HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD AND THE 2030 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

The Human Rights Council this morning held the first part of its annual meeting on the rights of the child, with a panel discussion on the protection of the rights of the child in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In opening remarks, Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that to safeguard the future of the planet, the future of all children had to be put front and centre in development and peace efforts. The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda was an intergenerational promise that promised to leave no one behind, and the children left furthest behind had to be reached first. She called on Governments and other partners in the Sustainable Development Goals to broaden opportunities for multi stakeholder participation inclusive of children themselves.

Ricardo González Arenas, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, served as the panel’s moderator. The panellists were Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Chairperson, Committee on the Rights of the Child; Marilena Viviani, Director of UNICEF Geneva Liaison Office, United Nations Children’s Fund; Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; and Delia Pop, President, Child Rights Connect and Director of Programmes and Global Advocacy, Hope and Homes for Children.

Mr. González Arenas said the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals represented an important opportunity and would strengthen the realization of children’s rights around the world, bringing about transformative change. There was a need to protect and ensure the enjoyment of children’s rights in the implementation of 2030 Agenda, he said, calling for the international community to deploy its utmost efforts in attaining those goals.

Benyam Dawit Mezmur, Chairperson, Committee on the Rights of the Child, said the starting point was that the Sustainable Development Goals were universal, and that the Convention on the Rights of the Child was too. Some links between them were obvious, but it was also important to link the less obvious ones, such as the goal referring to climate action, including strengthening resilience to climate change. The cardinal principles which underpinned the Convention on the Rights of the Child included non-discrimination, the right to life, survival and development, and the right to participation. Implementation should not only be about protection, but also about promotion and participation.

Marilena Viviani, Director of UNICEF Geneva Liaison Office, United Nations Children’s Fund, noted that, in addition to traditional children’s issues, the Sustainable Development Goals brought attention to key areas not covered in the Millennium Development Goals, such as protecting children against violence and exploitation or tackling climate change. Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund had mapped congruence between the Convention on the Rights of the Child with the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda and had found that all goals were relevant for children and their rights, not only the goals which specifically referred to children.

Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, said existing United Nations human rights monitoring mechanisms such as the treaty bodies, the Universal Periodic Review and the Special Procedures system had great potential to promote and assist in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Those monitoring and reporting mechanisms could be used to assess progress in the implementation of targets on the rights of the child as they involved a range of stakeholders in the process, including children themselves, and provided accountability for the commitments made to children to ensure their rights.

Delia Pop, President, Child Rights Connect and Director of Programmes and Global Advocacy, Hope and Homes for Children, said one of the main breakthroughs of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was its anchorage in the human rights framework, which included the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The participation of civil society was fundamental to ensuring the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by 2030 based on the promotion and realization of children’s rights. Children were key stakeholders in the Agenda, and involving children in processes had proven to efficiently support governments in developing and shaping their implementation plans of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

During the discussion, speakers highlighted that the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda would have an essential impact on the rights of the child given the cross-sectional nature of the goals. At the same time, speakers underscored the need to develop comprehensive national strategies and action plans to achieve related targets, as well as the importance of collecting meaningful data. Several also called for awareness-raising campaigns and law enforcement strategies to prevent and penalize child abuse.

Taking the floor were El Salvador on behalf of the Community of Caribbean and Latin American States, Singapore on behalf of the Association of South Asian Nations, Iceland on behalf of the Nordic countries, the European Union, Iraq on behalf of the Arab Group, Tunisia on behalf of the African Group, Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Pakistan, Brazil, Venezuela, Greece, Qatar, Estonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Israel, Libya, Haiti, Croatia, Republic of Korea, Belgium, Spain and Namibia.

Also speaking was the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation as well as the following non-governmental organizations: Child Rights Connect in a joint statement, Action Canada for Population and Development in a joint statement, Centre Independent de Recherches et d’Initiatives pour le Dialogue, Swedish Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights, and Centre for Reproductive Rights Inc.

