From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, today announced that Ireland’s combined Fifth and Sixth State Report has been formally submitted to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child by Ireland’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva. The report outlines what Ireland is doing to protect and enhance the rights of children since the previous UNCRC report in 2016.
Ireland ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992 and is required to submit regular state reports on measures taken to give effect to the Convention. An oral hearing before the Committee on the Rights of the Child is scheduled for the 92nd session of the Committee in Geneva in January 2023.
Welcoming the announcement, Minister O’Gorman said:
“The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted over 31 years ago and remains a critical benchmark in the global effort to promote and protect children’s rights. In this Report, we assess the progress made since Ireland’s last examination before the Committee in 2016. The Report highlights the many strides we have taken to ensure that children and young people in Ireland can fully enjoy their rights.
"The importance of child-centred policies and protections represent a core value in a society where children can flourish and see a brighter future. There is no doubt that we must work towards ensuring this future and empower children to voice what kind of future they want.”
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth prepared the combined Fifth and Sixth State Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in close collaboration with relevant government departments and consulted extensively with children, young people, and civil society stakeholders.
The report of the findings from the consultation process with children and young people will be launched at a virtual event on 30 March 2022. The department will publish the civil society consultation report and a summary of the written consultations on the same date.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention. All States Parties to the Convention are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how it is being implemented. After the report has been submitted to the UN Committee, Ireland will attend a public examination by the Committee. Following this examination, the Committee will make observations and recommendations to Ireland on the implementation of the Convention here.
ENDS
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most rapidly ratified human rights treaty in history with more countries having ratified the Convention than any other human rights treaty in history - 196 countries have become State Parties to the Convention as of December 2021.