UN Committee meets in Samoa to update progress improving children’s rights

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is in Apia this week reviewing how the strategies it has recommended are being implemented.

Committee member Mikiko Otani is leading the talanoa (conversation) and spoke with Levi Matautia-Morgan on 531pi's Pacific Mornings.

She says the Committee is made up of 18 members who are experts in their fields.

“We were set up by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (OT) the Treaty for the children’s rights and our work is to review and monitor the implementation of the Convention.”

States are obligated to comply with regular reports to the committee after the initial implementation of the Convention.

Otani says the Committee met in the Pacific in 2020, which was the first time it ever gathered outside of Geneva.

“It was a historic event for a Treaty body like us to come out of Geneva which is the usual place for work, to come to the Pacific to review 33 Pacific Island countries after almost 4 years now since the year 2020.”

Otani says that the visit will be beneficial for everyone involved, and will measure the effectiveness of what has been set in place.

“To share the experience and the progress made for the implementation of the commission and challenges and difficulties so that we can better help those Pacific Island countries.”

Watch the full interview on 531pi below: