US embassy cable - 05GENEVA2522

UNCLAS GENEVA 002522 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IO/SHA, DRL/MLA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, UNHRC-1, Children Rights 
SUBJECT: COMMUNICATION FROM CHAIRPERSON ON RIGHTS OF THE 
CHILD REGARDING OVERDUE REPORTS 
 
1.  Mission received the following communication from Jakob 
Egbert Doek, Chairperson, Committee on the Rights of the 
Child regarding the two overdue reports on optional 
protocols that were ratified by the United States, Children 
in Armed Conflict and the Sale of Children, Child 
Prostitution and Child Pornography. This communication has 
been forwarded to IO/SHA via e-mail and is number 37 on the 
Geneva 2005 Communications Log. 
 
2.  Begin text of letter: 
 
12 October 2005 
 
Your Excellency, 
 
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child 
notes with great appreciation that your country has ratified 
the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of 
the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict 
and on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child 
Pornography.  It notes however with concern that the initial 
reports, due within two years of ratification, should have 
been submitted on 23 January 2005. 
 
The Committee would highly appreciate the submission of your 
initial reports due under both Optional Protocols as soon as 
possible. The General Assembly has authorized the Committee 
to meet in two chambers during 2006, starting from the forty- 
first session. This new method of work will allow the 
Committee to review reports in a more timely manner, and it 
is expected that reports can be reviewed within about one 
year of their submission. 
 
The Committee would like to draw your attention to the 
guidelines it has adopted for the drafting of these initial 
reports (CRC/OP/AC/1 and CRC/OP/SA/1). 
 
If you have any question regarding the drafting and/or 
submission of the reports please do not hesitate to contact 
the secretariat of the Committee (Ms. Maja Andrijasevic-Boko 
at mandrijasevic-boko@ohchr.org tel.+41 22 9179216 fax +41 
22 9179022). 
 
The Committee very much hopes that the initial reports will 
be submitted within a year from now. Further periodic 
reporting should take place in accordance with the rules of 
the Optional Protocols, that is every five years (in 
accordance with article 8.2 of the Optional Protocol on the 
Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and article 12.2 
of the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child 
Prostitution and Child Pornography). 
 
Thank you for your kind cooperation. 
 
Yours sincerely. 
 
Jakob Egbert Doek 
Chairperson Committee on the Rights of the Child 
 
 
 
End text of letter. 
 
MOLEY