Together takes part in UN meeting as part of UK-wide CRC review

Date: 13th October 2015
Category: Reporting to and monitoring the UNCRC

Together was in Geneva last week to attend a UN meeting to provide information on children's rights in Scotland.

At the meeting, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child gathered information from children's rights alliances, human rights institutions and children's commissioners on the implementation of the UNCRC across the UK.

The meeting held was a 'pre-session' meeting, which is a private and confidential meeting of the UN Committee whereby a preliminary review is undertaken of the report submitted by the country being reviewed. Participation is by invite only. This is the State Party report which is submitted by a government outlining how they are fulfilling their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

• Read the UK State Party report here.

The pre-session meeting is also an opportunity for the UN Committee to examine reports from other sources, such as NGOs, national human rights institutions, children's commissioners and importantly, children and young people themselves. Together, the Scottish Youth Parliament, the Children's Commissioner for Scotland and the Scottish Human Rights Commission took part in the pre-session meeting to provide additional information to the UN Committee and to answer any questions from the UN Committee members about the extent to which the UNCRC is being protected, respected and fulfilled in Scotland.

Together took part to ensure that the key messages from its members included in the report Together submitted to the UN Committee on 1st July 2015 were highlighted, that Scotland-specific issues were raised and to make clear the complexities of devolution.

The UN Committee will now prepare a 'List of Issues', which will ask questions of UK governments to acquire additional information in relation to the UK State Party report (as above).

Further updates on the UK's UNCRC review will be circulated via the Together e-newsletter and on the website in due course.