Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, will be leading a delegation to the 56th Session of the Committee of the Rights of the Child in Geneva, Switzerland, from 18 to 21 January 2011.
The delegation will present Singapore’s progress report on the welfare and development of children as required under United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
The UNCRC is a comprehensive charter on the rights of children, setting minimum standards that governments should meet in providing healthcare, education, legal and social services in their countries. Singapore acceded to the UNCRC on 2 October 1995, and the Convention came into effect on 4 November 1995.
State parties which have acceded to the Convention submit periodic reports on their implementation of the Convention, presenting the measures they have adopted for children’s rights and their best interests.
Dr Balakrishnan will be accompanied by senior officials from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Professor Ho Lai Yun, Vice-Chairman of the Singapore Children’s Society, who will attend as a Non-Governmental Organisation representative.
The multi-agency delegation represents the collaboration and support among agencies in furthering the best interests of children in Singapore and demonstratesSingapore’s commitment to upholding the principles of the UNCRC.