Ending 9 'session of the Universal Periodic Review United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, November 12, 2010
On November 12, 2010 in Geneva ended the ninth session of the Universal Periodic Review.
the UPR, English Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a process that involves the verification of compliance with human rights within the United Nations 192 Member States. During each meeting, reviewed 12 states, and this process is repeated every 4 years. The UPR is one of the mechanisms Protection of Human Rights, created in 2006 by the UN General Assembly. This process provides an opportunity for States to declare such actions have been taken to improve the promotion and protection of human rights, and the Human Rights Council to provide recommendations that could facilitate the promotion and respect of human rights in the state under review. This session was particularly challenging for IIMA because its members are present in five states reviewed: Panama, USA, Honduras, Croatia and Lebanon .
IIMA has followed with particular attention to the process of Honduras, Panama and Lebanon, where he presented the written statment High Commissioner for Human Rights. This was only possible thanks to the great cooperation from the field and have provided valuable information on the situation of children's rights and the right to education in their countries. Some of the reports submitted by IIMA has been included in the third revision of the official document prepared by the High Commissioner and contain the information received from civil society. At the High Commissioner, IIMA has been at the forefront of some specific issues such as discrimination in access to education, exploitation of children, the difficulties of young people to enter the world of work.
In the review of Lebanon, Panama and Honduras, many delegations recognized the efforts made by their respective Governments, and have welcomed the measures adopted by them in favor of respecting human rights. The delegations also expressed some concern, however, many of which are shared by IIMA and VIDES.
Regarding children's rights and the right to education, many delegations called on governments to pay more attention to respect the right to education, particularly for children and young people belonging to groups most vulnerable. Indeed, they recognize a great potential for education that can protect children from exploitation, poverty and severe physical and mental health problems.
In the case of Lebanon, the delegations have asked the government to be put in place a social plan that provides for compulsory education for Palestinian children refugees in Lebanon, and that the age of compulsory education has increased from 12 to 15 years.
For Member of Panama and Honduras were asked to focus on the need for a curriculum that took the children from the scourge of extreme poverty, a program that aims to integrate children of indigenous groups and ethnic minority groups in the national school system, which is inserted a program that provides for integration based on appreciation of the culture of origin.
The United States of America, given the strong presence in the country's indigenous groups, African, Latin and Asian delegations asked to ensure that children belonging to these groups access to a quality education based on respect for their cultures of origin. E 'was also stressed the need to include in a national education plan specific educational program aims to integrate of all these cultures according to the principle of multiculturalism.
Finally, Croatia was recognized credit for efforts to eliminate discrimination faced by ethnic minorities of Serbs, Romanians and Slovenians, in the country. The delegations asked the government to continue to invest in education, hoping to give parents greater awareness of the importance of education for their children's future. Governments are also asked to increase efforts towards integration and education of Romanian children, especially girls who more than anyone else are the victims of discrimination.
All were reviewed at the ninth session of the UPR complete their process during the next session of the Human Rights Council (March 2011), during which, with the adoption of the final report, the states will commit themselves officially, before the Council and the international community to live up to recommendations received. These commitments must be fulfilled in the shortest time possible because of four years, that at the next Universal Periodic Review, states themselves must answer for what they actually did.
