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Article 3: The equality of rights between men and women - replaces GC No. 4 2000, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- As regards articles 7 and 10, States parties must provide all information relevant to ensuring that the rights of persons deprived of their liberty are protected on equal terms for men and women. In particular, States parties should report on whether men and women are separated in prisons and whether women are guarded only by female guards. States parties should also report about compliance with the rule that accused juvenile females shall be separated from adults and on any difference in treatment between male and female persons deprived of liberty, such as access to rehabilitation and education programmes and to conjugal and family visits.Pregnant women who are deprived of their liberty should receive humane treatment and respect for their inherent dignity at all times, and in particular during the birth and while caring for their newborn children; States parties should report on facilities to ensure this and on medical and health care for such mothers and their babies.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Human Rights Committee
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2000
Paragraph
Implementing child rights in early childhood 2006, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Right to life, survival and development. Article 6 refers to the child's inherent right to life and States parties' obligation to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, the survival and development of the child. States parties are urged to take all possible measures to improve perinatal care for mothers and babies, reduce infant and child mortality, and create conditions that promote the well being of all young children during this critical phase of their lives. Malnutrition and preventable diseases continue to be major obstacles to realizing rights in early childhood. Ensuring survival and physical health are priorities, but States parties are reminded that article 6 encompasses all aspects of development, and that a young child's health and psychosocial well being are in many respects interdependent. Both may be put at risk by adverse living conditions, neglect, insensitive or abusive treatment and restricted opportunities for realizing human potential. Young children growing up in especially difficult circumstances require particular attention (see section VI below). The Committee reminds States parties (and others concerned) that the right to survival and development can only be implemented in a holistic manner, through the enforcement of all the other provisions of the Convention, including rights to health, adequate nutrition, social security, an adequate standard of living, a healthy and safe environment, education and play (arts. 24, 27, 28, 29 and 31), as well as through respect for the responsibilities of parents and the provision of assistance and quality services (arts. 5 and 18). From an early age, children should themselves be included in activities promoting good nutrition and a healthy and disease preventing lifestyle.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
Implementing child rights in early childhood 2006, para. 27b
- Paragraph text
- States parties have a responsibility to implement children's right to health by encouraging education in child health and development, including about the advantages of breastfeeding, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation. Priority should also be given to the provision of appropriate prenatal and post natal health care for mothers and infants in order to foster healthy family child relationships, especially between a child and his or her mother (or other primary caregiver) (art. 24.2). Young children are themselves able to contribute to ensuring their personal health and encouraging healthy lifestyles among their peers, for example through participation in appropriate, child centred health education programmes;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
The right to an adequate diet: the agriculture-food-health nexus 2012, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Like undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency or "hidden hunger" is a violation of a child's right to a standard of living adequate for the child's physical and mental development, and to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, recognized under article 6, paragraph 2, and article 24, paragraph 2 (c), of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The environment, not genetics, explains differences in child development between regions. The WHO Child Growth Standards demonstrate that infants and children from geographically diverse regions of the world experience very similar growth patterns when their health and nutrition needs are met, so that all children have in principle the same development potential. States, therefore, have a duty to support exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding, combined with adequate complementary foods, until the second birthday of the child; and to establish food systems that can ensure each individual's access not only to sufficient caloric intake, but also to sufficiently diverse diets, providing the full range of micronutrients required.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The right to an adequate diet: the agriculture-food-health nexus 2012, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- First, it is troubling that the 1981 International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions remain under-enforced, despite the wide recognition that exclusive breastfeeding for the six first months and continued breastfeeding, combined with safe and adequate complementary foods, up to 2 years old or beyond is the optimal way of feeding infants, and reduces the risk of obesity and NCDs later in life. Countries committed to scaling up nutrition should begin by regulating the marketing of commercial infant formula and other breast-milk substitutes, in accordance with WHA resolution 63.23, and by implementing the full set of WHO recommendations on the marketing of breast-milk substitutes and of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children, in accordance with WHA resolution 63.14.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The right to an adequate diet: the agriculture-food-health nexus 2012, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Second, the focus on pregnant and lactating women and infants in some recent nutrition initiatives, while understandable, should not lessen the need to address the nutritional needs of others, including children, women who are not pregnant or lactating, adolescents and older persons. The right to adequate food, which includes adequate nutrition, is a universal right guaranteed to all. This pleads in favour of broad-based national strategies for the realization of the right to food that address the full range of factors causing malnutrition, rather than narrowly focused initiatives that address the specific needs of a child's development between conception and the second birthday.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- The first five years of life are the most important period of human development, with the first 1,000 days requiring special attention. Ensuring that a child receives adequate nutrition during that window of 1,000 days can have a profound impact on his or her ability to grow. It can also shape the long-term health, stability and prosperity of a society. Stunting, caused by chronic undernutrition early in a child's life, affects some 165 million children around the world. It was estimated that in 2011 more than one in every four children under five years of age in the developing world was stunted. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are the two regions where stunting continues to be highly prevalent, with low-income countries experiencing the highest levels. Undernutrition magnifies the effects of every disease, including measles and malaria, while malnutrition can also be caused by certain illnesses which reduce the ability of the body to convert food into usable nutrients.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Although issues of undernutrition are often framed in terms of disability prevention, good nutrition is also vital for those who already live with a disability. Infants and children with disabilities suffer the same ill-effects of undernutrition as those without: poorer health outcomes; missing or delayed developmental milestones; avoidable secondary impairments; and, in extreme circumstances, premature death. The exclusion of children and adults with disabilities from nutritional outreach efforts on the basis of the incorrect belief that preserving the life of a child or adult with a disability is of lower priority than preserving the life of someone who is not disabled must be addressed by tackling such discriminatory social and cultural norms which advocate this.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Maintaining breast-feeding programmes, especially in countries experiencing the HIV epidemic poses a major challenge. The Special Rapporteur intends to coordinate with the United Nations Children's Fund the World Health Organization and other relevant stakeholders to help develop policies for strengthening specific programmes for young children. She also encourages States to fully implement the Global Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding, to position breastfeeding as the norm and to respect and promote community-based food sovereignty approaches to complementary feeding. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, adopted by the World Health Assembly at its thirty-fourth session in 1981 as a minimum requirement to protect and promote appropriate infant and young child feeding, should also be supplemented by further monitoring and regulation to ensure that companies responsible for the production of baby food follow similar quality control regulations for domestic use to those for export products.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- A right-to-food approach requires that States fulfil their obligation to ensure that safe, nutritionally adequate and culturally acceptable food is available; they must also respect and protect consumers and promote good nutrition for all. The Voluntary Guidelines, in particular Guidelines 9, on food safety and consumer protection, and 10, on nutrition, can guide States in the establishment and maintenance of effective food and nutrition policies, thereby increasing the protection of the most vulnerable from unsafe food and inadequate diets, while helping to combat overweight and obesity. The Convention on the Rights of the Child indicates that access to adequate nutrition, including family support for optimal feeding practices, is a right that should be supported for every child. The Special Rapporteur believes that increased focus must be placed on mother and child nutrition as the core of a healthy start in life, with the correlation between infant and young child feeding and food security being treated as a priority in all global food and nutrition security programmes and with formal recognition at the international and national level, including in legal frameworks.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Conditions of Detention in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights noted in a 2001 report on prisons in Malawi that prisons were not safe place for pregnant women, babies and young children and that it was not advisable to separate babies and young children from their mothers. Even very short periods in detention settings can undermine a child's psychological and physical well-being, compromise cognitive development and result in higher rates of suicide, self-harm, mental disorders and developmental problems (A/HRC/28/68). Children living in prison with their mothers may be at heightened risk of suffering violence, abuse and conditions of confinement that amount to torture or ill-treatment. In this context, the imprisonment of pregnant women and women with young children must be reduced to a minimum.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Integrating a gender perspective in the right to food 2016, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Women remain more vulnerable than men in post-disaster situations, as their household responsibilities increase while access to resources decreases. The daily work involved in providing food, water, and fuel for households after a disaster requires intensive labour, the bulk of which is borne by women. Moreover, marketing interference with breastfeeding initiation and long-term prolongation jeopardizes women's ability to safely feed their infants and young children due to unreliable quality and quantity of safe drinking water, particularly in post-disaster situations.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Effects of pesticides on the right to food 2017, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- One of the most catastrophic incidents involving pesticides occurred in 1984 in Bhopal, India, where approximately 45 tons of methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a Union Carbide plant as a result of negligence, immediately killing thousands of people and resulting in serious health issues and premature deaths for tens of thousands living in the vicinity. Epidemiological studies conducted soon after the accident showed significant increases in pregnancy loss, infant mortality, decreased fetal weight, chromosomal abnormalities, impaired associate learning and respiratory illnesses.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Some countries have enacted laws that criminalize mother-to-child transmission explicitly (see paragraph 54 above) or implicitly due to overly broad drafting of the law. Where the right to access to appropriate health services (such as comprehensive prevention of mother-to-child transmission services and safe breastfeeding alternatives) is not ensured, women are simply unable to take necessary precautions to prevent transmission, which could place them at risk of criminal liability. In 2008, only 45 per cent of pregnant women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and only 25 per cent in South and East Asia had access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission services.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In certain jurisdictions, pregnant women have been prosecuted for various types of conduct during pregnancy. A number of prosecutions have occurred in relation to the use of illicit drugs by pregnant woman, including under pre-existing laws relating to child abuse, attempted murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Criminal laws have also been used to prosecute women for other conduct, including alcohol use during pregnancy, the birth of stillborn babies or the miscarriage of a foetus (see A/HRC/17/26/Add.2, para. 68), failing to follow a doctor's orders, failing to refrain from sexual intercourse, and concealment of the birth.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- In contrast, the Convention separates the right to health (art. 24) and the right to survival and development (art. 6). However, there is no doubt that these articles are fundamentally linked. For example, article 24 includes a range of obligations that are inseparable from ensuring survival and development, such as diminishing infant and child mortality, providing medical assistance, combating disease and malnutrition, ensuring appropriate pre- and postnatal health care for mothers, providing access to information on child health, developing preventive health care and guidance for parents and abolishing harmful traditional practices. The right to survival and development can only be implemented in a holistic manner through the enforcement of other rights contained in the Convention, such as the right to health.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Experts recommend major changes in routine baby medical checks to detect and address social and emotional difficulties, which could be early signs of toxic stress, as a means of reducing many of society's most complex and costly medical issues, from heart disease to alcohol and drug abuse. In addition, some of the evidence-based health interventions that are included in the "zero draft" of the new global strategy for women's, children's and adolescents' health, such as nutrition counselling and "kangaroo" mother care for small babies, can be very useful in assisting main actors adopting a modern approach to health interventions.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- The right to health includes a right to health care. Health care is closely connected to all the targets in Goal 3 and directly reflected in the targets to achieve universal health coverage (target 3.8) and ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services (target 3.7). The relationship between universal health coverage and the right to health is explored further below, while the right to sexual and reproductive health care has been elaborated in general comments Nos. 14 and 22 of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, as well as in a number of previous reports by the mandate holder (see E/CN.4/2004/49, A/66/254, A/HRC/14/20 and A/HRC/32/32). The right to health can also support and be supported by such targets as the reduction of maternal and newborn and under-5 mortality rates (targets 3.1 and 3.2) and of the incidence of communicable and non-communicable diseases (targets 3.3 and 3.4), the promotion of mental health (target 3.4) and the reduction of the number of deaths from road traffic accidents (target 3.6).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- The above-mentioned motivations for carrying out illegal adoptions often overlapped, as was notably the case in Spain throughout the Franco regime and during the first decades of democracy. Indeed, the practice of illegally adopting children for ideological and religious reasons soon morphed into a profit-driven criminal activity. Thousands of newborn babies were reportedly abducted from their parents by criminal networks involved in large-scale illegal adoptions. Medical personnel and clergy members actively participated in the abduction of children. Newborn babies were abducted from hospitals and subsequently told that their parents had died. The children were then given to other parents following the falsification of documents and, in certain cases, payments.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- In the case of India, international attention has been drawn to the vast divergence in the country's natural gender ratio, with estimates that in 2003 100 million women were "missing" from its population. It is estimated that one million selective female foetal abortions occur annually in India. There is no official statistical data available on female infanticide, but in the state of Kerala, it is estimated that about 25,000 female newborns are killed every year. The preadolescent mortality rate of girls under 5 years old was 21 per cent higher than for boys of the same age in India. Violence, as well as nutritional and deliberate medical neglect by girls' parents, was cited as the main causes of death.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of c ... 2017, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- The lack of birth registration may have many negative impacts on the enjoyment of children’s rights, such as child marriage, trafficking, forced recruitment and child labour. Birth registrations may also help to achieve convictions against those who have abused a child. Unregistered children are at particular risk of becoming stateless when born to parents who are in an irregular migration situation, due to barriers to acquiring nationality in the country of origin of the parents as well as to accessing birth registration and nationality at the place of their birth.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on Migrant Workers
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Implementing child rights in early childhood 2006, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Looking forward. The Committee urges all States parties, inter governmental organizations, non governmental organizations, academics, professional groups and grass roots communities to continue advocating for the establishment of independent institutions on children's rights and foster continuous, high level policy dialogues and research on the crucial importance of quality in early childhood, including dialogues at international, national, regional and local levels.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- The different elements that form article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular paragraph 24 (d), (e) and (f), including pre- and postnatal care for mothers; access to education and information on child health and nutrition, advantages of breastfeeding, hygiene and sanitation and prevention of accidents; and the development of preventive health care demonstrate that during the process of adopting the Convention there was a broader understanding of how to promote and protect the health of children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- However, current rates of preventable deaths among newborns, children under 5 and adults are still unacceptably high. Universal health-care coverage is still a dream for many. The realization of the right to health is impeded by many factors, and most of them are related to inequalities, and selective approaches to human rights principles and existing scientific evidence. This can and must be addressed with the strong commitment by States and concerted efforts by all stakeholders.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Young victims are often the target of these practices. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, between 2011 and 2012 there was a 70 per cent increase in child sexual abuse material focused on girls under the age of 10 years, and abuse material involving toddlers or babies is not uncommon. Once online, child abuse images can circulate indefinitely, alongside the risk of perpetuating victims' harm. The circulation of such images contributes to the hypersexualization of children and in turn fuels the demand for sexual abuse material.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Implementing child rights in early childhood 2006, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- International assistance. Acknowledging the resource constraints affecting many States parties seeking to implement the comprehensive provisions outlined in this general comment, the Committee recommends that donor institutions, including the World Bank, other United Nations bodies and bilateral donors support early childhood development programmes financially and technically, and that it be one of their main targets in assisting sustainable development in countries receiving international assistance. Effective international cooperation can also strengthen capacity building for early childhood, in terms of policy development, programme development, research and professional training.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
