Committee on the Rights of the Child Opens One Hundred and First Session
The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning opened its one hundred and first session, during which the Committee will review reports of Lesotho, Timor-Leste, Tanzania, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Slovenia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan on efforts to implement the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In an opening statement, Mahamane Cisse-Gouro, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Representative of the Secretary-General, said regrettably, due to the United Nations liquidity crisis, the Committee had only been able to hold two sessions this year. It was positive that despite the constraints, the Committee could continue its essential work. The Committee was meeting at a time when the world was becoming increasingly polarised and divided, and children’s rights were increasingly being eroded. Children needed to be empowered to exercise their rights and shape the society in which they lived.
Sophie Kiladze, Committee Chair, in her opening remarks, said the latest report of the Secretary-General verified 38,558 grave violations in 2025 affecting 24,174 children, the highest number since United Nations monitoring began. Warfare itself was changing. Artificial intelligence could accelerate targeting and enable autonomous weapons to operate at machine speed. In January 2026, the Committee, the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations Children’s Fund and other partners had launched the joint statement on artificial intelligence and the rights of the child. It was the first international soft-law framework specifically dedicated to children’s rights across the artificial intelligence life cycle.
The Committee also heard statements from representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund, Child Rights Connect and the Secretariat on behalf of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights before adopting the session’s agenda.
The one hundred and first session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child will be held from 1 to 28 September 2026. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, and webcasts of the public meetings can be found here. The programme of work of the Committee’s one hundred and first session and other documents related to the session can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. this afternoon, 1 September, to consider the combined third to seventh periodic reports of Lesotho (CRC/C/LSO/3-7).
Opening Statements
MAHAMANE CISSE-GOURO, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Representative of the Secretary-General, said it was an honour to open the one hundred and first session of the Committee. Regrettably, due to the United Nations liquidity crisis, the Committee had only been able to hold two sessions this year. It was positive that despite the constraints, the Committee could continue its essential work. During the dialogue, the Committee would engage with eight States parties, finalise its work on the draft general comment on children’s right to access justice, as well as hold its ninth biannual meeting with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Children’s Fund. These activities reflected the Committee’s strong commitment to promoting and protecting children’s rights worldwide, even in challenging circumstances. Mr. Cisse-Gouro commended the Committee’s flexibility during a challenging year.
The Committee was meeting at a time when the world was becoming increasingly polarised and divided, and children’s rights were increasingly being eroded. Children often experienced exclusion, discrimination, violence and shrinking opportunities to participate in decisions which affected their lives. The recognition of children as rights holders was being challenged. Children needed to be empowered to exercise their rights and shape the society in which they lived.
On 11 June this year, the High Commissioner launched the Global Alliance for Human Rights, a platform designed to reconnect human rights with everyday life. In this framework, the Office launched the “Youth4Rights Activation” to ensure young people, including children, played a key role in the Global Alliance, establishing a consultative youth body that would support the design and implementation of Global Alliance initiatives and help engage young people worldwide. Children and young people should not simply be seen as beneficiaries of human rights, but as rights holders.
The Committee was congratulated for making significant progress in drafting the general comment on children’s access to justice. This progress was the outcome of a wide consultation process, with many stakeholders. More than 5,500 children from around the world had been involved in the process, and their voices were reflected in the draft.
The treaty bodies were working within an ever-changing global context; this session was being held in an environment plagued by challenges and a direct questioning of human rights. It was important to adapt the treaty body system so that the Committees could continue to undertake their work effectively.
In this regard, the High Commissioner had shared a proposal focused on dialogue, streamlining of reports and ensuring transparency, which the Committees were requested to consider. However, for these reforms to be successful, there needed to be real engagement from States parties.
Several activities of the Human Rights Council would focus on children in the upcoming weeks and through to next year, including on topics such as mental health and artificial intelligence. Mr. Cisse-Gouro concluded by wishing the Committee members success with their session. Their expertise, independence and commitment enabled the Committee to continue its mission to ensure that the rights enshrined in the Convention became a true reality for every child in the world.
SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Chair, said the United Nations Children’s Fund estimated that more than 473 million children - more than one in six worldwide - lived in conflict-affected areas. The latest report of the Secretary-General verified 38,558 grave violations in 2025 affecting 24,174 children, the highest number since United Nations monitoring began. Warfare itself was changing. Artificial intelligence could accelerate targeting and enable autonomous weapons to operate at machine speed. If uncontrolled, these technologies could multiply the speed, scale and opacity of suffering. At the same time, it was important to recognise the extraordinary opportunities that artificial intelligence and emerging technologies could offer children.
This was why the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance and the International Telecommunication Union’s Artificial Intelligence for Good Global Summit were so important, and children were firmly at the centre of these discussions. In January 2026, the Committee, the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations Children’s Fund and other partners launched the joint statement on artificial intelligence and the rights of the child, co-signed by 13 United Nations and international entities and shaped with more than 60 organizations and children worldwide. This was the first international soft-law framework specifically dedicated to children’s rights across the artificial intelligence life cycle. But this was only the beginning. Technology must serve children, not expose them to the risks of technological progress.
Ms. Kiladze said the United Nations liquidity crisis had directly affected the Committee’s mandate. The cancellation of the May session had delayed the reviews of eight States, as well as individual communications, inquiries and other protection work. For a child, this was not simply a postponed meeting; it could mean a delayed law, a delayed remedy, or a delayed opportunity for protection. Children’s rights could not depend on the cash flow of the United Nations. Despite the difficulties faced, the Committee would do its utmost to fulfil its mandate and support States in implementing their obligations towards children.
ALLEGRA FRANCHETTI, Secretary of the Committee, said that two reports had been received since the last session, bringing the total number of reports pending consideration to 57. The total number of ratifications of the Convention remained at 196, while 59 periodic reports were overdue. No States had ratified the Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict or the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, although one report had been received under the latter. Since the previous session, one new country – Serbia - had ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on a communications procedure.
Statements by United Nations Bodies, States and Civil Society Representatives
In the discussion, speakers among other things, said they appreciated the Committee’s efforts to secure a five-week session, in the context of the ongoing United Nations liquidity crisis. At the time of the meeting, children across all regions continued to face an unprecedented convergence of crises, including climate disruption, armed conflict, discrimination and poverty, compounded by a global pushback against child rights that threatened decades of hard-won progress. Cuts in foreign aid, coming at a time of unparalleled need, had placed millions of lives at risk and undermined protections enshrined in international human rights standards, including the Convention.
The human rights system had been significantly weakened, and maintaining this session was critical at a time when the Committee’s work remained essential to advancing the implementation of the Convention and addressing the many challenges facing children around the world. The cancellation and late confirmation of meetings over the past two years had significantly reduced opportunities for meaningful engagement for civil society and children, affecting their ability to prepare submissions and participate in-person. States were called on to strengthen their contributions to the human rights system.
Speakers welcomed the upcoming biennial meeting with the Committee, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, focusing on children’s civil and political rights under articles 13 to 17 of the Convention. The meeting would focus on civil and political rights, which were often perceived as a challenge to parental and State authority. The discussions would produce a joint action plan for the next two years, including steps to generate better information on the implementation of these rights at the country level and ensure more systematic consideration in the Committee's reviews.
Speakers also outlined other efforts they were taking to support child’s rights processes, including through strengthening global and national policy frameworks for children’s civil and political rights; implementing the strategic vision for child human rights defenders and launching associated dialogues; strengthening protection in armed conflict; and supporting key child rights processes within the Human Rights Council and across the United Nations system.
Speakers expressed solidarity with the Committee, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and civil society at this time of profound crisis for multilateralism and the United Nation. They reaffirmed their strong support for the Committee’s essential role in advancing the implementation of the Convention globally, particularly in the current context of multiple and intersecting crises. Speakers looked forward to engaging with the Committee throughout the five-week session, contributing to these critical discussions, and working together to ensure that children’s rights remained at the heart of the United Nations agenda.
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