This record is subject to correction.Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Official Records Editing Section, room E.4108, Palais des Nations, Geneva.Any corrections to the records of the public meetings of the Committee at this session will be consolidated in a single corrigendum, to be issued shortly after the end of the session.GE.06-40033 (E) 130106 160106 UNITED NATIONS

CRC

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Distr.GENERAL

CRC/C/SR.108116 January 2006

Original: ENGLISH

COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Forty-first session

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 1081st MEETING

Held at the Palais Wilson, Geneva,

on Monday, 9 January 2006, at 10 a.m.

Chairperson: Mr. DOEK

CONTENTS

OPENING OF THE SESSION

STATEMENT BY THE CHIEF OF THE TREATIES AND COMMISSION BRANCH OF THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA

SUBMISSION OF REPORTS BY STATES PARTIES

The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m.

OPENING OF THE SESSION

The CHAIRPERSON declared open the forty-first session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. He recalled that, while the Committee would meet in parallel chambers to consider States parties’ reports, all decisions on concluding observations would be taken by the Committee meeting in plenary.

STATEMENT BY THE CHIEF OF THE TREATIES AND COMMISSION BRANCH OF THE OFFICE OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Ms. IZE-CHARRIN (Chief, Treaties and Commission Branch, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) said that the High Commissioner, after discussing the proposals included in her Plan of Action with the Committee in September 2005, had updated all committees on treaty body reform in a letter in October 2005, and had invited the members of those committees to continue to share their views. Analysis of the contributions to the online discussion forum on treaty body reform would be included in a forthcoming concept paper. The Committee had an essential role in the reform process, since the High Commissioner relied on its expertise and insight.

She noted with pleasure that Mr. Filali had participated in the meeting held in December 2005 to establish a technical working group to finalize the draft harmonized reporting guidelines. The group would meet again in mid-February.

At the sixtieth session of the General Assembly, the independent expert had made a progress report on the Secretary-General’s study on violence against children, and panel discussions had been held on the linkages between the study on violence against women and the study on violence against children. The High Commissioner had proposed hosting a meeting on international mechanisms in cooperation with the Division for the Advancement of Women in 2006, which the Council of Europe would co-host.

She commended Committee members and the staff of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the success of the regional workshop on follow-up to the Committee’s concluding observations, held in November 2005 in Buenos Aires. It had proved how close cooperation between the Committee, United Nations and civil society partners and government representatives could further the implementation of the Convention.

At its current session, the Committee would consider 15 State party reports, working in two separate chambers. The decision to adopt that method of work would be evaluated, and the Chairperson would report thereon to the General Assembly at its sixty-first session. The Committee would also continue its consideration of general comments, meet informally with States parties and interact with the United Nations bodies, non-governmental organizations and other partners that followed its work.

The CHAIRPERSON said that the support of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had been crucial to the success of the Buenos Aires workshop. The Committee would assess the impact of working in two separate chambers after the current session, taking into account the additional demands that arrangement placed on the secretariat.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA (CRC/C/41/1)

The agenda was adopted.

SUBMISSION OF REPORTS BY STATES PARTIES

The CHAIRPERSON said that all 192 States parties should have submitted initial reports to the Committee by the end of 2006.

Ms. ANDRIJASEVIC-BOKO (Secretary of the Committee) said that, since its previous session, the Committee had received initial reports from Samoa and Swaziland, a second periodic report from Kenya, and a third periodic report from Chile. Under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflict it had received reports from Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, Malta, Monaco and Viet Nam. The Committee had received reports under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography from Bangladesh, Costa Rica and Viet Nam.

The meeting rose at 10.30 a.m.