European Parliament resolution on the 10th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Date: 1999-11-18
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, UN convention, child labour, child protection, children's rights, right to education, sexual mutilation

7.7.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 189/241

Thursday 18 November 1999

F.

noting that General Musharraf announced that the Pakistani military would unilaterally de-militarise
the border with India by withdrawing all forces moved to the borders in the recent past, but did not
mention any de-escalation along the contested Line of Control in Kashmir,

G. whereas EU support for economic reform in Pakistan depends on a positive attitude towards democ-

racy and respect for constitutional rights;

Recalls in this context the common values reflecting democratic principles shared by the EU, and
1.
therefore strongly condemns the coup d’état by the Pakistani military and endorses the declaration of the
EU summit of Tampere and the position taken by the Council;

2. Welcomes the European Union Fact-Finding mission to Pakistan led by the EU Presidency;

3.
Urges the Pakistani military government to reinstall democracy and a legitimate parliamentary pro-
cess by urgently re-establishing the rule of law, transferring power to a civilian caretaker government and
announcing a detailed timetable for new elections;

4.
Underlines the important role Pakistan plays in promoting regional stability, and calls on the military
junta to stop all forms of support to the Taliban regime, in line with the sanctions imposed by the UN
Security Council against Afghanistan, and to provide security and equal treatment for women and religious
minorities;

5.
Calls on the new authorities to upgrade dialogue with India and to resolve the tensions in the sub-
continent by peaceful means; reiterates its call on Pakistan and India to adhere to the global non-prolifera-
tion regime and to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT);

Urges the Pakistan authorities not to attempt to stage a show trial of former Prime Minister Sharif

6.
and insists that any trial must be open and fair;

Calls on the Council to further postpone signing the Cooperation Agreement and review the future

7.
of EU-Pakistan assistance in the light of the re-establishment of constitutional order;

8.
Stresses that the fight against corruption in the country should be a priority for Pakistan and that
international financial cooperation with Pakistan should be made subject to actual progress in this sector;

Calls on the Commission to actively support special aid programmes to improve the conditions of
9.
children and women, to support access to micro-credit and to support local human rights NGOs and civil
society groups;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Pakistani

10.
Authority currently in power, SAARC and the United Nations.

14. Rights of the Child

B5-0256, 0257, 0258, 0264, 0265 and 0266/1999

European Parliament resolution on the 10th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child

The European Parliament,

A. noting that 20 November 1999 is the tenth anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the

Child, and that all the EU Member States have ratified the Convention,

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7.7.2000

Thursday 18 November 1999

B. whereas the education of children and young people is the primary consideration of all adults con-
cerned to foster the development of individuals who are self-reliant and reject violence; whereas
infants have only rights and whereas duties arise as conscience develops, thanks to education,

C. noting that children, particularly disabled children and children from minority groups, experience dis-

crimination or are denied education,

D. whereas the right to education is a fundamental right which must treat boys and girls equally,

E.

F.

deploring the increase in sexual exploitation of children, child prostitution and pornography and
urging the European Union to do all in its power to put an end to this scourge,

noting that at least 300 000 children under the age of 18 are currently taking part in military hosti-
lities around the world and calling for the outlawing of the recruitment and use of children in armed
conflict; recalling that according to the statutes of the International Criminal Court the recruitment
and use of child soldiers is considered a war crime,

G.

taking note of the intention expressed by the Commission to issue a communication on the rights of
children,

H. whereas children are currently invisible in the Treaty of Amsterdam, and are therefore also absent
from most EU policies, programmes and legislation, and are not always given priority in the legisla-
tion of the Member States of the Union;

I. whereas the UN Convention has played an important role in motivating governments to adjust

national policies in acknowledgement of children’s rights;

1. Wishes to formally acknowledge and celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child on 20 November 1999 and the improvements it has led to for millions of children
throughout the world;

2. Welcomes the inclusion of a draft clause on children and young people in the new Lomé convention
and urges the EU and ACP countries to ensure that this clause is adopted in the final Convention;

Calls on EU Member States to promote Article 12 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child and

3.
to involve children and young people at all appropriate levels of decision-making;

4. Welcomes the proposal that any future European treaty should include a European charter of funda-
mental rights that refers to the specific rights of children;

5.
Calls on the EU Member States, at the next Intergovernmental Conference, to adopt a legal basis for
the promotion and protection of the rights of the child as defined in the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child;

6.
Considers it an essential prerequisite that when new policies are being introduced at EU level they
should be checked to ensure they have no negative effects on children and that the same level of protec-
tion should also apply in the context of the future enlargement of the EU;

7.
Urges all Member States to ratify the new ILO Convention on the prohibition and immediate elim-
ination of the worst forms of child labour, which include all forms of slavery, the sale and trafficking of
children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of
children for use in armed conflicts, child prostitution and pornography, the use of a child for the traffick-
ing of drugs, and work which adversely affects the health and safety of children;

Calls on the Member States to support the adoption of an optional protocol to the UN Convention

8.
on the Rights of the Child to outlaw the recruitment and use of children under 18 in armed conflicts;

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 189/243

Thursday 18 November 1999

Calls on the Member States of the EU to implement strictly the existing legislation against female

9.
genital mutilation;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the govern-

10.
ments of the Member States.

15. Situation in Chechnya

B5-0259, 0260, 0261, 0262 and 0263/1999

European Parliament resolution on Chechnya

The European Parliament,

B having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Chechnya, and in particular its resolution

of 7 October 1999 (1),

B having regard to its assent of 30 November 1995 to the conclusion of an Agreement on Partnership
and Cooperation between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and
the Russian Federation, of the other part (2), and its assent of 11 June 1997 to the conclusion of the
Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their
Member States and the Russian Federation (3) and to the Common Strategy of the European Union on
Russia, adopted by the Council in June 1999,

B having regard to the fact-finding mission by the President-in-Office of the Council to Ingushetia on

30 October 1999,

B having regard to the statement by the Foreign Affairs Council of 15 November 1999 on the situation

in Chechnya,

B having regard to its decision to postpone the vote on the report on an agreement for scientific and

technological cooperation with Russia,

A.

B.

committed to strengthening the strategic partnership with Russia in terms of economic integration
and of cooperation while maintaining stability and security in Europe and beyond,

deeply concerned by the further escalation of the conflict in Chechnya, which followed the Dagestan
crisis, and in particular the repeated indiscriminate attacks against civilian targets,

C.

stressing the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation,

D.

E.

F.

G.

recalling the obligations of Russia in its Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the EU to
respect human rights and democratic values,

shocked about the humanitarian situation created by the ongoing military operations in Chechnya and
the disproportionate use of military force, which has resulted in ever-growing casualties among civi-
lians and in the displacement of 350 000 people, of whom almost 200 000 have found refuge in
Ingushetia,

noting that these refugees have to live in unbearable conditions without adequate shelter, food and
medical care and under continuously worsening sanitary conditions;

concerned about the fate of the remaining refugees in Chechnya and the repeated attempts of the
Russian authorities to block them at the Chechen border,

H. welcoming the huge efforts Chechnya’s neighbours are undertaking to shelter the refugees,

Texts adopted at that sitting, Item 1.

(1)
(2) OJ C 339, 18.12.1995, p. 45.
(3) OJ C 200, 30.6.1997, p. 66.