The nature of States parties’ obligations 1990, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- The means which should be used in order to satisfy the obligation to take steps are stated in article 2 (1) to be "all appropriate means, including particularly the adoption of legislative measures". The Committee recognizes that in many instances legislation is highly desirable and in some cases may even be indispensable. For example, it may be difficult to combat discrimination effectively in the absence of a sound legislative foundation for the necessary measures. In fields such as health, the protection of children and mothers, and education, as well as in respect of the matters dealt with in articles 6 to 9, legislation may also be an indispensable element for many purposes.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 1990
Paragraph
The right to adequate food (Art. 11) 1999, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Appropriate United Nations programmes and agencies should assist, upon request, in drafting the framework legislation and in reviewing the sectoral legislation. FAO, for example, has considerable expertise and accumulated knowledge concerning legislation in the field of food and agriculture. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has equivalent expertise concerning legislation with regard to the right to adequate food for infants and young children through maternal and child protection including legislation to enable breastfeeding, and with regard to the regulation of marketing of breast milk substitutes.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 1999
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The interventions that should be made available across this continuum include, but are not limited to: essential health prevention and promotion, and curative care, including the prevention of neonatal tetanus, malaria in pregnancy and congenital syphilis; nutritional care; access to sexual and reproductive health education, information and services; health behaviour education (e.g. relating to smoking and substance use); birth preparedness; early recognition and management of complications; safe abortion services and post-abortion care; essential care at childbirth; and prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, and care and treatment of HIV-infected women and infants. Maternal and newborn care following delivery should ensure no unnecessary separation of the mother from her child.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Measures for fulfilling States' obligations to ensure access to nutritionally adequate, culturally appropriate and safe food and to combat malnutrition will need to be adopted according to the specific context. Effective direct nutrition interventions for pregnant women include addressing anaemia and folic acid and iodine deficiency and providing calcium supplementation. Prevention and management of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, should be ensured for all women of reproductive age to benefit their health and ensure healthy foetal and infant development.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Legislation should fulfil a number of additional functions in the realization of children's right to health by defining the scope of the right and recognizing children as rights-holders; clarifying the roles and responsibilities of all duty bearers; clarifying what services children, pregnant women and mothers are entitled to claim; and regulating services and medications to ensure that they are of good quality and cause no harm. States must ensure that adequate legislative and other safeguards exist to protect and promote the work of human rights defenders working on children's right to health.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- The Convention should guide all international activities and programmes of donor and recipient States related directly or indirectly to children's health. It requires partner States to identify the major health problems affecting children, pregnant women and mothers in recipient countries and to address them in accordance with the priorities and principles established by article 24. International cooperation should support State-led health systems and national health plans.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The rights of children with disabilities 2007, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- Domestic and road traffic accidents are a major cause of disability in some countries and policies of prevention need to be established and implemented such as the laws on seat belts and traffic safety. Lifestyle issues, such as alcohol and drug abuse during pregnancy, are also preventable causes of disabilities and in some countries the fetal alcohol syndrome presents a major cause for concern. Public education, identification and support for pregnant mothers who may be abusing such substances are just some of the measures that may be taken to prevent such causes of disability among children. Hazardous environment toxins also contribute to the causes of many disabilities. Toxins, such as lead, mercury, asbestos, etc., are commonly found in most countries. Countries should establish and implement policies to prevent dumping of hazardous materials and other means of polluting the environment. Furthermore, strict guidelines and safeguards should also be established to prevent radiation accidents.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2007
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the growing threat of malnutrition in all its forms and its negative impacts on economic development, universal health and efforts to reduce inequality, the international community has taken major initiatives to ensure global policy action. The World Health Organization (WHO) global targets to improve maternal, infant and young child nutrition by 2025, the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2013-2020 and the political commitments made at the Second International Conference on Nutrition, in 2014, to ensure the right of everyone to safe, sufficient and nutritious food are encouraging responses. It is now also recognized that nutrition plays a crucial role in fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- WHO recommends breastfeeding within one hour of birth and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods should be introduced at 6 months of age, together with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond. Yet only about 36 per cent of infants between 0 and 6 months old are exclusively breastfed. In high-income countries, fewer than one in five infants are breastfed for 12 months, and only two out of three children between 6 months and 2 years of age receive breast milk in low- and middle-income countries. These rates have not improved in two decades. In addition, few children receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods. A total of 823,000 children's lives could be saved yearly if all children between 0 and 23 months were optimally breastfed. One of the major obstacles to breastfeeding is the misleading marketing by baby food companies of breast milk substitutes and the lack of corporate accountability for the adverse consequences of such abuses.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Children and pregnant and lactating women enjoy even further protections. The Convention on the Rights of the Child confirms that, to ensure the full implementation of a child's right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, States must take appropriate measures to combat disease and malnutrition through, inter alia, the provision of "adequate nutritious foods" (art. 24 (2) (c)) and that in case of need they must provide material assistance and support programmes, including with regard to nutrition (art. 27 (3)). The Convention also calls for the protection and promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months of age, and for breastfeeding to continue alongside appropriate complementary foods preferably until 2 years of age.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Integrating a gender perspective in the right to food 2016, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- Impacts of decreased water quality as a result of climate change are also gender differentiated. Children and pregnant women are more physically vulnerable to waterborne diseases and their role in supplying household water and performing domestic chores makes them more vulnerable to developing diseases, such as diarrhea and cholera, which thrive in degraded water. Decreased water resources may also cause women's health to suffer as a result of the increased work burden and reduced nutritional status. For instance, in Peru following the 1997-98 El Niño events, malnutrition among women was a major cause of peripartum illness.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Gender
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- International human rights law places particular and explicit emphasis on the obligation of States to guarantee a number of relevant health and health-related services. For example, it places an obligation on States to provide appropriate pre and postnatal health care for mothers as well as appropriate services at birth and to newborns. The Convention on the Rights of the Child has clarified the interventions that should be made available across this continuum which are, for the most part, important for optimal child development as well as survival. Children affected by congenital anomalies or malnutrition, chronic illnesses or severe and life-limiting diseases should be referred to specialized paediatric palliative care services, which can be provided in tertiary care facilities, in community health centres and in children's homes.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Review at the national and subnational levels should take place within existing national structures and processes, including national human rights institutions, policy review processes, comprehensive maternal death audits, patient's rights tribunals, and litigation. For example, national human rights institutions provide accountability for the right-to-health-related Sustainable Development Goals, including by undertaking national assessments and enquiries and by participating in other domestic and international review processes, offering advice to Governments on promoting and protecting rights in national implementation plans and on rights-based implementation, including through support for the development and use of human rights impact assessments.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Enjoyment of the rights to health and adequate housing by migrants 2010, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child extensively provides for the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health (art. 24). In that same article, obligations are placed on States to make every effort "to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such health care services" by, inter alia, providing children with "necessary medical assistance and health care" and ensuring "appropriate prenatal and post-natal healthcare for mothers".
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Servile marriage 2012, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- The minimum age cannot be applied if there is no proper birth and marriage registration in the country. Registration of births should be compulsory even if the marriages of the parents are not registered.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Water, sanitation and hygiene needs are critical to prevent high maternal and newborn mortality rates. In its recently adopted general comment No. 22 (2016) on the right to sexual and reproductive health, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights notes that access to safe and potable water and adequate sanitation, as well as access to health-related education and information, are the underlying determinants to that right. Collaboration among sectors makes it possible to exchange information on how to deliver education on culturally taboo topics and to give greater priority to female-specific needs, in a manner that the water, sanitation and hygiene sector alone cannot achieve.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Eliminating discrimination against women in the area of health and safety, with a focus on the instrumentalization of women's bodies 2016, para. 106h
- Paragraph text
- [The Working Group recommends that States:] Prevent instrumentalization of women in the birthing process and ensure that penalties are incurred for gynaecological or obstetrical violence, including performing abusive caesarean sections, refusing to give women pain relief during birth or surgical termination of pregnancy and performing unnecessary episiotomies;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- Certain "core obligations" are not subject to progressive realization and must be implemented immediately. Core obligations include: (a) elaboration of a comprehensive national plan for the right to health, including development, in early childhood; (b) non-discriminatory access to health and other relevant services; (c) equitable distribution of health and other facilities for the right to health in early childhood; and (d) access to a minimum "basket" of health-related services and facilities (A/HRC/7/11, para. 52).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Rights of rural women 2016, para. 39d
- Paragraph text
- [States parties should safeguard the right of rural women and girls to adequate health care, and ensure:] The systematic and regular monitoring of the health and nutritional status of pregnant women and new mothers, especially adolescent mothers, and their infants. In case of malnutrition or lack of access to clean water, extra food rations and drinking water should be provided systematically throughout pregnancy and lactation;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Eliminating discrimination against women in the area of health and safety, with a focus on the instrumentalization of women's bodies 2016, para. 106g
- Paragraph text
- [The Working Group recommends that States:] Regulate birthing facilities to ensure respect for women's autonomy and privacy and human dignity, including respect for women's choice regarding home deliveries provided there are no specific medical contraindications;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Servile marriage 2012, para. 103
- Paragraph text
- States should also increase and improve access to reproductive health services and information, in particular for girls and women, including access to family planning. Health information tailored to young mothers about proper nutrition and care for their health and the health of their babies should be made available. Access to reproductive health care for women and girls in urban and rural areas needs to be increased and improved by ensuring that adequate resources and health-care experts are available.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Article 24: Rights of the child 1989, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- The Covenant requires that children should be protected against discrimination on any grounds such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property or birth. In this connection, the Committee notes that, whereas non discrimination in the enjoyment of the rights provided for in the Covenant also stems, in the case of children, from article 2 and their equality before the law from article 26, the non discrimination clause contained in article 24 relates specifically to the measures of protection referred to in that provision. Reports by States parties should indicate how legislation and practice ensure that measures of protection are aimed at removing all discrimination in every field, including inheritance, particularly as between children who are nationals and children who are aliens or as between legitimate children and children born out of wedlock.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Human Rights Committee
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 1989
Paragraph
Rights of rural women 2016, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Rural women are overrepresented among agricultural workers in many regions, exposing them to increased health risks linked to the improper and extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides by various actors, resulting in illnesses, early deaths, pregnancy complications, fetal disorders and physical and developmental disorders in infants and children. Those risks are compounded by their underrepresentation in agricultural cooperatives, farmers' and producers' organizations, land administration and rural workers' organizations, and their limited access to extension services.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
HIV/AIDS and the rights of the children 2003, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is responsible for the majority of HIV infections in infants and young children. Infants and young children can be infected with HIV during pregnancy, labour and delivery, and through breastfeeding. States parties are requested to ensure implementation of the strategies recommended by the United Nations agencies to prevent HIV infection in infants and young children. These include: (a) the primary prevention of HIV infection among parents-to-be; (b) the prevention of unintended pregnancies in HIV-infected women, (c) the prevention of HIV transmission from HIV-infected women to their infants; and (d) the provision of care, treatment and support to HIV-infected women, their infants and families.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2003
Paragraph
HIV/AIDS and the rights of the children 2003, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- To prevent MTCT of HIV, States parties must take steps, including the provision of essential drugs, e.g. anti-retroviral drugs, appropriate antenatal, delivery and post-partum care, and making HIV voluntary counselling and testing services available to pregnant women and their partners. The Committee recognizes that anti-retroviral drugs administered to a woman during pregnancy and/or labour and, in some regimens, to her infant, have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of transmission from mother to child. However, in addition, States parties should provide support for mothers and children, including counselling on infant feeding options. States parties are reminded that counselling of HIV-positive mothers should include information about the risks and benefits of different infant feeding options, and guidance on selecting the option most likely to be suitable for their situation. Follow-up support is also required in order for women to be able to implement their selected option as safely as possible.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2003
Paragraph
HIV/AIDS and the rights of the children 2003, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The Committee wishes to emphasize the critical implications of proof of identity for children affected by HIV/AIDS, as it relates to securing recognition as a person before the law, safeguarding the protection of rights, in particular to inheritance, education, health and other social services, as well as to making children less vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, particularly if separated from their families due to illness or death. In this respect, birth registration is critical to ensuring the rights of the child and is also necessary to minimize the impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of affected children. States parties are, therefore, reminded of their obligation under article 7 of the Convention to ensure that systems are in place for the registration of every child at or immediately after birth.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2003
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- In the technical guidance on the application of a human rights-based approach to the implementation of policies and programmes to reduce and eliminate preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age (A/HRC/27/31) Member States are urged to regulate private actors over which they exercise control, including producers and marketers of breast milk substitutes and other relevant companies (para. 70 (g)). The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 15, also calls upon private companies to comply with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and relevant World Health Assembly resolutions. In its most recent resolution on ending inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children, adopted in May 2016, the World Health Assembly called upon manufacturers and distributors of foods for infants and young children to end all forms of inappropriate promotion.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Breastfeeding is a powerful influence on child survival and development and prevention of child malnutrition. It provides optimal nutrition for young infants, reducing the incidence and severity of infectious diseases and contributing to obesity prevention. Breastfed babies are protected from illnesses through the mother's antibodies, while those who are not are exposed to increased chances of malnutrition, non-communicable diseases and suboptimal cognitive development. In addition, infant formula and other breast milk substitutes can cause poor growth or illness if water quality and hygiene standards are not met.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health and criminalization of same-sex conduct and sexual orientation, sex-work and HIV transmission 2010, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- In Sierra Leone, a person infected with HIV (and aware of the fact) must "take all reasonable measures and precautions to prevent the transmission of HIV to others and in the case of pregnant women, the foetus", with criminal sanctions imposed for failure to do so. It is unclear what "all reasonable measures and precautions" in the case of prevention of mother-to-child transmission would include, and whether such standards are clearly articulated and understood by health-care providers and pregnant women themselves to ensure that an informed decision can be made. Given the complexity of guidance on the suitability of breastfeeding, decisions on infant feeding options involve a complex balancing of risks and benefits, and require that the mother be provided with accurate, comprehensible information. In this instance, the criminal law has the potential to punish women for the inadequacy of the government in providing appropriate services and education.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Extreme inequality and human rights 2015, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Economic inequalities not only impair civil and political rights but also negatively affect the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. A good example is the right to health. According to the World Bank, "infants from poorer families and children from rural areas are more likely to die than their peers from richer families and urban areas" and the poor are "considerably less likely than the non-poor to have access to high-impact health services, such as skilled delivery care, antenatal care, and complementary feeding." The Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission found that "people from lower occupational classes who have less education and income tend to die at younger ages and to suffer, within their shorter lifetimes, a higher prevalence of various health problems" and that "these differences in health conditions do not merely reflect worse outcomes for people at the very bottom of the socio-economic scale but extend to people throughout the socio-economic hierarchy, i.e. they display a 'social gradient'". The World Health Assembly, in its resolution WHA62.14, has also affirmed the recommendation of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health on the need "to tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money and resources".
