COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CLOSES ONLINE LIMITED EIGHTY-FIFTH SESSION

The Committee on the Rights of the Child this afternoon closed its online limited eighty-fifth session.

Luis Ernesto Pedernera Reyna, Chairperson of the Committee, said the Committee had held its eighty-fifth limited session online due to the exceptional circumstances of COVID-19, with the Interprefy platform, starting 14 September. The Committee had held 12 meetings. An account of the Committee's deliberations would be included in the corresponding summary records. Due to time difference and connectivity issues, not all members had been able to participate at this session the entire time. However, despite the difficulties, the Committee had been able to have at least a quorum at each meeting.

During the session, the Committee had continued its work on the lists of questions and the lists of pre-reporting questions. Regarding the examination of communications within the framework of the Optional Protocol on individual communications, the Committee had adopted 18 decisions in relation to 20 individual communications, and a follow-up report on individual communications. Of the 18 decisions, the Committee found violations in six decisions against Spain, Denmark and Switzerland.

Velina Todorova, Committee Rapporteur, presenting a report, said it covered two periods : first, from the end of the regular eighty-third session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child until the extraordinary session in Samoa (14 February-6 March, 2020) and second, from the end of the Samoa session until 14 September 2020 - the beginning of the online limited eighty-fifth session due to the exceptional circumstances due to COVID-19 pandemic. The regular eighty-fifth session of the Committee, scheduled for 11-29 May 2020, had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Committee was discussing and would adopt online the lists of issues for Canada, Iceland, Kuwait, Philippines, Ukraine and Viet Nam, and lists of issues prior to reporting for France and Ireland.

The Committee adopted the report.

The eighty-sixth session of the Committee will be held from 18 January to 6 February 2021.

CRC20.11E