The Council is holding a full day of meetings today. At noon, it will resume its clustered interactive dialogue on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, and on the promotion of the enjoyment of the cultural rights of everyone and respect for cultural diversity. At 3 p.m., the Council will hold the second part of its annual meeting on the rights of the child.

Opening Statement

KATE GILMORE, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, highlighted the exceptional demographic change underway nowadays and for the duration of the 2030 Agenda, the most substantial that the world had ever seen. Due to advances in medical science, more people than ever were alive today, notably in two age groups: the very young and the aging. Preventable mortality among pregnant women and children had been reduced by close to 50 per cent and life expectancy had extended globally to such a degree that the aged population was at its highest level in human history. Those magnificent fruits of human achievement brought unprecedented opportunities in the next 15 years or so by which to advance peace, security and inclusive development, as well as deep challenges should public policy fail either of those distinct populations or fail to build bridges between the two. Some 2 billion of the world’s 2.2 billion children lived in the developing world where 85 per cent of the world’s youth population also resided, whereas it was the world’s wealthiest countries that were home to older and aging populations. Those were radically different demographic situations between the so-called developed and developing countries illustrating the “demographic divide” hidden in plain sight. If that divide was not bridged and unveiled, the Sustainable Development Agenda would surely fail. Unless the understanding of and commitment to the rights of children were accelerated by 2030, almost 70 million children could die before reaching their fifth birthday, with children in sub-Saharan Africa 10 times more likely to die before their fifth birthday; more than 60 million primary school-aged children would be out of school, and some 750 million women would be married as children. To safeguard the future of the planet, to better secure the rights of people of all ages, the future of all children had to be put front and centre of development and peace efforts.

All children had a right to survive and thrive. They had the right to live their lives free from the fear of deprivation, violence and abuse. Close to 570 million children were still living in extreme poverty and close to 58 million children of primary school age were still not in school and because of poor education quality 250 million children failed to learn the basics of literacy and numeracy. The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda was an intergenerational promise. The demographic profile of today’s decision makers was evidence of just how exposed children, adolescents and young people were to the consequences of those decisions in which they were given next to no part. The 2030 Agenda promised to leave no one behind. Those children left furthest behind had to be reached first. Immediate further incentive and investment in children meant sound returns for all tomorrow. Political, practical and participatory accountability was essential if the Sustainable Development Goal of intergenerational promise was to become a reality in children’s lives. Governments and other partners in the Sustainable Development Goals had to broaden opportunities for multi stakeholder participation inclusive of children themselves, Ms. Gilmore concluded.

Statements by the Panel Moderator and the Panellists

RICARDO GONZÁLEZ ARENAS, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva and panel moderator, said he was convinced that the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals were very timely and would strengthen the realization of children’s rights around the world, bringing about transformative change. It also reflected the agenda of leaving no one behind and allowing children’s voices to be heard. The international community must bear in mind that they needed to protect and ensure the enjoyment of children’s rights in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Despite huge challenges, the international community must deploy the utmost efforts in attaining those goals. He invited the Council to watch a video by UNICEF on children’s rights and the 2030 Agenda before introducing the panel. He then asked Mr. Mezmur, on the basis of his experience, to outline the links between international children’s rights law and the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as how the four general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child could be used as guidelines for implementation, follow-up and review.

BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Chairperson, Committee on the Rights of the Child, said the starting point was that the Sustainable Development Goals were universal, and that the Convention on the Rights of the Child was too. Some links between them were obvious, such as linking zero hunger to the relevant article on adequate food. But it was also important to link the less obvious ones, such as the goal referring to climate action, including strengthening resilience to climate change. The cardinal principles which underpinned the Convention on the Rights of the Child included non-discrimination, the right to life, survival and development, and the right to participation. Emphasizing those principles highlighted that implementation should not only be about protection, but also about promotion and participation. The Committee on the Rights of the Child had established a Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report “protection of the rights of the child in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” was a great start, and was something all needed to reflect on. It was crucial to incorporate human rights principles into national development strategies and for governments to fulfil their human rights obligations; then, they would be more successful in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

RICARDO GONZÁLEZ ARENAS, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations Office and panel moderator, asked about the approaches to be made to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals from the perspective of the United Nations Children’s Fund, and ways to achieve the rights of children everywhere.

