UK report on implementation of UNCRC published

Date: 23rd May 2014
Category: UK 1st periodic review

On 23rd May 2014, the UK Government published its fifth report on progress of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The UK ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in December 1991. Every state that has ratified the UNCRC is required to report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child every 5 years, on how it is fulfilling its human rights obligations.

The submission of this report begins a process of international scrutiny of the UK's record on children's rights. Due to delays at the UN, however, the Committee's timetable has been altered and a UK examination is unlikely to take place until approximately 2016.

The Scottish Government submitted a report to the UK Government in June 2013 to contribute to the 2014 UK report. Together made comments on the draft report with the aim to ensure that this report was as fair and accurate as possible in reflecting the Scottish Government's commitment to children's rights. Not all comments were taken forward.

The UNCRC is the only international human rights treaty that expressly gives NGOs a role in monitoring its implementation. Together reports on behalf of children's organisations across Scotland, and works closely with equivalent children's rights alliances in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to collate a UK NGO report. Due to delays to a UK examination, an alternative NGO report has subsequently been put on hold.

Following the submission of the 2014 UK fifth periodic report, aspects of the report relating to child poverty and welfare reform have led to debate between Scottish and UK Ministers. This has been reported by the Daily Record in an article published on 3rd June 2014.