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Despite global efforts to eradicate child deaths due to malnutrition, more than 2 million children under age five die every year as a result of poor nutrition, and many of those deaths are associated with inappropriate feeding practices. Undernutrition among pregnant women in developing countries causes one out of six infants to be born with low birth weight, which is not only a risk factor for neonatal deaths, but may also lead to disability and learning difficulties.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- [Development, dissemination and enforcement of the law]: At the national level, effective investigations and prosecutions are potentially powerful prevention tools but continue to be weak. The failure to investigate grave violations against children or to sanction those responsible is often linked to broader accountability issues. Short of systematic prosecution, a system for deterrence should be built through the prosecution of the most persistent violators. Furthermore, practical measures can be implemented by Governments to prevent under-age recruitment, such as free birth registration or alternative mechanisms for age verification, in addition to conscription policies and mandatory vetting procedures to monitor child recruitment by national armies.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Recommended packages of services should be used, for example the Essential Interventions, Commodities and Guidelines for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. States have an obligation to make all essential medicines on the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, including the list for children (in paediatric formulations where possible) available, accessible and affordable.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Women who are lactating and pregnant require an even more nutrient-rich diet. To ensure the health of the fetus, a diet consisting of at least 20 per cent protein and higher levels of iron, folate and calcium is essential. Malnourished mothers are more likely to give birth to underweight babies, who in turn are 20 per cent more likely to die before the age of 5. Diets that consist of less than 6 per cent protein in utero have been linked with many deficits, including decreased brain weight, obesity and impaired brain communication.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Enjoyment of the rights to health and adequate housing by migrants 2010, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- In general, the constraints on the rights of adult migrants immediately have an adverse impact on the rights of their children, and in the long term, may inhibit the children's development. Reports suggest that poor working and economic conditions for migrant adults affect the general health and welfare of their children, as manifested in the birth of premature babies and increased risks of serious illness or death. Further, where migrant parents are deprived of health care, their children will also likely be deprived of such care.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Harmful practices (joint General Recommendation with CEDAW) 2014, para. 55h
- Paragraph text
- [The Committees recommend that the States parties to the Conventions adopt or amend legislation with a view to effectively addressing and eliminating harmful practices. In doing so, they should ensure:] That a national system of compulsory, accessible and free birth registration is established in order to effectively prevent harmful practices, including child marriage;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Article 6: The right to life 1982, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- Moreover, the Committee has noted that the right to life has been too often narrowly interpreted. The expression “inherent right to life” cannot properly be understood in a restrictive manner, and the protection of this right requires that States adopt positive measures. In this connection, the Committee considers that it would be desirable for States parties to take all possible measures to reduce infant mortality and to increase life expectancy, especially in adopting measures to eliminate malnutrition and epidemics.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Human Rights Committee
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 1982
Paragraph
The right to the highest attainable standard of health (Art. 12) 2000, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Violations of the obligation to fulfil occur through the failure of States parties to take all necessary steps to ensure the realization of the right to health. Examples include the failure to adopt or implement a national health policy designed to ensure the right to health for everyone; insufficient expenditure or misallocation of public resources which results in the non-enjoyment of the right to health by individuals or groups, particularly the vulnerable or marginalized; the failure to monitor the realization of the right to health at the national level, for example by identifying right to health indicators and benchmarks; the failure to take measures to reduce the inequitable distribution of health facilities, goods and services; the failure to adopt a gender sensitive approach to health; and the failure to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2000
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Among the key determinants of children's health, nutrition and development are the realization of the mother's right to health and the role of parents and other caregivers. A significant number of infant deaths occur during the neonatal period, related to the poor health of the mother prior to, and during, the pregnancy and the immediate post-partum period, and to suboptimal breastfeeding practices. The health and health-related behaviours of parents and other significant adults have a major impact on children's health.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- In its study on children accused of witchcraft, UNICEF reported that, in many African societies, births considered "abnormal" were generally surrounded by a complex system of representations and rituals. Such births included twins, "badly born" children and persons with albinism. Cases have been reported of parents killing their babies born with albinism for being witches. Where these children are not killed at birth, they are often taken to a spiritual leader or traditional healer to be "healed" through various forms of violent exorcism. Similarly, in a report published by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children in 2012, it is stressed that vulnerable children such as children with disabilities, children with albinism, premature babies or specially gifted children are often the target of witchcraft accusations. The link between witchcraft and persons with albinism was also noted in western Sudan where persons with albinism were accused of taking part in "strange and dangerous practices" related to witchcraft.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The right to an adequate diet: the agriculture-food-health nexus 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Premature deaths resulting from non-communicable diseases linked to bad diets are deaths that can be avoided, and States have a duty to protect in this regard. By implementing the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding and the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, as well as the Political Declaration of the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases, States are not only making political commitments but also discharging their duty under international human rights law to guarantee the right to adequate food.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The right to an adequate diet: the agriculture-food-health nexus 2012, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Governments have become aware of the adverse impacts of the spread of non-communicable diseases, caused by suboptimal breastfeeding and young child feeding and unhealthy diets, and they recognize the urgent need to take action. In 2002 and 2004, respectively, WHA adopted the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding and the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. The latter recommends, inter alia, reducing energy intake from total fats, shifting fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats, and eliminating trans-fatty acids; increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts; limiting the intake of free sugars; limiting salt consumption and ensuring that all salt is iodized. States are encouraged to adopt a national strategy on diets and physical activity; to provide accurate and balanced information to consumers; to align food and agricultural policies with the requirements of public health; and to use school policies and programmes to encourage healthy diets. Infant food manufacturers are expected to comply with provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant WHA resolutions and manufacture their products according to Codex Alimentarius standards. The agrifood industry is expected to reduce the fat, sugar and salt content of processed foods and portion sizes, to increase nutritious and healthy choices, and to review their marketing practices. More recently, in 2011, Governments pledged to promote, protect and support breastfeeding and strengthen the implementation of the International Code and to "reduce the impact of the common non-communicable disease risk factors," including unhealthy diets, by implementing "relevant international agreements and strategies, and education, legislative, regulatory and fiscal measures."
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition is one of the leading private networks focusing on malnutrition reduction, mainly through fortification, supported largely by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Several allegations of conflict of interest have been made against the Alliance. In particular, organizations working to address infant malnutrition questioned whether its work was motivated primarily by efforts to open new markets for its members. An effective, independent evaluation mechanism is needed for balancing private sector involvement in nutrition policies.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Maternal health, prenatal and post-natal care, and access to information, are all elements of the right to health elaborated under General Comment No. 14. Additionally, article 10.2 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provides that special protection should be accorded to mothers. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women also recognizes that women should be provided with appropriate services in connection with pregnancy. In chapter VII.A., the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development observes that reproductive health includes access to services that enable women to go through pregnancy and childbirth safely. Despite these positive obligations to support women during pregnancy and post-birth, certain States have proposed or enacted criminal laws or other legal restrictions prohibiting certain forms of conduct, which infringe the right to health of affected women.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Criminalisation of sexual and reproductive health 2011, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- In some instances, civil legislation related to child welfare has been expanded to include punitive sanctions for prenatal drug exposure, where such exposure may provide a ground for the termination of parental rights and the removal of the child upon birth. A pregnant woman's positive toxicology report or clinical signs of drug exposure in newborns, may be regarded as proof of child abuse or neglect under these legislative schemes. In some jurisdictions, health professionals are required to test pregnant women or newborns for drug exposure or may do so provided the woman is given notice. Others have enacted legislation authorizing the institutionalization of women who have used drugs during pregnancy. Health professionals may also be obliged to report positive drug-screening results to the Government.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognizes the links between health, survival and development: article 12 on the right to health obligates States parties to take steps necessary for, among other things, the "provision for the reduction of the stillbirth rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy development of the child". In other words, in the Covenant, development is part of the right to health. Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes the right to health of the child and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health. This approach underlines that the spectrum of essential health-related services should not be limited to medications and vaccines, but should also include effective public health and psychosocial interventions.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- According to article 12, the child has a right to express his or her views freely in all matters affecting him or her and to have them taken into account. Research shows that a child is able to form views from the youngest age, even when he or she may be unable to express them verbally. Very soon after birth newborn babies can recognize their parents, engage actively in various forms of non-verbal communication and develop strong mutual attachments with their parents or primary caregivers. Child-appropriate communication must be ensured to respect the child's right to information and the right to be heard at all times.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- Second, in accordance with their evolving capacities, young children, including infants, have a right to express their views freely in all matters affecting them and to have these views taken into account. Infants and very young children have particular forms of expression, which, because of their age, are sometimes non-verbal. Young children should be active participants in the promotion, protection and monitoring of their rights within the family, the community and society, in accordance with their evolving capacities. States must therefore ensure the necessary institutional arrangements for the participation of young children and their caregivers.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Universal health coverage is a key dimension of the 2030 Agenda commitment towards achieving healthy lives and well-being for all at all ages. Goal 3 includes an explicit commitment to "achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all" (target 3.8) and to "ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes" (target 3.7).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- In September 2015, the General Assembly is to adopt a set of sustainable development goals that will replace the Millennium Development Goals as the focus of the international development agenda. At the same time, a new global strategy for women's, children's and adolescents' health is to be launched. The ending of preventable deaths of newborns and children under five is a target of the "zero draft" of the sustainable development goals.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The abduction of babies (e.g. through kidnappings or by falsely informing parents that their baby was stillborn or died shortly after birth), the improper inducement of consent (e.g. through misrepresentation, bribery or coercion) and improper financial gain (e.g. through payment for the child or the payment of bribes to intermediaries involved in the adoption process) are among the most common methods used in the sale of children and illegal adoptions. Inherent to the methods is the falsification of documents (e.g. birth and medical certificates, the identification documents of the biological mother, DNA test results and relinquishment or abandonment declarations) and the bypassing of regulations.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of c ... 2017, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- The Committees urge States parties to take all necessary measures to ensure that all children are immediately registered at birth and issued birth certificates, irrespective of their migration status or that of their parents. Legal and practical obstacles to birth registration should be removed, including by prohibiting data sharing between health providers or civil servants responsible for registration with immigration enforcement authorities; and not requiring parents to produce documentation regarding their migration status. Measures should also be taken to facilitate late registration of birth and to avoid financial penalties for late registration. Children who have not been registered should be ensured equal access to health care, protection, education and other social services.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on Migrant Workers
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Harmful practices (joint General Recommendation with CRC) 2014, para. 69a
- Paragraph text
- [The Committees recommend that the States parties to the Conventions:] Provide universal, free and compulsory primary education that is girl friendly, including in remote and rural areas, consider making secondary education mandatory while also providing economic incentives for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers to complete secondary school and establish non-discriminatory return policies;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Harmful practices (joint General Recommendation with CEDAW) 2014, para. 69a
- Paragraph text
- [The Committees recommend that the States parties to the Conventions:] Provide universal, free and compulsory primary education that is girl friendly, including in remote and rural areas, consider making secondary education mandatory while also providing economic incentives for pregnant girls and adolescent mothers to complete secondary school and establish non-discriminatory return policies;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Human rights are also one of six guiding principles of Every Newborn: An Action Plan to End Preventable Deaths. The Action Plan highlights that all planning and programming for reproductive, maternal and newborn health should be guided by principles and standards derived from international human rights treaties. A range of operational tools have also been developed to help States to systematically apply human rights standards in law, policy and service delivery for young children and their caregivers.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Impact of the criminalization of migration on the protection and enjoyment of human rights 2010, para. 104
- Paragraph text
- States should uphold the principle of avoiding statelessness and enforce legal norms at the national and international levels to reduce statelessness resulting from the failure to register the birth of a child, including because of the fears associated with the criminalization of irregular migration. States should take effective measures to guarantee the birth registration of children born outside their parents' country of origin, regardless of the parents' immigration status.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- There are no universally agreed upon standards for determining which circumstances warrant a child living in prison, and there is considerable variation between countries. On the whole, most countries have instituted policies that base this decision on the age of the child. The inherent paradox is articulated as "Prisons are not a safe place for pregnant women, babies and young children, and [but] it is not advisable to separate babies and young children from their mother." Support services, such as nurseries, schooling and social therapy, are offered to children in some prisons.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- Private health insurance companies should ensure that they do not discriminate against pregnant women, children or mothers on any prohibited grounds and that they promote equality through partnerships with State health insurance schemes based on the principle of solidarity and ensuring that inability to pay does not restrict access to services.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Persons with Disabilities 1994, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- According to the Standard Rules, "States should ensure that persons with disabilities, particularly infants and children, are provided with the same level of medical care within the same system as other members of society". The right to physical and mental health also implies the right to have access to, and to benefit from, those medical and social services including orthopaedic devices which enable persons with disabilities to become independent, prevent further disabilities and support their social integration. Similarly, such persons should be provided with rehabilitation services which would enable them "to reach and sustain their optimum level of independence and functioning". All such services should be provided in such a way that the persons concerned are able to maintain full respect for their rights and dignity.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 1994
Paragraph
HIV/AIDS and the rights of the children 2003, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Even in populations with high HIV prevalence, the majority of infants are born to women who are not HIV-infected. For the infants of HIV-negative women and women who do not know their HIV status, the Committee wishes to emphasize, consistent with articles 6 and 24 of the Convention, that breastfeeding remains the best feeding choice. For the infants of HIV positive mothers, available evidence indicates that breastfeeding can add to the risk of HIV transmission by 10-20 per cent, but that lack of breastfeeding can expose children to an increased risk of malnutrition or infectious diseases other than HIV. United Nations agencies have recommended that, where replacement feeding is affordable, feasible, acceptable, sustainable and safe, avoidance of all breastfeeding by HIV-infected mothers is recommended; otherwise, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended during the first months of life and should then be discontinued as soon as it is feasible.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2003
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Interventions should include attention to still births, pre-term birth complications, birth asphyxia, low birth weight, mother-to-child transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, neonatal infections, pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles, under- and malnutrition, malaria, accidents, violence, suicide and adolescent maternal morbidity and mortality. Strengthening health systems to provide such interventions to all children in the context of the continuum of care for reproductive, maternal, newborn and children's health, including screening for birth defects, safe delivery services and care for the newborn are recommended. Maternal and perinatal mortality audits should be conducted regularly for the purposes of prevention and accountability.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- The Committee notes that preventable maternal mortality and morbidity constitute grave violations of the human rights of women and girls and pose serious threats to their own and their children's right to health. Pregnancy and child birth are natural processes, with known health risks that are susceptible to both prevention and therapeutic responses, if identified early. Risk situations can occur during pregnancy, delivery and the ante- and postnatal periods and have both short- and long-term impact on the health and well-being of both mother and child.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 113