MARILENA VIVIANI, Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund Geneva Liaison Office, noted that “leave no one behind” spoke to a fundamental lesson learned from the Millennium Development Goals. Despite significant progress made on many different goals at the aggregate level, a closer examination of the sub-national levels or between different income and social groups had revealed stagnating progress. Data showed that too often the place where a child was born was a determining factor in whether or not that child was able to fulfil their potential over the course of their life. Compared to the richest children, the poorest children were five times as likely to be out of school. Rural children were twice as likely to be stunted as their urban counterparts, and 90 per cent of children who did not have access to safe water and adequate sanitation lived in rural areas. Children who were born in a fragile or conflict-affected country were three times as likely to be out of primary school, twice as likely to be undernourished, and twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday compared to those born in other developing countries. In addition to traditional children’s issues, the Sustainable Development Goals brought attention and action to key areas not covered in the Millennium Development Goals, such as protecting children against violence and exploitation or tackling climate change. The United Nations Children’s Fund had mapped congruence between the Convention on the Rights of the Child with the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda and had found that besides the obvious links in areas such as health, education and violence, all goals were relevant for children and their rights, not only the goals which specifically referred to children. In addition to a child rights approach, there were three areas of how the United Nations Children’s Fund planned to leave no child behind: count children, invest in children, and partner with children. By involving children and young people in the Sustainable Development Goals through increasing their awareness and inspiring their action, their rights would be realized today and set out a more hopeful future for tomorrow.

RICARDO GONZÁLEZ ARENAS, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations Office and panel moderator, asked the panellist what was the role of the United Nations monitoring mechanisms, including the Special Procedures of the Council, in ensuring accountability in the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda, in particular with respect to the rights of the child?

MAUD DE BOER-BUQUICCHIO, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, said existing United Nations human rights monitoring mechanisms such as the treaty bodies, the Universal Periodic Review and the Special Procedures system had great potential to promote and assist in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Those monitoring and reporting mechanisms could be used to assess progress in the implementation of targets on the rights of the child as they involved a range of stakeholders in the process, including children themselves, and in provided accountability for the commitments made to children to ensure their rights. United Nations human rights monitoring mechanisms had the potential to provide open, accessible, participatory and inclusive review of progress on child rights and protection related goals and targets. Furthermore, the link of the Sustainable Development Goals to international human rights obligations contained in international human rights treaties ratified by Member States provided the opportunity to use the human rights monitoring mechanisms to collect data on progress and identify gaps in implementation.

RICARDO GONZÁLEZ ARENAS, Permanent Representative of Uruguay, said given that children had the right to take part in decisions that affected them, how could the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development be brought to bear on that?

DELIA POP, President, Child Rights Connect and Director of Programmes and Global Advocacy, Hope and Homes for Children, said one of the main breakthroughs of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was its anchorage in the human rights framework, which included the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The participation of civil society was fundamental to ensuring the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by 2030 based on the promotion and realization of children’s rights. Children were key stakeholders in the Agenda, and involving children in processes had proven to efficiently support governments in developing and shaping their implementation plans of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Public investment in children was critical to achieving inclusive equitable and sustainable development for present and future generations. The international community needed to provide safe spaces and child-sensitive formats of interaction to ensure participation and active consultation so they could engage with decision-makers at all levels. States had to ensure that all children were visible, by establishing comprehensive civil registration systems, improving and expanding methodology systems, and ensuring that all children were represented in disaggregated data, guaranteeing that children were counted. Realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development meant children could look forward to the full enjoyment of their rights and to live in inclusive and equitable societies.

