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| Photo: Getty Images. |
Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul on 25 September 2012 signed the Optional Protocol on behalf of Thailand with Ms. Patricia O’Brien, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, during the Treaty Event at the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
According to a report from
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a strong
advocate of children’s issues, presided over the event as witness.
The event came after the
Cabinet on 18 September 2012 had approved Thailand’s becoming a Party to the
Optional Protocol as proposed by the Ministry of Social Development and Human
Security.
The Optional Protocol is a
supplementary agreement to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which
Thailand has been a Party since 1992. It offers an opportunity for children all
over the world or their representatives to submit communications to the
Committee on the Rights of the Child on the violation of any of the rights set
forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the Optional
Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and
child pornography and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
involvement of children in armed conflict, both of which Thailand became a
Party to since 2006.
If it is found that a
violation has occurred, the Committee will transmit recommendations to the
concerned State Party to remedy the situation.
Thailand attaches
importance to the promotion and protection of children’s rights. It was part of
the Core Group of countries advocating for the drafting of the Optional
Protocol to the Convention on a communications procedure since its inception.
Thailand remains committed
to supporting the development of children throughout the country, as well as
the protection of their rights, in order to enable them to grow and become
vital agents of development in the country.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister
Yingluck on September 25 attended a reception under the Every Woman Every Child
campaign at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. On this occasion, she was
invited to give a speech under the topic “The Transformation of Women and
Children's Lives through Health and Socio-economic Empowerment."
Every Woman Every Child is
an unprecedented global movement, spearheaded by UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon, to mobilize and intensify global action to improve the health of women
and children around the world. Working with leaders from governments,
multilateral organizations, the private sector, and civil society, this
campaign aims to save the lives of 16 million women and children and improve
the lives of millions more
(thailand.prd.go.th)