- Paragraph text
- States should ensure that there are functioning children's health facilities, goods, services and programmes in sufficient quantity. States need to ensure that they have sufficient hospitals, clinics, health practitioners, mobile teams and facilities, community health workers, equipment and essential drugs to provide health care to all children, pregnant women and mothers within the State. Sufficiency should be measured according to need with particular attention given to under-served and hard to reach populations.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Such stories have also been reported in contemporary times. Village folklore describes how mothers are advised by midwives to sit on their babies or asphyxiate them at birth if they have albinism. In other cases, it seems that the child is left to die, with no food. Similarly, it has been reported that children with albinism have been instantly killed at birth for fear of the shame attached to the condition, or because of a belief that they bring bad luck. Other folklore describes practices such as drowning children with albinism in a lake or placing babies with albinism at the exit gate of a cow pen, where they are left to die from being trampled on by cattle. Still other folklore recounts the ritual killing of children with albinism, who have been accused of being witches, by putting them in bags and smashing the bags against a tree.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Eliminating discrimination against women in economic and social life with a focus on economic crisis 2014, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- Patterns of allocation are often not the result of choice, but rather of stereotyping and discrimination. There is evidence, in most countries, of discrimination in hiring, firing and workplace treatment of pregnant women; imposition of a disproportionate share of unpaid care responsibilities on women; and negative stereotyping of mothers and also fathers who are taking care of children. Cultural assumptions of the motherhood role appear to exist in tension with the conception of the ideal worker. Nevertheless, in a cross-regional comparison of selected countries, it was found that motherhood does not uniformly reduce labour force participation or occupational success and, indeed, it increases these in some countries as compared to women without children. However, it does reduce the number of hours worked and, even more, it increases, disproportionately and beyond any difference that might be explained by the reduction of work hours, the gap between mothers' wages and fathers' wages.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Sexual education 2010, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Although fathers and mothers are free to choose the type of education that their sons and daughters will have, this authority may never run counter to the rights of children and adolescents, in accordance with the primacy of the principle of the best interests of the child. This implies a need to create forums in which all options and opinions can be discussed within the education process. Particularly in the case of sexual education, people have the right to receive high-quality scientific information that is unprejudiced and age-appropriate, so as to foster full development and prevent possible physical and psychological abuse.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The right to an adequate diet: the agriculture-food-health nexus 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- The requirement of non-discrimination ensures that interventions are targeted, with a focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, and that they are gender sensitive. Finally, the adoption of national strategies for the realization of the right to food by Governments through participatory means should ensure that the needs of all groups are identified, including those of pregnant and lactating women and infants, and actions planned to address those needs. Such strategies should also link efforts to improve nutrition during early childhood with later life, adopting a life-course perspective as recommended by WHO, in order to take into account, for instance, that in contrast to breastfeeding, formula feeding may be a cause of obesity; they should facilitate inter-departmental coordination, recognizing that the right to adequate diets requires a collaborative effort across all government; and they should create a stable, multi-year framework, providing the necessary conditions both for private investment and for a continued effort of government.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Effects of pesticides on the right to food 2017, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Pregnant women who are exposed to pesticides are at higher risk of miscarriage, pre-term delivery and birth defects. Studies have regularly found a cocktail of pesticides in umbilical cords and first faeces of newborns, proving prenatal exposure. Exposure to pesticides can be transferred from either parent. The most critical period for exposure for the father is three months prior to conception, while maternal exposure is most dangerous from the month before conception through the first trimester of pregnancy. Recent evidence suggests that pesticide exposure by pregnant mothers leads to higher risk of childhood leukaemia and other cancers, autism and respiratory illnesses. For example, neurotoxic pesticides can cross the placental barrier and affect the developing nervous system of the fetus, while other toxic chemicals can adversely impact its undeveloped immune system.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Some 17,000 children under 5 years of age continue to die every day, mainly from preventable or treatable causes. In addition, 44 per cent of deaths of children under 5 occur in babies aged 0-28 days. The neonatal deaths result mainly from preterm birth complications (35 per cent), birth asphyxia and trauma (24 per cent) and sepsis (15 per cent). From 29 days until 5 years of age, the majority of deaths are attributable to infectious diseases such as pneumonia (23 per cent), diarrhoeal diseases (16 per cent), malaria (13 per cent) and HIV/AIDS (3 per cent).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The reduction of under-5 mortality has been at the heart of the global development and public health agendas. The Millennium Development Goals called for a reduction of under-5 mortality by two thirds between 1990 and 2015 (goal 4). Global commitments such as the Millennium Development Goads have provided impetus for global strategies as well as national plans to accelerate progress, most notably the Secretary-General's 2010 Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health and Every Newborn: An Action Plan to End Preventable Deaths, issued by WHO in 2014. These documents have helped galvanize international and national action as well provided technical guidance for reducing under-5 mortality and morbidity.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- After birth, adequate nutrition can be supported by the initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continued breastfeeding through to the second year of life, nutritional supplementation and ensuring the availability of and access to healthy and culturally appropriate diets for infants and young children, including by improving food security. Infant and young child feeding is a key area in improving child survival and promoting healthy growth and development. The first two years of a child's life are particularly important, as optimal nutrition during this period lowers morbidity and mortality, reduces the risk of chronic disease and fosters better development overall.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Health care and other services can also play an important role in supporting adequate nutrition through provision of information to pregnant women and families on optimal nutrition, screening and provision of supplements. Breastfeeding remains one of the most effective interventions in reducing child mortality and morbidity. Therefore, ensuring that mothers have an enabling and supportive environment to breastfeed their children is crucial. This includes adequate maternity protection and protection from inappropriate marketing of breast milk substitutes in public and health-care settings.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- The launch of the technical guidance on the application of a human rights-based approach to the implementation of policies and programmes to reduce and eliminate preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age (A/HRC/27/31) in 2014 is a serious attempt to put an end to the unacceptable epidemics of preventable deaths of infants. The human rights-based approach is critically important in that regard since child mortality is intimately linked with human rights of women and the widespread discrimination against vulnerable groups of population.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Effects of pesticides on the right to food 2017, para. 107e
- Paragraph text
- [States should:] Enact safety measures to ensure adequate protections for pregnant women, children and other groups who are particularly susceptible to pesticide exposure;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Gender discrimination and violence based on moral and religious constructs regarding the social or marital status of the mother have been a key driver of illegal adoptions in several countries. In Ireland, the so-called mother and baby homes, which were managed by Catholic organizations, and other maternity institutions, were established in the 1920s to deal with unmarried pregnant women and girls and operated until the 1990s. Conditions in those institutions were deplorable and cases of violence against the women were common (e.g. abuse of expectant mothers, forced labour, neglect and detention). Before the 1952 Adoption Act, most children born out of wedlock were placed in foster care, "boarded out" or informally adopted. After passage of the Act, children were put up for formal adoption. Consent was improperly induced or forcibly obtained and documents, including illegal birth registrations, were falsified on a large scale. Furthermore, there were cases of intercountry adoptions, in particular to the United States of America, which often resulted from the same illegal practices.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Allowing infants and young children to live with their incarcerated parents reduces some risks associated with separation, if implemented with adequate safeguards, proper infrastructure and necessary resources. Co-residence in prisons and community-based programmes provide two alternatives to separation in the early years of a child's life. Italy and Argentina allow for house arrest if certain conditions are met, and Italy further offers an alternative work programme for mothers with children under the age of 10. In Canada, one prison allows some women to stay with their children in on-site trailers for two nights a week. In one Sierra Leone prison that lacked dedicated infrastructure for co-residence, infants frequently became ill due to the conditions in prison and the spread of contagious diseases. In Finland, mothers at two prisons complained that the childcare services were insufficient, and sometimes their requests for health services for their children were denied for "arbitrary reasons".
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of c ... 2017, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- The lack of birth registration may have many negative impacts on the enjoyment of children’s rights, such as child marriage, trafficking, forced recruitment and child labour. Birth registrations may also help to achieve convictions against those who have abused a child. Unregistered children are at particular risk of becoming stateless when born to parents who are in an irregular migration situation, due to barriers to acquiring nationality in the country of origin of the parents as well as to accessing birth registration and nationality at the place of their birth.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Comprehensive, rights-based and child-centred care, recovery and reintegration programmes 2015, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Additional elements include a national legislative framework that is compliant with international norms and standards, strong referral and coordination mechanisms, independent monitoring mechanisms and needs assessments to inform and guide the recovery process. Birth registration and recognition of the legal status of the child are basic premises, since a child who is not recognized under the law will not be able to access care and recovery services in some countries.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- In 2011 the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases initiated action to tackle malnutrition comprehensively, including unbalanced nutrition and obesity. In 2012, the World Health Assembly endorsed six global nutrition targets to improve maternal, infant and young child nutrition by 2025. Commitment to reach those targets was reaffirmed at the Second International Conference on Nutrition, held in Rome in 2014.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- In many States, children born with atypical sex characteristics are often subject to irreversible sex assignment, involuntary sterilization and genital normalizing surgery, which are performed without their informed consent or that of their parents, leaving them with permanent, irreversible infertility, causing severe mental suffering and contributing to stigmatization. In some cases, taboo and stigma lead to the killing of intersex infants.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 113a
- Paragraph text
- [In addition, the Special Rapporteur recommends that other stakeholders:] Step up efforts to significantly reduce mortality and morbidity rates among newborns;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Comprehensive prevention strategies against sale and sexual exploitation of children 2013, para. 122c
- Paragraph text
- [To that end, the Special Rapporteur recommends the following actions:] Ensure that children's births are registered; and ensure that vulnerable children are identified early and that they have an adequate standard of living and free access to health care and health services, education and social security;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Effective Implementation of the OPSC 2010, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- Birth registration provides an official record of a child's existence and nationality and is considered a fundamental right under article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Birth registration should be free and universal.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Effective Implementation of the OPSC 2010, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- [Poverty takes an especially heavy toll on children, as evidenced by the following figures cited by UNICEF:] 4 million newborns worldwide are dying in the first month of life;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Effective Implementation of the OPSC 2010, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- [Poverty takes an especially heavy toll on children, as evidenced by the following figures cited by UNICEF:] 22 million infants are not protected from diseases by routine immunization;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Comprehensive prevention strategies against sale and sexual exploitation of children 2013, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Lack of birth registration is another significant risk factor since it makes a child officially invisible. It also constitutes a barrier to accessing the social services that are critical for prevention, including health and education.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- Exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months of age should be protected and promoted and breastfeeding should continue alongside appropriate complementary foods preferably until two years of age, where feasible. States' obligations in this area are defined in the "protect, promote and support" framework, adopted unanimously by the World Health Assembly. States are required to introduce into domestic law, implement and enforce internationally agreed standards concerning children's right to health, including the International Code on Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and the relevant subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions, as well as the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Special measures should be taken to promote community and workplace support for mothers in relation to pregnancy and breastfeeding and feasible and affordable childcare services; and compliance with the International Labour Organization Convention No. 183 (2000) concerning the revision of the Maternity Protection Convention (Revised), 1952.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Female circumcision 1990, para. (b)
- Paragraph text
- [Recommends to States parties:] That States parties include in their national health policies appropriate strategies aimed at eradicating female circumcision in public health care. Such strategies could include the special responsibility of health personnel including traditional birth attendants to explain the harmful effects of female circumcision;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 1990
Paragraph
Effects of pesticides on the right to food 2017, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Pesticides can also pass through breast milk. This is particularly worrying, as breast milk is the only source of food for many babies and their metabolism is not well developed to fight against hazardous chemicals. Pesticides are also found in baby formula, or in the water with which it is mixed.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 112a
- Paragraph text
- [In this connection, the Special Rapporteur urges Governments:] To address the youngest children, especially newborns and infants, as rights holders and to join forces with all relevant stakeholders to achieve a breakthrough by significantly reducing mortality and morbidity rates among newborns;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Access to justice for people living in poverty 2012, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- [States should:] Make all efforts necessary to register all children immediately after birth, and identify and remove barriers that impede the access of the poor to registration, in particular groups that suffer multiple forms of discrimination; registration must be free, simple and available at the local level
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- SICA and the Special Representative agreed to enhance collaboration on the promotion of the rule of law, restorative justice programmes, and public policies for violence prevention; and to enhance cooperation on early childhood initiatives, including in the framework of the Regional Conference for the Prevention of Violence Starting in Early Childhood (Panama, August 2013).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Infants and young children are holders of all rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as other international human rights treaties. The Convention affords special protection for early childhood in recognition of the important and particular challenges facing this age group and the progressive exercise of their rights, in accordance with their evolving capacities.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 112g
- Paragraph text
- [In this connection, the Special Rapporteur urges Governments:] To equip primary health-care and paediatric services not only with modern lifesaving medicines and vaccines, but also with knowledge and effective and culturally appropriate interventions based on research in neuroscience, psychology, developmental paediatrics and child psychiatry;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 72b
- Paragraph text
- [With regard to abuses in health-care settings, the Special Rapporteur calls upon States to:] Decriminalize abortion and ensure access to legal and safe abortions, at a minimum in cases of rape, incest and severe or fatal fetal impairment and where the life or physical or mental health of the mother is at risk;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Gender-related killings of women 2012, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- Female infanticide has been practiced throughout history, on all continents, and by persons from all backgrounds. It remains a critical concern in a number of countries today. It is closely linked to the phenomenon of sex-selective abortion, which targets female foetuses. Female infanticide has been known to take such forms as the induced death of infants by suffocation, drowning, neglect and exposure to danger or other means.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The right to adequate food (Art. 11) 1999, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Accessibility encompasses both economic and physical accessibility: Economic accessibility implies that personal or household financial costs associated with the acquisition of food for an adequate diet should be at a level such that the attainment and satisfaction of other basic needs are not threatened or compromised. Economic accessibility applies to any acquisition pattern or entitlement through which people procure their food and is a measure of the extent to which it is satisfactory for the enjoyment of the right to adequate food. Socially vulnerable groups such as landless persons and other particularly impoverished segments of the population may need attention through special programmes. Physical accessibility implies that adequate food must be accessible to everyone, including physically vulnerable individuals, such as infants and young children, elderly people, the physically disabled, the terminally ill and persons with persistent medical problems, including the mentally ill. Victims of natural disasters, people living in disaster-prone areas and other specially disadvantaged groups may need special attention and sometimes priority consideration with respect to accessibility of food. A particular vulnerability is that of many indigenous population groups whose access to their ancestral lands may be threatened.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Infants
- Year
- 1999
Paragraph
The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 114a
- Paragraph text
- [The element of accessibility has four dimensions:] Non-discrimination: Health and related services as well as equipment and supplies must be accessible to all children, pregnant women and mothers, in law and in practice, without discrimination of any kind;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- In addition, there have been cases where persons with albinism themselves have been accused of witchcraft and persecuted as a result. This can be linked to some of the dehumanizing myths described above. Mothers of children with albinism have also, in certain instances, been accused of witchcraft for giving birth to a child with the condition.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Indigenous children and their rights under the Convention 2009, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- States parties are obliged to ensure that all children are registered immediately after birth and that they acquire a nationality. Birth registration should be free and universally accessible. The Committee is concerned that indigenous children, to a greater extent than non-indigenous children, remain without birth registration and at a higher risk of being stateless.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Infants
