VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN: Update on the UN Study on Violence
Against Children
In May, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights agreed to form a partnership to support the UN Study on Violence Against Children. Since then, a small working group with representatives from each of the three agencies has been working together to consider issues including the selection of a special expert, the location of a secretariat for the study, hiring of staff, fundraising, and administrative issues. The UN Working Group met most recently in New York on July 11 and 12.
Currently, there is a short list of possible candidates for the special expert position and the working group will then recommend one or more names to the office of the Secretary General, who will make the final selection. NGOs have had some input into this process through the Subgroup on Children and Violence, which met in Geneva on July 11. It is expected that the special expert may be announced in the coming few weeks and this will be communicated as soon as it is known. A small secretariat of about five staff is envisioned to support the special expert and the study.
The working group has drafted a job description for the director of the office, and expects that this position will be seconded from one of the UN agencies. The secretariat will likely include three other programme positions, an officer for external relations and participation, and an administrator. The location of the office has not yet been determined, but will be either in New York or in Geneva.
Nominations for the NGO Advisory Group that will advise the expert and secretariat on various aspects of the study are being accepted until August 1. Nominations should be directed to Melanie Gow at Melanie_Gow@wvi.org.
A nominations form and preliminary guide to NGO involvement in the study can be viewed at: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=2710&flag=report
For further information, contact:
Jo Becker (Human Rights Watch;
beckerj@hrw.org) or Melanie Gow (World Vision International;
Melanie_Gow@wvi.org), Co-convenors,
Subgroup on Children and Violence