RICARDO GONZÁLEZ ARENAS, Permanent Representative of Uruguay and panel moderator, said Mr. Mezmur had not concluded his statement because of an organizational difficulty so he gave him the floor again to finish his address.

BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, reminded that almost half of those surviving on less than 1.25 USD per day were children. If sustainability was both about the present and future, it was then no exaggeration to assert that the realization of children’s rights was the foundation towards securing a sustainable future. It was not by default but by design that in the 2030 Agenda children were defined as agents of change, in recognition of their capacities to be active partners in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals. Speaking of the lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals, Mr. Mezmur underlined the need to address the unnecessary emphasis only on the measurable and quantifiable data at the cost of those important issues such as violence and health. The targets did not pay sufficient attention to inequality, the rights of women, marginalized groups and the poorest of the poor. National and global power inequalities appeared to have been glossed over and there were no quantitative targets for Goal 8 on global partnerships. Based on the past 24 years of monitoring the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it had come out loud and clear that the very national statistical averages used to prove the progress made thus far too often masked the plight of far too many children. Children who were left behind because they lived in hard-to-reach areas, who were victims of systemic prejudice and discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, religion or skin colour. Deprivation and adversities that were violations of children’s rights often began at the beginning, in the earliest years, when critical neural connections were being formed in the developing brains of the youngest children. Research showed that those connections were deeply affected by deprivation, poor nutrition, trauma and toxic stress. A nuanced conversation on the benefits of taking early action and the cost of delay was thus not only important but essential.

Discussion

El Salvador, speaking on behalf of the Community of Caribbean and Latin American States, said children were agents of change and national strategies in the implementation of Agenda 2030 must include a human rights-based approach. High quality data was ensured in the follow-up of the implementation of objectives. Singapore, speaking on behalf of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said investing in the well-being of children and taking a practical, regional approach towards the fulfilment of the rights of the child could contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals for the ASEAN community. Iceland, speaking on behalf of the Nordic Countries, said the rights of too many children were being violated. As many as 275 million children were victims or witnesses of domestic violence and more than 1.8 million children were living with HIV or AIDS. Strong legal protection of children was central for success. European Union said revised guidelines on the rights of the child would be launched and would focus on strengthening efforts to ensure that vulnerable children would be reached by European Union policies. Iraq, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda was an integrated framework for the protection of children’s rights and the realisation of the Agenda would have an essential impact on the rights of the child given the cross-sectional nature of the goals. Tunisia, speaking on behalf of the African Group, said the 2030 Agenda was an opportunity for the international community to consolidate children’s rights and must be at the core of Africa’s priorities given that half the population was under 18 years old.


Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said the international community needed to develop comprehensive strategies and action plans to achieve its targets, especially those related to the rights of the child. The panellists were asked to outline the five most important measures to be adopted by the international community for protecting child rights in countries affected by natural disasters and climate change. Pakistan, speaking in its national capacity, sought the view of the panellists regarding how to share the best practices on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals relating to children’s rights. Brazil asked the panellists to elaborate further on the implications of the cross-cutting commitments to equality and non-discrimination, taking into consideration the challenges posed by extreme poverty, which disproportionately affected children and adolescents worldwide. Malaysia reviewed national initiatives taken regarding the rights of children, noting among other measures that Malaysia had established the National Council for Children as an inclusive forum allowing them greater participation in decision-making. Venezuela said it had implemented awareness-raising campaigns to prevent sexual abuse of children, and a holistic plan for the protection of children and adolescents underpinned other action in the same area. Greece said the future of humanity belonged to children, noting that the country domestically had taken initiatives for children’s education, including for migrant children.

