A/RES/57/190
and child pornography, and which reaffirms that all human rights and fundamental
freedoms are universal,
Welcoming the outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on
children 6 and the firm commitments contained therein to promote and protect the
rights of each child — every human being below the age of 18 years, including
adolescents,
Welcoming also the Yokohama Global Commitment 2001 adopted at the
Second World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, held
at Yokohama, Japan, from 17 to 20 December 2001, 7 and calling upon States to
consider its outcome,
Welcoming further the integration of issues of child rights in the outcome
documents of all major United Nations conferences, special sessions and summits,
Profoundly concerned that the situation of girls and boys in many parts of the
world remains critical as a result of the persistence of poverty, social inequality,
inadequate social and economic conditions in an increasingly globalized world
economy, pandemics, in particular the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome, malaria and tuberculosis, natural disasters, armed
conflict, displacement, exploitation, violence, illiteracy, hunger, intolerance,
discrimination and inadequate legal protection, and convinced that urgent and
effective national and international action is called for,
Underlining the need for mainstreaming a gender perspective in all policies
and programmes relating to children,
Recognizing the need for the realization of a standard of living adequate for
the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development, the protection
of the child from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment, the provision of universal and equal access to primary education and
the implementation of the commitments on the education of children contained in
the United Nations Millennium Declaration, 8
Concerned at the number of illegal adoptions, of children growing up without
parents and of child victims of different forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and
neglect within and outside the family,
Concerned also by cases of international kidnapping of children by one of the
parents,
Recognizing that partnership among Governments, international organizations
and all sectors of civil society, in particular non-governmental organizations and the
private sector, is important to realizing the rights of the child,
I
Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
1.
Once again urges the States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify
or accede to the Convention on the Rights of the Child2 as a matter of priority with a
view to reaching the goal of universal adherence as soon as possible;
_______________
6
Resolution S-27/2, annex.
See A/S-27/12, annex.
8
See resolution 55/2, para. 19.
7
2