The International Bureau for Children’s Rights has acquired for the last ten years an expertise in writing country profiles, reports on the status of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Asia, Africa and more recently, in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Country Profiles
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What prompted the conception of the country profiles program is the fact that while the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child is overseeing the respect of children’s rights worldwide, the information submitted by governments and nongovernmental organisations is not complied in the same manner and is not always up to date.
Furthermore, information brought up often emphasizes on isolated cases of violation of children’s rights without necessarily making conclusions about good practices and global tendencies following a comparative observation. Moreover, States responses to the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child are evaluated, in the best case scenario, five years later. |
Therefore, the objectives of the country profiles programme are:
-To synthesize all available information on the situation of children living in countries which have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the child and its optional Protocols;
-To set forth from the actions undertaken by governments, the civil society and the international community in order to implement the rights guaranteed by the Convention;
-To identify and share the positive experiences and commendable practices, including policies, measures and other reforms at the national level; but also at regional level.
-To transfer the Bureau’s expertise with training in order to reinforce our local partners’ capacities;
-To encourage local civil society organisations to produce in an independent manner their own country profiles
In 2006, with the financial support of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the IBCR published Country profiles on five Asian countries (Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam). In 2007, the IBCR had the opportunity to replicate the experience thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. Five other country profiles are now available in English and Arabic on Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.
In 2008, thanks to the support of the International Organization of La Francophonie, the IBCR published another round of country profiles on the Great Lakes of Africa region, covering Burundi, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. The document also contains a regional analysis on the practices implemented.
MANARA project in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Between 2008 and 2012, the IBCR worked with the Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa of Save the Children Sweden (SCS) on a project concerning nine countries in the MENA region. This three years and a half long project has been made possible by the support of the Sweden International Development Agency. The project is intended to create a regional child rights network of CSOs by supporting and strengthening the capacity of local organizations in four main components: analysis and reporting, coordination and networking, advocacy and child rights programming mainstreaming.
The IBCR was in charge of building the capacity of local partners on child rights and research and analysis. After receiving training, local partners produced an exhaustive report on initiatives implemented b the State, the civil society and the international community in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In 2011, six country profiles were published on the occupied Palestinian territory, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Yemen, as well as a regional analysis on violence against children in schools in Lebanon, Morocco and Yemen. (in English only). In 2012, three other country profiles will be published on Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt. These reports have sparked further actions for a better implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This project was even more relevant in light of the events that have changed the region in 2011. In fact, the opening of public space to expression, the questioning of dogmas established for decades, claims for a greater recognition of basic rights and freedoms have led to major questioning while these countries are at crossroads. Implementing the project in certain countries was of outmost relevance as civil society organisations need all the tools and support necessary to ensure that children’s rights are recognised and respected in this new context.
Organisations associated to the project are :
-during the first year : the Lebanese Association for Education and Training (ALEF) and Action related to development without borders (Naba’a) (Lebanon), Bayti (Morocco) and Soul for Development (Yemen);
-during the second year: Mizan (Jordan), Defence for Children International – Palestine section (occupied Palestinian territory) and the Iraqi Child’s Rights Network (Iraq).
- during the third year: Amal pour la famille et l’enfant (Tunisia), the Algerian Network for the defence of the rights of the Child Nada (Algeria) and the Egyptian Coalition for Children’s Rights (Egypt). For more information about the Manara network, you can visit the website dedicated to the project.
Beirut, December 2010
Working session for Iraq Country Profile
Erbil, January 2011
To have access to all country profiles, click here.