UN hails Somalia's ratification of the child rights convention

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday joined a chorus of appraisal of Somalia's ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and renewed the call for universal ratification of the convention.

"The Secretary-General welcomes the Government of Somalia's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, an important measure which binds the Government to ensure specific protections for all children in the country," said a statement issued by Ban's spokesperson.

The convention, which is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty, was adopted more than 25 years ago in 1989.

The rights it sets include children's right to life, to health, to education and to play, as well as the right to family life, to be protected from violence, to not be discriminated against, and to have their views heard.

According to Ban's statement, he encouraged "the United States, the only State yet to ratify the Convention, to join the global movement and help the world reach the objective of universal ratification."

Several UN officials issued a separate welcoming statement on Friday including Anthony Lake, executive director of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund and Leila Zerrougui, special representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

"By becoming the 196th nation to ratify the Convention, Somalia has committed to uphold the dignity and worth of every child and translate the obligations of the CRC into concrete actions, especially for those children in greatest need and at greatest risk," the statement said. Endit