On 24 February, Professor Aoife Nolan addressed the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), during The Day of General Discussion, which serves as the final step in the Committee's process of consulting with relevant stakeholders, prior to producing an initial draft of their forthcoming General Comment on sustainable development and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
In her statement, Professor Nolan highlighted the work conducted by the Human Rights Law Centre and Child Rights Connect, through their ongoing partnership with the CESCR Drafting Group, to mainstream children's rights into the General Comment, both in terms of content and process. Professor Nolan emphasised the need for children's rights to be integrated and mainstreamed throughout the document, and encouraged the drafters to remain conscious of the differing obligations associated with rights as they apply to children and adults. She also stressed that inter-generational equity and inter-temporal obligations require specific recognition of children’s rights.
Professor Nolan concluded her address by highlighting the findings of three Children's Global Consultations, conducted in April 2022, to hear children's views on the theme of sustainable development and economic, social, and cultural rights, which involved the participation of over 160 children from 35 different countries. The consultations provided the Committee Drafting Group with its first opportunity to receive first-hand information on the lived experiences of children from around the world.
More information on the General Comment process and the global consultation is available here.
Posted on Wednesday 8th March 2023