- Year
- 2009
Paragraph
The transformative potential of the right to food 2014, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Calorie intake alone, moreover, says little about nutritional status. Lack of care or inadequate feeding practices for infants, as well as poor health care or water and sanitation, also play a major role. As detailed by the Special Rapporteur (see A/HRC/19/59), even when food intake is sufficient, inadequate diets can result in micronutrient deficiencies such as a lack of iodine, of vitamin A or of iron, to mention only the deficiencies that are the most common in large parts of the developing world. Globally, over 165 million children are stunted - so malnourished that they do not reach their full physical and cognitive potential - and 2 billion people globally lack vitamins and minerals essential for good health. Too little has been done to ensure adequate nutrition, despite the proven long-term impacts of adequate nutrition during pregnancy and before a child's second birthday, both in low-income countries where undernutrition is the major concern and in middle- and high-income countries. Moreover, inadequate diets are a major contributing factor to the increase of non-communicable diseases occurring now in all regions of the world. Worldwide, the prevalence of obesity doubled between 1980 and 2008. By 2008, 1.4 billion adults were overweight, including 400 million who were obese and therefore at heightened risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease or gastrointestinal cancers.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- In this connection, the importance of States' commitments under the global targets for improving maternal, infant and young child nutrition must be underlined. The targets are crucial to establishing priority areas for action and catalysing global change.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Nevertheless, the Special Rapporteur in concerned at what he sees as the "the unfinished business" of goal 4, especially the slow progress in reducing preventable newborn deaths and the alarming prevailing rates of stillbirths.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Reducing under-5 mortality and morbidity is a critical right to health issue. The Convention on the Rights of the Child provides that taking appropriate measures to diminish infant and child mortality is a central aspect of States parties' obligations in relation to the right of the child to health. The right to health is therefore closely linked to the right to survive of young children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- At the same time, there were 41 million overweight children under the age of 5. If this trend continues, 70 million infants and young children will be overweight or obese by 2025. Economic and cultural factors contribute to childhood obesity. Energy-dense foods are often more affordable and aggressively marketed towards children, while some cultures may associate higher weights in children with being healthy.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Pathways to, conditions and consequences of incarceration for women 2013, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Inadequate quantities and poor nutritional value of foods is an issue in many countries. It can result in starvation and malnourishment, including for pregnant or nursing women; it can become a commodity traded for sex; denial of food can be used as a form of punishment; because of limited quantities, it can lead to fights; and the poor quality and nutritional value may endanger the health of inmates, including impacting the ability of mothers to breastfeed babies.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of c ... 2017, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- The Committees urge States parties to take all necessary measures to ensure that all children are immediately registered at birth and issued birth certificates, irrespective of their migration status or that of their parents. Legal and practical obstacles to birth registration should be removed, including by prohibiting data sharing between health providers or civil servants responsible for registration with immigration enforcement authorities; and not requiring parents to produce documentation regarding their migration status. Measures should also be taken to facilitate late registration of birth and to avoid financial penalties for late registration. Children who have not been registered should be ensured equal access to health care, protection, education and other social services.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Article 24: Rights of the child 1989, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Under article 24, paragraph 2, every child has the right to be registered immediately after birth and to have a name. In the Committee's opinion, this provision should be interpreted as being closely linked to the provision concerning the right to special measures of protection and it is designed to promote recognition of the child's legal personality. Providing for the right to have a name is of special importance in the case of children born out of wedlock. The main purpose of the obligation to register children after birth is to reduce the danger of abduction, sale of or traffic in children, or of other types of treatment that are incompatible with the enjoyment of the rights provided for in the Covenant. Reports by States parties should indicate in detail the measures that ensure the immediate registration of children born in their territory.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Human Rights Committee
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 1989
Paragraph
Reporting by States Parties 1989, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- A fifth objective is to provide a basis on which the State party itself, as well as the Committee, can effectively evaluate the extent to which progress has been made towards the realization of the obligations contained in the Covenant. For this purpose, it may be useful for States to identify specific benchmarks or goals against which their performance in a given area can be assessed. Thus, for example, it is generally agreed that it is important to set specific goals with respect to the reduction of infant mortality, the extent of vaccination of children, the intake of calories per person, the number of persons per health care provider, etc. In many of these areas, global benchmarks are of limited use, whereas national or other more specific benchmarks can provide an extremely valuable indication of progress.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 1989
Paragraph
Implementing child rights in early childhood 2006, para. 2b
- Paragraph text
- [The objectives of the general comment are:] To comment on the specific features of early childhood that impact on the realization of rights;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Further, it is also sometimes believed that albinism can be contracted by being in contact with albinism. The same myth is extended to things that have been touched by persons with albinism. There are also beliefs that if a pregnant woman looks at a person with albinism, even unintendedly, her unborn child will be born with albinism, unless she spits to neutralize the "curse". Persons spit at the person with albinism, on the floor, inside their shirts or on their stomachs in the case of pregnant women. One mother of a child with albinism reported that she gave birth to a child with albinism for having herself stared too hard at a person with albinism while fetching water during her pregnancy.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preliminary survey on the root causes of attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism 2016, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Other myths seek an explanation in existing traditional beliefs associated with childbirth. It has been reported, for example, that the birth of children with albinism could be linked to the "snake inside the woman" turning away from that pregnancy. The snake is considered the protector of the pregnancy, monitoring it. Other explanations are that a child born with albinism was conceived when a woman had intercourse while she was menstruating. Further, some mythological beliefs seek to explain the condition by advancing that the mother of the child with albinism was struck by lightning or that albinism occurs when a mother does not consume enough salt in her diet.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The rights of children with disabilities 2007, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In the light of article 7 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that States parties adopt all appropriate measures to ensure the registration of children with disabilities at birth. Such measures should include developing and implementing an effective system of birth registration, waiving registration fees, introducing mobile registration offices and, for children who are not yet registered, providing registration units in schools. In this context, States parties should ensure that the provisions of article 7 are fully enforced in conformity with the principles of non-discrimination (art. 2) and of the best interests of the child (art. 3).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2007
Paragraph
Vision for the mandate 2016, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Studies often link the prevalence of skin cancer to factors such as the lack of basic understanding of albinism, particularly by persons with albinism and their families. For example, it is not uncommon for parents to put a newborn with albinism out in the sun for hours. Displaced persons with albinism are exposed to a heightened risk of skin cancer as they are mostly outside of their usual environment and have limited means to address their health needs. Also at particular risk of developing skin cancer are persons with albinism who work outdoors, such as farmers or traders. Such outdoor occupations also emphasize the link between the risk of contracting skin cancer and poverty.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Witchcraft and the human rights of persons with albinism 2017, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the common belief that persons with albinism are a bad omen or a curse on their family or on the community, although not, stricto sensu, a witchcraft accusation, does attribute evil qualities to a newborn, with an impact on the mothers and family members in a manner that is strongly analogous to the impact stemming from witchcraft accusations. Consequently, infanticide, abandonment of children with albinism and exclusion of the children and their mothers from community life (either structural expulsion or exclusion from participation) have been reported to the Independent Expert.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The implementation of the rights of the child during adolescence 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- The lack of birth registration can result in significant additional complications during adolescence, such as the denial of basic services, the inability to prove nationality or receive an identification document, a heightened risk of being exploited or trafficked, a lack of necessary safeguards in the criminal justice and immigration systems and the underage conscription into the armed forces. Adolescents who have not been registered at birth or immediately after should be provided with free late birth certificates and civil registration.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, the rights of the newborn, as a rights holder, need to be addressed. Newborn children are too often not considered as deserving the status of autonomous individuals and rights holders and therefore not deserving respect and dignity. Young children, from the first days of their lives, are not only exposed to the environment in which they live but are actively shaping their surroundings by means of their presence and different forms of communication. In paragraph 10 of the recommendations adopted on its day of general discussion on implementing child rights in early childhood, held in September 2004, the Committee on the Rights of the Child underlined that the concept of the child as rights holder is "anchored in the child's daily life from the earliest stage" (para. 10).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Right to health in early childhood - Right to survival and development 2015, para. 107
- Paragraph text
- The right to survival as a central element of children's health is now widely recognized as a human rights and public health concern and concerted efforts by all stakeholders have resulted in a significant reduction of preventable infant and under-5 mortality. Despite this progress, in many countries and among disadvantaged groups of the population, mortality and morbidity rates in early childhood remain unacceptably high. More needs to be done to eliminate deaths from preventable causes in early childhood.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- In general, food and nutrition security policies continue to treat women primarily as mothers, focusing on the nutrition of infants and young children or pregnant women, rather than addressing constraints on women's economic and social participation. Teenage mothers, women without children and women of post-reproductive age with specific nutritional needs are generally not considered within those policies, and this must change.6
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Pregnant women and women that have recently given birth and are still recovering from complications arising from labour are particularly vulnerable to the risk of infection related to a lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene. The Special Rapporteur's recent country visit to Tajikistan revealed the absence of a running water supply and adequate sanitation facilities in hospitals in the country. In addition, the Special Rappporteur testified, during his visit to Botswana, that a clinic situated in an area facing serious drought was still going through a procurement process to buy a water tank. In such critical places, where the most vulnerable persons are treated, measures must be upheld in contingency plans and implemented in advance. States must prioritize the provision to health centres of adequate water, hygiene and sanitation facilities, with the necessary budget allocations.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Rights of indigenous women and girls 2015, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Many countries do not have birth registration systems that robustly provide certification of the births of all indigenous children, which exacerbates the lack of monitoring and disaggregated data. Such lack of birth registration systems places indigenous children and people in a situation of increased vulnerability because they are invisible within the State system. Other consequences include no or limited access to social, health and educational services and increased vulnerability to statelessness or trafficking.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Women’s access to justice 2015, para. 51o
- Paragraph text
- [The Committee recommends that States parties:] Keep accurate data and statistics regarding the number of women in each place of detention, the reasons for and duration of their detention, whether they are pregnant or accompanied by a baby or child, their access to legal, health and social services and their eligibility for and use of available case review processes, non-custodial alternatives and training possibilities;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Implementing child rights in early childhood 2006, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- The Committee has identified articles 2, 3, 6 and 12 of the Convention as general principles (see general comment No. 5 (2003) on the general measures of implementation of the Convention). Each principle has implications for rights in early childhood.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
Eliminating discrimination against women in the area of health and safety, with a focus on the instrumentalization of women's bodies 2016, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Discrimination is sometimes manifested in humiliating treatment women that may face in facilities that are dedicated exclusively to them, such as birthing facilities where, as repeatedly stressed by United Nations human rights mechanisms and WHO, they are too often subjected to degrading and sometimes violent treatment.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The protection and promotion of breastfeeding is also enshrined in the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981. The Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, adopted in 2002, sets out the obligations of States to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate comprehensive national policies addressing infant and young child feeding, accompanied by a detailed action plan.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Right to food and nutrition 2016, para. 99m
- Paragraph text
- [With a view to respecting, protecting and fulfilling the right to adequate food and nutrition, the Special Rapporteur recommends that:] The Human Rights Council endorse the WHO guidance on ending the inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children, presented at the World Health Assembly in May 2016.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Work of the mandate and priorities of the SR 2015, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- The right to survival relates to the prevention of infant and under-5 mortality. Despite many achievements in the field of medicine, 6 million children under 5 die every year in the world. Those children do not die of unknown or incurable diseases or illnesses; they die because of the conditions in which they and their parents live and poor governance and accountability.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Report of the SR on the right to health and Agenda 2030 2016, para. 103q
- Paragraph text
- [As a matter of priority, the Special Rapporteur recommends that:] Member States guarantee substantial investments in healthy human relationships, emotional and social well-being and social capital, starting from interventions that address infant-parent interactions in early childhood and moving through the entire life cycle;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Gender equality in the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation 2016, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Quality standards must take into account the fact that the amount of toxic substances to which a person can be safely exposed differs widely depending on the individual. Pregnant women in particular can be at higher risk of waterborne diseases from an intake of contaminated water. Standards on water, sanitation and hygiene quality must take into account the fact that women, especially when pregnant, have a lower tolerance for toxic substances.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Vision of the mandate 2014, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- In general, food and nutrition security policies continue to treat women primarily as mothers, focusing on the nutrition of infants and young children or pregnant women, rather than addressing constraints on women’s economic and social participation. Teenage mothers, women without children and women of post-reproductive age with specific nutritional needs are generally not considered within those policies, and this must change
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2000, para. II.1
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon all States to intensify efforts to ensure the registration of all children immediately after birth, including through the consideration of simplified, expeditious and effective procedures;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2000
Paragraph
Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS 2006, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Commit ourselves also to ensuring that pregnant women have access to antenatal care, information, counselling and other HIV services and to increasing the availability of and access to effective treatment to women living with HIV and infants in order to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV, as well as to ensuring effective interventions for women living with HIV, including voluntary and confidential counselling and testing, with informed consent, access to treatment, especially life-long antiretroviral therapy and, where appropriate, breast-milk substitutes and the provision of a continuum of care;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2008, para. 8d
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To strengthen research, monitoring and evaluation systems, including community-based notification of obstetric fistula cases and maternal and newborn deaths, to guide the implementation of maternal health programmes;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2008
Paragraph
Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Intensifying our Efforts to Eliminate HIV and AIDS 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Welcome the Secretary General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, undertaken by a broad coalition of partners in support of national plans and strategies, to significantly reduce the number of maternal, newborn and under-five child deaths, as a matter of immediate concern, including by scaling up a priority package of high-impact interventions and integrating efforts in sectors such as health, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, poverty reduction and nutrition;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2010, para. 43f
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States to include, within the overall context of policies and programmes for all children within their jurisdiction, appropriate provisions for the realization of the rights of children in early childhood, in particular:] To strengthen efforts significantly towards the goal of universal access to comprehensive prevention programmes, treatment, care and support to prevent the spread of the HIV epidemic and alleviate and control the detrimental impact of HIV/AIDS on children and including by taking all appropriate measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, to provide timely, accurate diagnosis and effective treatment, including antiretroviral therapies and to ensure adequate alternative care and psychosocial support for children who have lost parents or other primary caregivers to HIV/AIDS;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2010, para. 43h
