HIV/AIDS, adolescent health high on agenda of key UN child rights committee

As a United Nations expert panel monitoring implementation of a key global treaty on children's rights began its 2003 session today, a senior UN official stressed the importance tackling thematic issues such as HIV/AIDS, adolescent health and the minimum age for criminal responsibility.

The Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan, said that by taking up such work, the Committee on the Rights of the Child will provide guidance to States parties and others on compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and would enable its own jurisprudence to be reinforced.

Turning to other matters, Mr. Ramcharan announced that Sergio Paulo Pinheiro of Brazil had recently been informed that he would be nominated by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to serve as an independent expert for a UN study on violence against children.

The Committee's winter session is set to run through 31 January. The 10 independent experts are scheduled to examine the promotion and protection of children's rights in Estonia, Republic of Korea, Italy, Romania, Solomon Islands, Viet Nam, Czech Republic and Haiti.