A/RES/64/142
3.
Requests the Secretary-General, within existing resources, to take steps
to disseminate the Guidelines in all the official languages of the United Nations,
including by transmitting them to all Member States, regional commissions and
relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.
65th plenary meeting
18 December 2009
Annex
Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children
I.
Purpose
1.
The present Guidelines are intended to enhance the implementation of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child2 and of relevant provisions of other
international instruments regarding the protection and well-being of children who
are deprived of parental care or who are at risk of being so.
0H
2.
Against the background of these international instruments and taking account
of the developing body of knowledge and experience in this sphere, the Guidelines
set out desirable orientations for policy and practice. They are designed for wide
dissemination among all sectors directly or indirectly concerned with issues relating
to alternative care, and seek in particular:
(a) To support efforts to keep children in, or return them to, the care of their
family or, failing this, to find another appropriate and permanent solution, including
adoption and kafala of Islamic law;
(b) To ensure that, while such permanent solutions are being sought, or in
cases where they are not possible or are not in the best interests of the child, the
most suitable forms of alternative care are identified and provided, under conditions
that promote the child’s full and harmonious development;
(c) To assist and encourage Governments to better implement their
responsibilities and obligations in these respects, bearing in mind the economic,
social and cultural conditions prevailing in each State; and
(d) To guide policies, decisions and activities of all concerned with social
protection and child welfare in both the public and the private sectors, including
civil society.
II.
General principles and perspectives
A.
The child and the family
3.
The family being the fundamental group of society and the natural
environment for the growth, well-being and protection of children, efforts should
primarily be directed to enabling the child to remain in or return to the care of
his/her parents, or when appropriate, other close family members. The State should
ensure that families have access to forms of support in the caregiving role.
4.
Every child and young person should live in a supportive, protective and
caring environment that promotes his/her full potential. Children with inadequate or
no parental care are at special risk of being denied such a nurturing environment.
2