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States to include, within the overall context of policies and programmes for all children within their jurisdiction, appropriate provisions for the realization of the rights of children in early childhood, in particular:] To ensure that community and civil society institutions, services and facilities responsible for early childhood comply with national quality standards, especially in the areas of health and social protection, and to develop training programmes to ensure a quality, suitable and well-trained workforce in these areas;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2010, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States to accelerate progress in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal 5 and its two targets by addressing reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health in a comprehensive manner, inter alia, through the provision of family planning, prenatal care, skilled attendance at birth, emergency obstetric and newborn care and methods of prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and infections, such as HIV, within strengthened health systems that provide accessible and affordable integrated health-care services and include community-based preventive and clinical care, as also reflected in the outcome document of the High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, entitled “Keeping the promise: united to achieve the Millennium Development Goals”, and the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2010, para. 9a
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To redouble their efforts to meet the internationally agreed goal of improving maternal health by making maternal health services and obstetric fistula treatment geographically and financially accessible, including by increasing access to skilled attendance at birth, emergency obstetric care and appropriate prenatal and post-natal care;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2010, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Welcoming further the Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, undertaken by a broad coalition of partners, in support of national plans and strategies aimed at significantly reducing the number of maternal, newborn and under-five child deaths as a matter of immediate concern by scaling up a priority package of high-impact interventions and integrating efforts in sectors such as health, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, poverty reduction and nutrition,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2012, para. 9c
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To ensure equitable access through national policies, plans and programmes that make maternal and newborn health-care services, particularly family planning, skilled attendance at birth, emergency obstetric and newborn care and obstetric fistula treatment, financially accessible, including in rural and remote areas and among the poorest women and girls, through, where appropriate, the distribution of health-care facilities and trained medical personnel, collaboration with the transport sector for affordable transport options, the promotion of and support for community-based solutions and the provision of incentives and other means to secure the presence in rural and remote areas of qualified health professionals who are able to perform interventions to prevent obstetric fistula;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2014, para. 12n
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To strengthen research, monitoring and evaluation systems, including by developing a community- and facility-based mechanism for the systematic notification of obstetric fistula cases and maternal and newborn deaths to ministries of health, and their recording in a national register, and by acknowledging obstetric fistula as a nationally notifiable condition, triggering immediate reporting, tracking and follow-up for the purpose of guiding the development and implementation of maternal health programmes;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2014, para. 12o
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To strengthen research, data collection, monitoring and evaluation to guide the planning and implementation of maternal health programmes, including for obstetric fistula, by conducting up-to-date needs assessments on emergency obstetric and newborn care and for fistula and routine reviews of maternal deaths and near-miss cases as part of a national maternal death surveillance and response system, integrated within national health information systems;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2014, para. 12j
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To empower fistula survivors to contribute to community sensitization and mobilization as advocates for fistula elimination, safe motherhood and newborn survival;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2014, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, undertaken by a broad coalition of partners, in support of national plans and strategies aimed at significantly reducing the number of maternal, newborn and under-five child deaths and disabilities as a matter of immediate concern by scaling up a priority package of high-impact interventions and integrating efforts in sectors such as health, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, poverty eradication and nutrition,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Key actions for the further implementation of the Programme of Action of the of the International Conference on Population and Development 1999, para. 18a
- Paragraph text
- [18. Governments of developing countries and countries with economies in transition, with the assistance of the international community, especially donors, should:] (a) Continue to support declines in infant and child mortality rates by strengthening infant and child health programmes that emphasize improved prenatal care and nutrition, including breastfeeding, unless it is medically contraindicated, universal immunization, oral rehydration therapies, clean water sources, infectious disease prevention, reduction of exposure to toxic substances, and improvements in household sanitation; and by strengthening maternal health services, quality family-planning services to help couples to time and space births, and efforts to prevent transmission of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 1999
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2016, para. 14j
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, to end obstetric fistula within a generation by: (j) Empowering fistula survivors to contribute to community sensitization and mobilization as advocates for fistula elimination, safe motherhood and newborn survival;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights: follow-up to Council resolution 11/8 2010, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Welcoming the recent initiatives relevant to preventable maternal mortality and morbidity and human rights, including the Secretary-General’s Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, the Group of Eight Muskoka initiative on maternal, newborn and under-five child health, as well as the convening of the fifteenth ordinary session of the summit of the African Union in Kampala, from 19 to 27 July 2010, with the theme “Maternal, infant and child health and development in Africa”, the launch of the African Union campaign in accelerated reduction of maternal mortality in Africa and the "Africa cares: no woman should die while giving life" campaign,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health in the context of development and access to medicines 2011, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Recognizes the innovative funding mechanisms that contribute to the availability of vaccines and medicines in developing countries, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the GAVI Alliance and the International Drug Purchase Facility, UNITAID, and calls upon all States, United Nations programmes and agencies, in particular the World Health Organization, and relevant intergovernmental organizations, within their respective mandates, and encourages relevant stakeholders, including pharmaceutical companies, to further collaborate to enable equitable access to good-quality, safe and efficacious medicines that are affordable to all, including those living in poverty, children and other vulnerable groups;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Rights of the child: The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Deeply concerned that more than six million nine hundred thousand children under the age of 5 die each year, mostly from preventable and treatable causes, caused by lack of access to health care and services, including access to skilled birth attendants and immediate newborn care, as well as to health determinants, such as safe drinking water and sanitation, safe and adequate nutrition, and that mortality remains highest among children belonging to the poorest and most marginalized communities,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Rights of the child: The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Urges all States to ensure birth registration free of cost to all children immediately after birth through universal, accessible, simple, expeditious and effective registration procedures, in accordance with article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and article 24 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to continuously raise awareness of the importance of birth registration at the national, regional and local levels, to ensure free or low-fee late birth registration, to identify and remove physical, administrative, procedural and any other barriers, paying due attention to, among others, those barriers relating to poverty, disability, gender, nationality, displacement, statelessness, illiteracy and detention contexts, and to persons in vulnerable situations that impede access to birth registration, including late birth registration, and to ensure that children who have not been registered enjoy their human rights;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Rights of the child: The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Affirms the importance of applying a human rights-based approach to reducing and eliminating preventable maternal and child mortality and morbidity, and requests all States to renew their political commitment in that respect at all levels, and also calls upon States, in adopting a human rights-based approach, especially to scale up efforts to achieve integrated management of maternal, newborn and child health care and to take action to address the main causes of maternal and child mortality;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Rights of the child: The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon all States and, if appropriate, relevant international organizations, to combat all forms of malnutrition and to support the national plans and programmes of countries to improve nutrition in poor households, in particular plans and programmes that are aimed at combating undernutrition in mothers and children, and those targeting the irreversible effects of chronic undernutrition in early childhood, up to the age of 2 years, and to reaffirm the rights of everyone to have access to safe and nutritious food, consistent with the right to adequate food and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger so as to be able to fully develop and maintain their physical and mental capacities;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Rights of the child: The right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2013, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Welcomes the comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition of the World Health Organization, adopted on 26 May 2012 at the sixty-fifth World Health Assembly, with its targets and time frame, and urges States and, where appropriate, international organizations and partners and the private sector to establish adequate mechanisms to safeguard against potential conflicts of interest and to put the comprehensive implementation plan into practice;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Access to medicines in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health 2013, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Recognizes the innovative funding mechanisms that contribute to the availability of vaccines and medicines in developing countries, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the GAVI Alliance and the International Drug Purchase Facility, UNITAID, and calls upon all States, United Nations programmes and agencies, in particular the World Health Organization, and relevant intergovernmental organizations, within their respective mandates, and encourages relevant stakeholders, including pharmaceutical companies, while safeguarding public health from undue influence by any form of real, perceived or potential conflict of interest, to further collaborate to enable equitable access to quality, safe and efficacious medicines that are affordable to all, including those living in poverty, children and other persons in vulnerable situations;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Strengthening efforts to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage 2015, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing that birth registration and marriage, divorce and death registration are part of a comprehensive civil registration system that facilitates the development of vital statistics and the effective planning and implementation of programmes and policies intended to promote better governance and to achieve internationally agreed development goals, and that the absence of compulsory registration of customary and religious marriages is a major stumbling block for the implementation of existing legislation and other initiatives to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
The right to a nationality: Women’s Equal Nationality Rights in Law and in Practice 2016, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States to identify and remove physical, administrative, procedural and any other barriers, especially those targeting women, that impede access to registration of vital life events including birth, marriage and death registration, and including late registration and associated fees, paying due attention to, among others, barriers relating to poverty, age, disability, gender, nationality, displacement, illiteracy and detention contexts, and to persons in vulnerable groups, and to remove barriers to birth registration based on discrimination against unwed mothers;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age as a human rights concern 2016, para. 9a
- Paragraph text
- Requests the High Commissioner: To organize, prior to the thirty-ninth session of the Human Rights Council, in close collaboration with the World Health Organization, an expert workshop to discuss experiences in preventing mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age, with a particular focus on the implementation of the technical guidance, including challenges, best practices and lessons learned, and including consideration of the particular challenges in respect of the newborn child;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women 2010, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the need for greater coordination, global cooperation and commitment to achieving universal access to health services for women and children through a primary health-care approach and evidence-based interventions and to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity, including through the provision of sexual and reproductive health-care services, including family planning services, in line with the Beijing Platform for Action, and the Cairo Programme of Action,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Women and health 1999, para. 2a
- Paragraph text
- [Actions to be taken by Governments, the United Nations system and civil society, as appropriate:] (a) Accelerate efforts for the implementation of the targets established in the Beijing Platform for Action with regard to universal access to quality and affordable health services, including reproductive and sexual health, reduction of persistently high maternal mortality and infant and child mortality and reduction of severe and moderate malnutrition and iron deficiency anaemia, as well as to provide maternal and essential ob stetric care, including emergency care, and implement existing and develop new strategies to prevent maternal deaths, caused by, inter alia, infections, malnutrition, hypertension during pregnancy, unsafe abortion and post-partum haemorrhage, and child deaths, taking into account the Safe Motherhood Initiative;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- CSW Agreed Conclusions / Declaration
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 1999
Paragraph
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development 1994, para. 8.14
- Paragraph text
- Child survival is closely linked to the timing, spacing and number of births and to the reproductive health of mothers. Early, late, numerous and closely spaced pregnancies are major contributors to high infant and child mortality and morbidity rates, especially where health-care facilities are scarce. Where infant mortality remains high, couples often have more children than they otherwise would to ensure that a desired number survive.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- International Conference on Population and Development
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 1994
Paragraph
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development 1994, para. 8.12
- Paragraph text
- Important progress has been made in reducing infant and child mortality rates everywhere. Improvements in the survival of children have been the main component of the overall increase in average life expectancy in the world over the past century, first in the developed countries and over the past 50 years in the developing countries. The number of infant deaths (i.e., of children under age 1) per 1,000 live births at the world level declined from 92 in 1970-1975 to about 62 in 1990-1995. For developed regions, the decline was from 22 to 12 infant deaths per 1,000 births, and for developing countries from 105 to 69 infant deaths per 1,000 births. Improvements have been slower in sub-Saharan Africa and in some Asian countries where, during 1990-1995, more than one in every 10 children born alive will die before their first birthday. The mortality of children under age 5 exhibits significant variations between and within regions and countries. Indigenous people generally have higher infant and child mortality rates than the national norm. Poverty, malnutrition, a decline in breast-feeding, and inadequacy or lack of sanitation and of health facilities are all factors associated with high infant and child mortality. In some countries, civil unrest and wars have also had major negative impacts on child survival. Unwanted births, child neglect and abuse are also factors contributing to the rise in child mortality. In addition, HIV infection can be transmitted from mother to child before or during childbirth, and young children whose mothers die are at a very high risk of dying themselves at a young age.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- International Conference on Population and Development
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Infants
- Year
- 1994
Paragraph
Assessment of the status of implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development 2014, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Urges Governments to address existing gaps in the implementation of the Programme of Action, including in such areas as respect for, and protection, promotion and fulfilment of, human rights, and gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, as well as unequal progress in achieving universal and equitable access to health services, including for sexual and reproductive health, and newborn and child health, uneven progress in health conditions and life expectancy, and the elimination of violence and discrimination without distinction of any kind;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on Population and Development
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Conclusion On Identification, Prevention And Reduction Of Statelessness And Protection Of Stateless Persons 2006, para. (b)
- Paragraph text
- Calls on UNHCR to continue to work with interested Governments to engage in or to renew efforts to identify stateless populations and populations with undetermined nationality residing in their territory, in cooperation with other United Nations agencies, in particular UNICEF and UNFPA as well as DPA, OHCHR and UNDP within the framework of national programmes, which may include, as appropriate, processes linked to birth registration and updating of population data;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
New York Declaration For Refugees and Migrants 2016, para. 5f
- Paragraph text
- [At the outset of a large movement of refugees, receiving States, bearing in mind their national capacities and international legal obligations, in cooperation, as appropriate, with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, international organizations and other partners and with the support of other States as requested, in conformity with international obligations, would:] Work to ensure the immediate birth registration for all refugee children born on their territory and provide adequate assistance at the earliest opportunity with obtaining other necessary documents, as appropriate, relating to civil status, such as marriage, divorce and death certificates;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Rights of the child 2004, para. 17d
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States:] To promote an educational setting that eliminates all barriers that impede the schooling of pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Commission on Human Rights
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Infants
- Year
- 2004
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2012, para. 9i
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To empower fistula survivors to contribute to community sensitization and mobilization as advocates for fistula elimination, safe motherhood and newborn survival;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2014, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Welcoming the various national, regional and international initiatives on all the Millennium Development Goals, including those undertaken bilaterally and through South-South cooperation, in support of national plans and strategies in sectors such as health, education, gender equality, energy, water and sanitation, poverty eradication and nutrition as a way to reduce the number of maternal, newborn and under-five child deaths,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The right to a nationality: Women and children 2012, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States to ensure free birth registration, including free or low-fee late birth registration, for every child, and underscores the importance of effective birth registration and provision of documentary proof of birth irrespective of his or her immigration status and that of his or her parents or family members, which can contribute to reducing statelessness, as well as reducing vulnerability to trafficking in persons and other abuses and violations of their human rights;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age as a human rights concern 2016, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Deeply concerned also that, despite progress made in the reduction of child mortality, Millennium Development Goal 4, on reducing child mortality by two thirds from 1990 to 2015, was not achieved, and that deaths of newborn babies are falling more slowly, with a projected increase, if current trends continue, in the share of neonatal deaths by 2030,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS 2000, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- Stresses that every effort should be made by Governments, relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, individually and collectively, to place combating HIV/AIDS as a priority on the development agenda and to implement effective prevention strategies and programmes, especially for the most vulnerable populations, including women, young girls and infants, also taking into account prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2000