Child Rights Connect, on behalf of severals NGOs¹, called on States to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda by equitable and effective public resource mobilization, allocation and spending of sufficient public resources. Action Canada for Population and Development, in a joint statement, reminded that although young people were among those most at risk for maternal death and disability, HIV, sexual violence, unwanted pregnancy, discrimination, and unsafe abortion, their rights were often denied. Centre Independent de Recherches et d’Initiatives pour le Dialogue stressed the importance of children being at the core of the 2030 Agenda in order to give hope to those children denied their most fundamental rights. It called attention to the vulnerable situation of children in Yemen, notably their malnutrition, famine and high death toll due to the ongoing conflict, including recruitment by militias.

Remarks by the Panellists

BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, explained that making the best interest of the child central to the conceptionalization, implementation and reporting was critical for national implementation. Child-based impact assessment would be useful in that regard, especially the quality of services that children were receiving in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. An open and inclusive dialogue on policy-making was key in that respect. Decrease in income poverty was strongly correlated with economic growth, but was less related to some other child issues, such as mortality. It was important to appreciate the equality of opportunities.

MARILENA VIVIANI, Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund Geneva Liaison Office, underlined the importance of legislation and policies at the national level, mechanisms for accountability and ensuring that commitments were fulfilled, resources were allocated, disaggregated data was gathered, and early youth engagement was ensured. It was important to mainstream child rights in national climate change and disaster reduction plans. Those should be based on relevant data gathering. It was equally important to invest in community-based facilitates in order to reduce vulnerability to risk, as well as to provide education and awareness about disasters and climate change.

MAUD DE BOER-BUQUICCHIO, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, said with respect to implementation that it was important to underscore the need for action at the national level. The first step was to translate goals and indicators into the national reality, she said, stressing that national plans were necessary to implement the goals. A major effort was also needed to gather qualitative and quantitative data and to assess the impact of policies. Moreover, she insisted on the need for a comprehensive child protection strategy that included crime and law enforcement, and allowed children to report abuses. In terms of best practices, she referred to the thematic reports presented by herself and her colleagues aimed at the international community.

DALIA POP, President, Child Rights Connect and Director of Programmes and Global Advocacy, Hope and Homes for Children, emphasised the importance of civil society participation as a fundamental enabler in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda as well as the importance of leveraging the private sector. It was also important for States to provide the space for children to become defenders of their rights. At the same time, she said, national plans needed to be comprehensive and well-funded, and the collection of meaningful data was key.

Discussion

Qatar said the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was an opportunity to promote human rights, which was why Qatar had adopted a national vision incorporating children’s rights. Estonia said it prioritized ending child poverty and ensuring access to quality essential services for all children, asking the panellists how States could ensure that all actors involved in the 2030 Agenda could facilitate partnerships for finding innovative financing solutions. Mexico said that the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals had to include the best interests of the child, asking the panellists for best practices to ensure the participation of children and adolescents in the process of implementation of the Agenda. Montenegro said the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals called for all stakeholders to strengthen their accountability for achieving the equality and indivisibility of all human rights. Israel reviewed national initiatives in the field of child rights, and noted that children possessed certain rights that were particular to them, primarily welfare rights protecting their health, education, and right to adequate living standards. Libya reiterated the importance of the conclusions of the High Commissioner’s reports, adding that it was essential to work toward the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Haiti stated that the idea of human rights could not be separated from the fundamental rights of children. Even though small developing countries faced difficulties, they made the necessary efforts to safeguard the rights of children. Croatia asked the panellists to elaborate on how to incorporate the 2030 Agenda in the dialogue of State parties with the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and about the main obstacle to the universal ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Republic of Korea expressed deep concern over the fact that progress in children’s rights had not been made equally over the world. The Republic of Korea reiterated the importance of the Sustainable Development Goal 4, namely ensuring inclusive and quality education for all children. Belgium stressed the importance of comprehensive data collection on the implementation of children’s rights. The Belgium National Commission would reflect on how to strengthen the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals as part of the indicators’ normative framework. Spain noted that children often did not have enough protection due to the lack of development. Development cooperation in human rights policies was therefore reflected in Spain’s national strategies on childhood. Namibia stated that the integration of a child rights-based approach in all aspects of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda was needed in order to ensure that all children achieved their full potential as human beings. Progress was uneven and many pressing issues still had to be addressed, notably education, extreme poverty, and access to water and nutritious food.

