A/RES/56/128 Welcoming the call for the elimination of all harmful traditional practices which are detrimental to girls’ and women’s rights and health made by the Pan-African Forum on the Future of Children, held in Cairo from 28 to 31 May 2001, 19 1. Welcomes: (a) The report of the Secretary-General, 20 which provides encouraging examples of national and international developments; (b) The efforts undertaken by United Nations bodies, programmes and organizations, including the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, the World Health Organization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, to address the issue of traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls, and encourages them to continue to coordinate their efforts; (c) The work carried out by the Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation of the United Nations Population Fund and her continuing contribution to the campaign to eliminate female genital mutilation; (d) The work carried out by the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children and other non-governmental and community organizations, including women’s organizations, in raising awareness of the harmful effects of such practices, in particular of female genital mutilation; (e) The fact that the elimination of harmful traditional or customary practices will be considered during the special session of the General Assembly on children; 2. Emphasizes the need for technical and financial assistance to those developing countries working to achieve the elimination of traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls from United Nations funds and programmes, international and regional financial institutions and bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as the need for assistance to non-governmental organizations and community-based groups active in this field from the international community; 3. Calls upon all States: (a) To ratify or accede to, if they have not yet done so, the relevant human rights treaties, in particular the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women3 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 4 to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 21 and to respect and implement fully their obligations under any such treaties to which they are parties; _______________ 19 See A/S-27/4, annex, para. 32 (g). A/56/316. 21 Resolution 54/4, annex. 20 3