Paragraph
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995, para. 80g
- Paragraph text
- [By Governments:] Promote an educational setting that eliminates all barriers that impeded the schooling of pregnant adolescents and young mothers, including, as appropriate, affordable and physically accessible child- care facilities and parental education to encourage those who are responsible for the care of their children and siblings during their school years, to return to or continue with and complete schooling;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Fourth World Conference on Women
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 1995
Paragraph
The right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 2017, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Deeply concerned further that more than 5,900,000 children under 5 years of age die each year, mostly from preventable and treatable causes, owing to inadequate access or lack of access to integrated and quality maternal, newborn and child health-care services, to early childbearing, and to health determinants, such as safe drinking water and sanitation, safe and adequate food and nutrition, and that mortality remains highest among children belonging to the poorest and most marginalized communities,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Assessment of the status of implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development 2014, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon Governments to intensify efforts to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support without stigma and discrimination, especially for people living with HIV, and to eliminate mother-to-child transmission towards the vision of ending HIV/AIDS epidemic;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on Population and Development
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Right to food 2012, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon all States and, if appropriate, relevant international organizations to take measures and support programmes which are aimed at combating undernutrition in mothers, in particular during pregnancy, and children and the irreversible effects of chronic undernutrition in early childhood, in particular from birth to the age of two years;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2012, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Welcoming also ongoing partnerships between stakeholders at all levels to address the multifaceted determinants of maternal, newborn and child health in close coordination with Member States based on their needs and priorities and the commitments to accelerate progress on the health-related Millennium Development Goals,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2003, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon all States to intensify efforts to ensure the registration of all children immediately after birth, including through the consideration of simplified, expeditious and effective procedures;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2003
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2004, para. 21b
- Paragraph text
- [Also calls upon all States:] To design and implement programmes to provide social services and support to pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers, in particular by enabling them to continue and complete their education;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2004
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2008, para. 8b
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To develop, implement and support national and international prevention, care and treatment and reintegration and support strategies, as appropriate, to address effectively the condition of obstetric fistula and to develop further a multisectoral, multidisciplinary, comprehensive and integrated approach in order to bring about lasting solutions and put an end to obstetric fistula, maternal mortality and related morbidities, including through ensuring access to affordable, comprehensive, quality maternal health-care services, including skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2008
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2010, para. 9d
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To strengthen research, monitoring and evaluation systems, including community-based notification of obstetric fistula cases and maternal and newborn deaths, to guide the implementation of maternal health programmes;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Women in development 2011, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Expresses deep concern that maternal health remains one area constrained by some of the largest health inequities in the world, and over the uneven progress in improving child and maternal health, and in this context calls upon States to implement their commitments to preventing and reducing child and maternal mortality and morbidity, and welcomes in that regard the Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health as well as national, regional and international initiatives contributing to the reduction in the number of maternal deaths and deaths of the newborn and children under age 5;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2012, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, undertaken by a broad coalition of partners, in support of national plans and strategies aimed at significantly reducing the number of maternal, newborn and under-five child deaths and disabilities as a matter of immediate concern by scaling up a priority package of high-impact interventions and integrating efforts in sectors such as health, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, poverty eradication and nutrition,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2014, para. 48i
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States to include the relevant provisions to protect children from discrimination and overcome inequalities and, in particular:] To take all necessary measures to ensure universal access to birth registration of all children immediately after birth, including those living in remote areas, by, inter alia, removing barriers that impede their registration, moving towards the provision of free birth registration, ensuring the existence of a simple, effective, expeditious and accessible birth registration system, including late birth registration, ensuring the right of every child to a name and the right to acquire a nationality, respecting the selection by parents of a name of their own choosing, respecting the child's preservation of his or her identity and, as far as possible, protecting the child's knowing and being cared for by his or her parents;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2014, para. 48j
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States to include the relevant provisions to protect children from discrimination and overcome inequalities and, in particular:] In accordance with article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to continuously raise awareness of the importance of birth registration at the national, regional and local levels, to ensure free or low-fee late birth registration, to ensure that all legal and procedural impediments to the registration of children who reside in a State party are addressed and to ensure that children who have not been registered enjoy their human rights and have access without discrimination to health care, quality education, protection from violence, safe drinking water and sanitation and other basic services;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2014, para. 12a
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To redouble their efforts to meet the internationally agreed goal of improving maternal health by making maternal health-care services and obstetric fistula treatment geographically and financially accessible, including by ensuring universal access to skilled attendance at birth and timely access to high-quality emergency obstetric care and family planning, as well as appropriate prenatal and postnatal care;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2016, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing, with interest, the Secretary-General's revised Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (2016-2030), undertaken by a broad coalition of partners, in support of national plans and strategies that aim for the highest attainable standards of health and well-being, physical, mental and social, at every age, ending maternal and newborn mortality, which is preventable, and noting that this can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2016, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States to accelerate progress to improve maternal health by addressing sexual and reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health in a comprehensive manner, inter alia, through the provision of family planning, prenatal care, skilled attendance at birth, including midwives, emergency obstetric and newborn care, postnatal care and methods of prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and infections, such as HIV, within strengthened health-care systems that provide universal access to affordable, equitable and high-quality integrated health-care services and include community-based preventive and clinical care, as reflected in the outcome document of the United Nations summit for the adoption of the post 2015 development agenda, entitled "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development";7
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Rights of the child: A holistic approach to the protection and promotion of the rights of children working and/or living on the street 2011, para. 3a
- Paragraph text
- [Calls on States to give priority attention to the prevention of the phenomenon of children working and/or living on the street by addressing its diverse causes through economic, social, educational and empowerment strategies, including by:] Ensuring birth registration of all children immediately after birth through universal, free, accessible, simple, expeditious and effective registration procedures; raising awareness of the importance of birth registration at the national, regional and local levels; facilitating late registration of birth; and ensuring that children who have not been registered have access without discrimination to health care, protection, education, safe drinking water and sanitation, and basic services;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Rights of the child: Omnibus resolution 2012, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Urges all States to intensify their efforts to comply with their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child to preserve the child’s identity, including nationality, name and family relations, as recognized by law, to ensure birth registration of all children immediately after birth, irrespective of their status, through universal, free, accessible, simple, expeditious and effective registration procedures in accordance with article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and article 24 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to raise awareness of the importance of birth registration at the national, regional and local levels, to facilitate late registration of birth, and to ensure that children who have not been registered have access without discrimination to health care, protection, education, safe drinking water and sanitation, and other basic services;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2013, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Encourages States to request technical assistance, if required, from relevant United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes, including the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Development Programme, and other relevant stakeholders in order to fulfil their obligation to undertake birth registration as a means to respect the right of everyone to be recognized everywhere as a person before the law;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2013, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States to establish or strengthen existing institutions at all levels responsible for birth registration and the preservation and security of such records, to ensure adequate training for registration officers, to allocate sufficient and adequate human, technical and financial resources to fulfil their mandate, and to increase, as needed, the number of birth registration facilities, paying attention to the local community level;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age as a human rights concern 2013, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Deeply concerned that more than 6,600,000 children under the age of 5 die each year, mostly from preventable and treatable causes, owing to inadequate or lack of access to integrated and quality maternal, newborn and child health care and services, early childbearing, as well as to health determinants, such as safe drinking water and sanitation, safe and adequate food and nutrition, and that mortality remains highest among children belonging to the poorest and most marginalized communities,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Preventable mortality and morbidity of children under 5 years of age as a human rights concern 2013, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Affirms the importance of applying a human rights-based approach to reducing and eliminating preventable child mortality and morbidity, and requests all States to renew their political commitment in that respect at all levels, and also calls upon States, in adopting a human rights-based approach, especially to scale up efforts to achieve integrated management of integrated and quality maternal, newborn and child health care and services, particularly at the community and family levels, and to take action to address the main causes of child mortality;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Rights of the child: Towards better investment in the rights of the child 2015, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Reminds States of their obligation to register births without discrimination of any kind, and calls upon States to do so irrespective of the status of the child’s parents, and to ensure free birth registration, including free or low-fee late birth registration limited to cases that would otherwise result in a lack of registration, by means of universal, accessible, simple, expeditious and effective registration procedures, without discrimination of any kind, as a means for providing an official record of the existence of a person and the recognition of that individual as a person before the law, and granting access to services and enjoyment of all the rights to which the child is entitled;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2015, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Requests the High Commissioner to identify and actively pursue opportunities to collaborate with the United Nations Statistics Division and other relevant United Nations agencies, funds and bodies, as well as other relevant stakeholders, in order to strengthen existing policies and programmes aimed at universal birth registration and vital statistics development, and to ensure that they are based on international standards, taking into account best practices, and are implemented in accordance with relevant international human rights obligations, and also requests the High Commissioner to prepare a report on efforts made in this regard and to submit it to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-third session;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2017, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Requests the High Commissioner to identify and actively pursue opportunities to collaborate with the United Nations Statistics Division and other relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, as well as other relevant stakeholders, in order to strengthen existing policies and programmes aimed at universal birth registration and vital statistics development, and to ensure that they are based on international standards, taking into account best practices, and are implemented in accordance with relevant international human rights obligations;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2017, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on strengthening policies and programmes for universal birth registration and vital statistics development, which refers to the international legal framework related to birth registration, the progress and challenges towards the universality of this right, and existing policies and programmes aimed at universal birth registration and vital statistics development;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2017, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States to establish or strengthen existing institutions at all levels responsible for birth registration and to consider the development of comprehensive civil registration systems, and the preservation and security of such records, to ensure adequate training for registration officers, to allocate sufficient and adequate human, technical and financial resources to fulfil their mandate, and to increase, as needed, the accessibility of birth registration facilities within its territory and, in accordance with relevant international law, abroad, either by increasing the number or through other means, such as mobile birth registration officials in rural areas, paying attention to the local community level, promoting community awareness and working to address the barriers faced by vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities, in their access to birth registration;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2017, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Also calls upon States to take all appropriate measures to permanently store and protect civil registration records and to prevent the loss or destruction of records, inter alia, due to emergency or armed conflict situations, including through the use of digital and new technologies as means to facilitate and universalize access to birth registration, and also to strengthen civil registration and vital statistics, which are key for the collection of disaggregated data for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women 2010, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Expressing deep concern that more than half a million women and adolescent girls die every year from largely preventable complications related to pregnancy or childbirth; that, for every death, the World Health Organization has assessed that an estimated twenty additional women and girls suffer from pregnancy-related and childbirth-related injury, disability, infection and disease, that over 200 million women worldwide lack access to safe, affordable and effective forms of contraception, and that complications from pregnancy and childbirth are one of the leading causes of death for women between the ages of 15 and 19, in particular in many developing countries, and expressing grave concern over the almost nine million children — four million of them newborns — who will die in 2010, chiefly from preventable causes, and that children whose mothers die are ten times more likely to die within two years,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS 2014, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Welcomes the Global Plan towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections among Children by 2015 and Keeping their Mothers Alive and takes note of the Secretary-General's Every Woman, Every Child initiative, as well as national, regional and international initiatives contributing to reduction of the number of maternal, newborn and under-five child deaths, and urges Governments to rapidly scale up access to HIV prevention and treatment programmes integrated with family planning and maternal and child health programmes designed to eliminate mother-to-child/vertical transmission of HIV and reduce HIV-related maternal mortality by 50 per cent by 2015, to encourage men to participate with women in such programmes, address barriers faced by women and girls in accessing such programmes and provide sustained treatment and care for the mother after pregnancy, including care and support for the family;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development 1994, para. 8.18
- Paragraph text
- For infants and children to receive the best nutrition and for specific protection against a range of diseases, breast-feeding should be protected, promoted and supported. By means of legal, economic, practical and emotional support, mothers should be enabled to breast-feed their infants exclusively for four to six months without food or drink supplementation and to continue breast- feeding infants with appropriate and adequate complementary food up to the age of two years or beyond. To achieve these goals, Governments should promote public information on the benefits of breast-feeding; health personnel should receive training on the management of breast-feeding; and countries should examine ways and means to implement fully the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- International Conference on Population and Development
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 1994
Paragraph
Fertility, reproductive health and development 2011, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Welcoming the Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, undertaken by a broad coalition of partners, in support of national plans and strategies, in order to significantly reduce the number of maternal, newborn and under-five child deaths as a matter of immediate concern by scaling up a priority package of high-impact interventions and integrating efforts in sectors such as health, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, poverty reduction and nutrition, and welcoming also the various national, regional and international initiatives on all the Millennium Development Goals, including those undertaken bilaterally and through South-South cooperation, in support of national plans and strategies in sectors such as health, education, gender equality, energy, water and sanitation, poverty reduction and nutrition as a way to reduce the number of maternal, newborn and under-five child deaths,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on Population and Development
