Recalling its resolution 50/153 of 21 December 1995 and Commission on Human Rights resolution 1996/85 of 24 April 1996,

 Encouraged by the widespread commitment and political will shown by the unprecedented number of States that have become parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while noting that the goal of achieving universal ratification by 1995 was not reached,

Seriously concerned about those reservations to the Convention which are contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention or otherwise contrary to international treaty law, and recalling that the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of the World Conference on Human Rights urges States to withdraw such reservations,

Reaffirming the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, which states that national and international mechanisms and programmes should be strengthened for the defence and protection of children, in particular the girl child, abandoned children, street children, economically and sexually exploited children, including through child pornography, child prostitution or sale of organs, children victims of diseases, including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, refugee and displaced children, children in detention, children in armed conflict and children victims of famine, drought and other emergencies, and also requires measures against female infanticide and harmful child labour,

Reaffirming also that the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration in all actions concerning children,

Noting with appreciation the important work carried out by the United Nations, in particular the United Nations Children's Fund, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the expert designated by the Secretary General to undertake the study on the effect of armed conflict on children,

Recognizing the valuable work done by relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child,

Profoundly concerned that the situation of children in many parts of the world remains critical as a result of inadequate social and economic conditions, poverty, natural disasters, armed conflicts, displacement, exploitation, racism and all forms of intolerance, unemployment, rural-to-urban migration, illiteracy, hunger, disability and drug abuse, and convinced that urgent and effective national and international action is called for,

Recognizing that legislation per se is not enough to prevent violations of the rights of the child, that stronger political commitment is needed and that Governments should implement their laws and complement legislative measures with effective action, inter alia, in the fields of law enforcement and in the administration of justice, and in social, educational and public health programmes,

Recalling the recommendation made by the World Conference on Human Rights that matters relating to human rights and the situation of children be regularly reviewed and monitored by all relevant organs and mechanisms of the United Nations system and by supervisory bodies of the specialized agencies in accordance with their mandates,

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V

64. Encourages Member States that have not yet done so to ratify the conventions of the International Labour Organization relating to the elimination of exploitation of child labour, in particular those concerning the minimum age for employment, the abolition of forced labour and the prohibition of particularly hazardous work for children, and to implement them;

65. Calls upon Governments to take legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to ensure the protection of children from economic exploitation, in particular the protection from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development;

66. Urges Governments to take all necessary measures, as a matter of priority, to eliminate all extreme forms of child labour, such as forced labour, bonded labour and other forms of slavery;

67. Encourages, in particular, Governments to take the necessary legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to provide for a minimum age or minimum ages for admission to employment, appropriate regulations of the hours and conditions of employment and appropriate penalties or other sanctions to ensure the effective enforcement of these measures;

68. Invites Governments, in accordance with the commitments made at the World Summit for Social Development held at Copenhagen in March 1995, to set specific target dates for eliminating all forms of child labour that are contrary to accepted international standards and ensuring the full enforcement of relevant existing laws and, where appropriate, enacting the legislation necessary to implement obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child16 and International Labour

Organization standards ensuring the protection of working children;

69. Encourages Member States to strengthen international cooperation, such as through the United Nations programme of advisory services in the field of human right and the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour of the International Labour Organization and activities of the United Nations Children's Fund as a means of assisting Governments in

preventing or combating violations of the rights of the child, including the exploitation of child labour;

70. Recognizes the measures taken by Governments to eliminate the exploitation of child labour, calls upon relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, in particular the United Nations Children's Fund and the International Labour Organization, to support national efforts in this regard;

71. Requests that measures be taken by Governments, at the national and international levels, within the framework of multisectoral approaches, to end exploitation of child labour in line with the commitments undertaken at the World Summit for Social Development and at the Fourth World Conference on Women, held at Beijing in September 1995,(30) and taking into account the results of other relevant United Nations conferences;

72. Calls upon Governments to translate into concrete action their commitment to the progressive and effective elimination of child labour and to implement, inter alia, national action plans and the resolution on the elimination of child labour adopted by the International Labour Conference at its eighty-third session, as well as other relevant resolutions on the subject adopted by the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights;

73. Requests the Secretary-General, when reporting on the implementation of the present resolution, to cooperate closely and at an early stage with relevant actors and United Nations organizations and bodies, in particular the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund, in order to provide information on initiatives aimed at eliminating exploitation of child labour and to recommend ways and means of improving cooperation at the national and international levels

in this field;

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VII

79. Invites Governments, United Nations bodies and organizations, including the United Nations Children's Fund and the Unitd Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and relevant mechanisms of the Commission on Human Rights and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to cooperate with one another to ensure greater awareness and

more effective action to solve the problem of children living in exceptionally difficult conditions by, among other measures, initiating and supporting development projects that can have a positive impact on the situation of those children;

80. Requests the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography to submit an interim report to the General Assembly at its fifty-second session;

81. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the rights of the child to the General Assembly at its fifty-second session, containing information on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the problems of exploitation of child labour, its causes and consequences, in accordance with paragraph 73 above;