High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation said that in 2016 alone, it had received 25,123 complaints related to the infringement of the rights of the child. Nevertheless, there had been improvements in the socio-economic situation of families, including increased access to education and medical assistance for children. Swedish Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights, in a joint statement with International Lesbian and Gay Association, said that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children were left out of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and thus were at heightened risk. Business could not continue as usual. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children often fell through the cracks of the system and were often the target of bullying. Centre for Reproductive Rights Inc., said that human rights treaties were vital in the Sustainable Development Agenda. Moreover, achieving gender equality was key to the goals and could not be achieved without access to sexual and reproductive health.


Concluding Remarks

DELIA POP, President, Child Rights Connect and Director of Programmes and Global Advocacy, Hope and Homes for Children, stressed the importance of reaching out to the children furthest behind due to inequality and discrimination, and the children living in marginalized and vulnerable situations. Civil society organizations were ready to support States in ensuring that the rights of children were upheld, as they would enable the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The momentum of the Goals must be used to strengthen the enjoyment of children’s rights at the national level, stressed Ms. Pop, noting that sustainable change was usually achieved by working across a number of critical areas: the political will must be translated in action plans and invested in, there must be a capacity of the State and civil society to deliver at the national level, while sufficient investment must be made available.

MAUD DE BOER-BUQUICCHIO, Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, stressed that there was no time to lose in ensuring that the children of today enjoyed the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030. In terms of obstacles to the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Special Rapporteur stressed that there was not yet a universal acceptance of the rights of the child, while some societies still saw children as perpetrators and not victims of some of the crimes against children covered by the Optional Protocols. Country visits were extremely important tools to discuss with States and civil society in terms of what needed to be done for the prevention, therefore the non-ratification of the Optional Protocols should not be an obstacle to a country visit by the mandate.

MARILENA VIVIANI, Director of the Geneva Liaison Office of the United Nations Children’s Fund, said the challenge of the United Nations Children’s Fund was to reach the most vulnerable children and be part of their achievement. Another challenge was to get disaggregated data inclusive of all vulnerable children. The United Nations Children Fund knew that reaching the most disadvantaged was not just important in principle but also right in practice. Giving an example of how the United Nations Children’s Fund worked with children, she described a programme called the “world’s biggest lesson” that taught awareness and communication about the Sustainable Development Goals.

BENYAM DAWIT MEZMUR, Chairperson, Committee on the Rights of the Child, said starting with the non-discrimination elements could be a starting point, noting also that it was important how the 2030 Agenda was included in the dialogue. He noted that the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals facilitated the implementation of other goals. Regarding official development assistance, he said some forms of financing were more suitable to addressing poverty than others. The objective was to address economic welfare and development. The international community needed to be targeting people and not countries. The report being done was an excellent starting point but it remained a work in progress.

RICARDO GONZÁLEZ ARENAS, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the United Nations Office at Geneva and panel moderator, said the panellists had made valuable contributions and that there had also been some excellent comments from delegations, non-governmental organizations and civil society. The subject of the discussion was important, he said, adding that the international community’s most important collective effort was the Sustainable Development Goals, and that it was going to come up against obstacles and difficulties of some magnitude. The rights of the child were cross-cutting, and the major challenge was to change those rights into something more palpable. It was not utopic to want to build a better world. The Sustainable Development Goals set out a map for the international community, it was a map for the countries that had signed up to the objective of building a better world.

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¹Joint statement: Child Rights Connect; International Social Service; Franciscans International; International Catholic Child Bureau; Save the Children International; Terre des Hommes International Federation; Edmund Rice International; ATD Fourth World; Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation; International Federation of Social Workers; Defence for Children International; and Child Helpline International.



For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC17/018E