United Republic of Tanzania,, OPAC and OPSC
	3 p.m.	4	United Republic of Tanzania (cont’d.)

In accordance with rule 68 of the provisional rules of procedure, representatives of the States parties shall be invited to attend the meetings of the Committee when their reports are examined. Such representatives should be able to answer questions put to them by the Committee and make statements on reports already submitted by their State, and may also submit further information. In accordance with its decision 8 related to the consideration of reports under the two Optional Protocols, the Committee may also offer States a choice of technical review for the consideration of reports under the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

In accordance with rule 68 of the Committee’s provisional rules of procedure, the Secretary-General has notified the States parties concerned of the opening date, duration and place of the forty-ninth session of the Committee, at which their respective reports will be examined, and has invited them to send representatives to attend these meetings of the Committee.

Item 5.Cooperation with other United Nations bodies, specializedagencies and other competent bodies

Under this item, the Committee will pursue its discussion of ways and areas in which existing cooperation with various relevant bodies could be further strengthened to enhance the promotion and protection of the rights of the child.

Item 6. Methods of work of the Committee

Under this item, the Committee will pursue its discussion concerning the organization of its future work, as well as the procedure to be followed in the consideration of reports by States parties and their follow-up, including where necessary areas identified for technical assistance. In particular, the Committee will consider modalities of addressing the backlog of reports pending consideration, including its decision to request the General Assembly at its sixty-third session to approve the two-chamber working method, which is the most efficient and least costly modality of addressing the backlog of reports.

Item 7. Days of general discussion

In accordance with rule 75 of its provisional rules of procedure, the Committee decided at its forty-sixth session that a general day of discussion would be held during its forty-ninth session devoted to the issue of education in situations of emergency. The day of general discussion will take place on Friday, 19 September 2008. At its forty-seventh session, the Committee adopted an outline for the discussion day (see CRC/C/47/3, annex) as well as a programme for the day of discussion at its forty-eighth session. Documentation and information related to the day of general discussion is available on the web page of the Committee on the Rights of the Child atwww.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/discussion.htm.

Item 8. General comments

Under this item, the Committee will pursue the elaboration of general comments based on the various principles and provisions of the Convention, and specifically on two drafts, one related to the rights of indigenous children and one on child participation.

Item 9. Future meetings

Under this item, the Committee will be informed of any developments relating to the schedule of its future meetings.

Item 10. Other matters

Under this item, members will discuss such other matters relating to the work of the Committee as may be necessary.

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