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Fertility, reproductive health and development 2011, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon Governments to significantly scale up efforts to meet the goal of ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, free of discrimination and with a gender perspective, and the goal of halting and reversing the spread of HIV and AIDS by 2015, in particular by integrating HIV and AIDS interventions into programmes for primary health care, sexual and reproductive health, and maternal, neonatal and child health, including by strengthening efforts to eliminate the vertical transmission of HIV from mother to child, and by preventing and treating other sexually transmitted infections, and encouraging responsible sexual behaviour, including abstinence and fidelity, and expanded access to essential commodities, including male and female condoms and microbicides, through the adoption of measures to reduce costs and improve availability;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on Population and Development
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Conclusion on civil registration 2013, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Reaffirming that every child shall be registered immediately after birth, without discrimination of any kind,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Conclusion on civil registration 2013, para. (c)
- Paragraph text
- Urges UNHCR, with the consent of and in full cooperation with the Governments concerned, and, when appropriate in cooperation with other relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, as well as regional organizations and civil society, to facilitate civil registration, in particular birth registration, through for example collecting and sharing good practices, holding technical workshops, capacity building activities, and providing information and advice to concerned persons, and also to abide by the fundamental principles and inter national norms and standards governing the protection of personal data;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Rights of the child 2000, para. 15a
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States:] To intensify efforts to ensure the registration of all children immediately after birth, including by the consideration of simplified, expeditious and effective procedures;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Commission on Human Rights
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2000
Paragraph
Rights of the child 2003, para. 13a
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States:] To continue to intensify efforts to ensure the registration of all children, irrespective of their status, immediately after birth, including by the consideration of simplified, expeditious and effective procedures;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Commission on Human Rights
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2003
Paragraph
A world fit for children 2002, para. 37.1
- Paragraph text
- [To achieve these goals and targets, taking into account the best interests of the child, consistent with national laws, religious and ethical values and cultural backgrounds of the people, and in conformity with all human rights and fundamental freedoms, we will carry out the following strategies and actions:] Ensure that the reduction of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality is a health sector priority and that women, in particular adolescent expectant mothers, have ready and affordable access to essential obstetric care, well-equipped and adequately staffed maternal health-care services, skilled attendance at delivery, emergency obstetric care, effective referral and transport to higher levels of care when necessary, post-partum care and family planning in order, inter alia, to promote safe motherhood.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2002
Paragraph
A world fit for children 2002, para. 40.10
- Paragraph text
- [To achieve these goals and targets, we will implement the following strategies and actions:] Design, where appropriate, and implement programmes that enable pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers to continue to complete their education.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2002
Paragraph
The right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 2017, para. 3 (Target 3.b)
- Paragraph text
- [Urges States to work towards the full implementation of all Sustainable Development Goals and targets with a view to contributing to the realization of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including, inter alia, the following targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:] Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines, in accordance with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which affirms the right of developing countries to use to the full the provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights regarding flexibilities to protect public health, and, in particular, provide access to medicines for all;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) 2010, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Mindful also of its resolution 63/241 of 24 December 2008, in which it called upon all States to give attention to the impact of parental detention and imprisonment on children and, in particular, to identify and promote good practices in relation to the needs and physical, emotional, social and psychological development of babies and children affected by parental detention and imprisonment,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2014, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Deeply concerned also that more than 6,300,000 children under the age of 5 die each year, mostly from preventable and treatable causes, owing to inadequate or lack of access to integrated and quality maternal, newborn and child health care and services, to early childbearing, as well as to health determinants, such as safe drinking water and sanitation, safe and adequate food and nutrition, and that mortality remains highest among children belonging to the poorest and most marginalized communities,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2013, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Recalling the obligation of States to register all children immediately after birth, as provided for in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and other relevant international instruments to which they are party,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2013, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing further the efforts made at the regional level to achieve universal birth registration, including the Conference of African Ministers responsible for Civil Registration, the Universal Civil Identity Program in the Americas, and the High-level Meeting on the Improvement of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2013, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States to continuously raise awareness at the national, regional and local levels of birth registration, including by engagement in collaboration with all relevant actors in public campaigns that raise awareness of the importance of birth registration for effective access to services and the enjoyment of human rights;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2013, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Urges States to identify and remove physical, administrative, procedural and any other barriers that impede access to birth registration, including late registration, paying due attention to, among others, those barriers relating to poverty, disability, gender, nationality, displacement, illiteracy and detention contexts, and to persons in vulnerable situations;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2015, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing that free birth registration and free or low-fee late birth registration are part of a comprehensive civil registration system that facilitates the development of vital statistics and the effective planning and implementation of programmes and policies intended to promote better governance and to achieve internationally agreed development goals,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2015, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing further that non-governmental organizations, professional associations, media, the private sector and other members of civil society, including those involved in public-private partnerships, can also contribute to the improvement and promotion of community awareness of birth registration in a manner that reflects national priorities and strategies,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women 2012, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Urges Member States, in cooperation with the international community and civil society, to improve systems to register pregnancies, births and deaths and to support improved public health infrastructure for the collection, analysis and dissemination of data on the burden of maternal morbidity and mortality and its causes at the national and subnational level, including through the use of mobile technologies, where appropriate;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995, para. 106r
- Paragraph text
- [By Governments, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations and employers' and workers' organizations and with the support of international institutions:] Promote public information on the benefits of breast-feeding; examine ways and means of implementing fully the WHO/UNICEF International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and enable mothers to breast- feed their infants by providing legal, economic, practical and emotional support;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Fourth World Conference on Women
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 1995
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2013, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Invites the above-mentioned United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes and other relevant stakeholders to cooperate with States in providing technical assistance, upon request, and calls upon them to ensure that persons with no birth registration are not discriminated against in any of their programmes;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The right to a nationality: Women and children 2012, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Noting also the provisions of international and regional human rights and other instruments that specify the obligations of States parties to register every child immediately after birth, inter alia, article 24, paragraph 2, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the role that birth registration plays in preventing statelessness,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2017, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the importance of birth registration, including late birth registration and provision of documents of proof of birth, as a means of providing an official record of the existence of a person and the recognition of that individual as a person before the law, and as a critical means of preventing statelessness,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2004, para. 12b
- Paragraph text
- [Urges all States to intensify their efforts in order to ensure the implementation of the right of the child to birth registration, preservation of identity, including nationality, and family relations, as recognized by law, by:] Raising awareness at the national, regional and local levels, whenever necessary, of the importance of birth registration;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2004
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2006, para. 12a
- Paragraph text
- [Urges all States to intensify their efforts in order to ensure the implementation of the right of the child to birth registration, preservation of identity, including nationality, and family relations, as recognized by law, by:] Providing, at minimal cost, simplified, expeditious and effective procedures for birth registration;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2013, para. 56b
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States to give attention to the impact of parental detention and imprisonment on children and, in particular:] To identify and promote good practices in relation to the needs and physical, emotional, social and psychological development of babies and children affected by parental detention and imprisonment;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Once again urges all States parties to intensify their efforts to comply with their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child to preserve the child's identity, including nationality, name and family relations, as recognized by law, reminding States of their obligation to register the birth of all children without discrimination of any kind, including late birth registration, and to ensure that registration procedures are universal, accessible, simple, expeditious and effective and provided at minimal or no cost;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2007, para. 26a
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States:] To take all necessary measures to ensure the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to develop sustainable health systems and social services, ensuring access to such systems and services without discrimination, paying special attention to adequate food and nutrition and combating disease and malnutrition, to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, to the special needs of male and female adolescents and to reproductive and sexual health, and securing appropriate prenatal and post-natal care for mothers, including measures to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and in this context to realize millennium development goals 4, 5 and 6;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2007
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2007, para. 7c
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To redouble their efforts to meet the internationally agreed goal of improving maternal health by increasing access to skilled attendance at birth and emergency obstetric care, and appropriate prenatal and post-natal care;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2007
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2007, para. 7a
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To develop, implement and support national and international prevention, care and treatment strategies, as appropriate, to address effectively the condition of obstetric fistula and to develop further a multisectoral, multidisciplinary, comprehensive and integrated approach in order to bring about lasting solutions and put an end to obstetric fistula, maternal mortality and related morbidities, including through ensuring access to affordable, comprehensive, quality maternal health-care services, including skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2007
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2010, para. 43w
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States to include, within the overall context of policies and programmes for all children within their jurisdiction, appropriate provisions for the realization of the rights of children in early childhood, in particular:] To develop strategies for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children, including in early childhood, by adopting appropriate policy measures aimed at, inter alia, raising awareness, capacity-building for professionals working with and for children, supporting effective parenting programmes, fostering research, collecting data on the incidence of violence against children, including in early childhood, and developing and implementing appropriate national monitoring tools to periodically assess progress;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Addressing the socioeconomic needs of individuals, families and societies affected by autism spectrum disorders, developmental disorders and associated disabilities 2012, para. 2c
- Paragraph text
- [Recognizes that, in order to develop and implement feasible, effective and sustainable intervention programmes for addressing autism spectrum disorders, developmental disorders and associated disabilities, an innovative, integrated approach would benefit from a focus, inter alia, on:] Enhancing inclusive educational programmes suited to infants, children and adults with autism;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2014, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States to accelerate progress in order to improve maternal health in the remaining days of the Millennium Development Goals and beyond 2015, by addressing sexual and reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health in a comprehensive manner, inter alia, through the provision of family planning, prenatal care, skilled attendance at birth, emergency obstetric and newborn care, postnatal care and methods of prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and infections, such as HIV, within strengthened health-care systems that provide equal access to affordable, equitable and high-quality integrated health-care services and include community-based preventive and clinical care, as also reflected in the outcome document of the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on the Millennium Development Goals, entitled “Keeping the promise: united to achieve the Millennium Development Goals”, and in the Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 2015, para. 30j
- Paragraph text
- [To achieve this, it is important:] To strengthen the design and implementation of inclusive policies and social safety-net mechanisms, including through community involvement, integrated with livelihood enhancement programmes, and access to basic health-care services, including maternal, newborn and child health, sexual and reproductive health, food security and nutrition, housing and education, towards the eradication of poverty, to find durable solutions in the post-disaster phase and to empower and assist people disproportionately affected by disasters;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Sustainable Development Summit: Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 2015, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Almost 15 years ago, the Millennium Development Goals were agreed. These provided an important framework for development and significant progress has been made in a number of areas. But the progress has been uneven, particularly in Africa, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, and some of the Millennium Development Goals remain off-track, in particular those related to maternal, newborn and child health and to reproductive health. We recommit ourselves to the full realization of all the Millennium Development Goals, including the off-track Millennium Development Goals, in particular by providing focused and scaled-up assistance to least developed countries and other countries in special situations, in line with relevant support programmes. The new Agenda builds on the Millennium Development Goals and seeks to complete what they did not achieve, particularly in reaching the most vulnerable.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Rights of the child 2016, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Deeply concerned also that approximately 5.9 million children under the age of 5 die each year, mostly from preventable and treatable causes, owing to inadequate or lack of access to integrated and quality sexual, reproductive and maternal health-care services, as well as newborn and child health care and services, early childbearing, as well as lack of access to health determinants, such as safe drinking water and sanitation, safe and adequate food and nutrition, including breastfeeding, and that mortality remains highest among children belonging to the poorest and most marginalized communities,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls: domestic violence 2016, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Reaffirming that female genital mutilation is a harmful practice and an act of violence against women and girls that impairs their human rights, constituting a serious threat to their health and well-being, including their psychological, sexual and reproductive health, increasing their vulnerability to HIV and possibly having adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes, as well as fatal consequences for the mother and the newborn, and that the abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, including girls, boys, women and men,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Infants
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Key actions for the further implementation of the Programme of Action of the of the International Conference on Population and Development 1999, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- 69. While one of the most important interventions to reduce HIV infections in infants is primary prevention of infection, Governments should also scale up, where appropriate, education and treatment projects aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Anti-retroviral drugs, where feasible, should be made available to women living with HIV/AIDS during and after pregnancy as part of their ongoing treatment of HIV/AIDS and provide infant-feeding counselling for mothers living with HIV/AIDS so that they can make free and informed decisions.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 1999
Paragraph
Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilation 2016, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Reaffirming that female genital mutilation is a harmful practice, constituting a serious threat to the health of women and girls, including their physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health, increasing their vulnerability to HIV, as well as hepatitis A and B, and possibly having adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes, as well as fatal consequences for the mother and the newborn, and that the elimination of this harmful practice can be achieved as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, including girls and boys, women and men,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Infants
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Intensification of efforts to end obstetric fistula 2016, para. 14h
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and the specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, to end obstetric fistula within a generation by: (h) Mobilizing funding to provide free or adequately subsidized maternal health-care and obstetric fistula repair and treatment services, including by encouraging networking among providers and the sharing of new treatment techniques and protocols to protect women's and children's well-being and survival and to prevent the recurrence of subsequent fistulas by making post-surgery follow-up and the tracking of fistula patients a routine and key component of all fistula programmes, and also to ensure access to elective caesarean sections for fistula survivors who become pregnant again in order to prevent fistula recurrence and to increase the chances of survival of mother and baby in all subsequent pregnancies;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2012, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Encourages States to request technical assistance, if required, from relevant United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes, including the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organization, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations Development Programme, and other relevant stakeholders in order to fulfil their obligation to undertake birth registration as a means to respect the right of everyone to be recognized everywhere as a person before the law;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2013, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report, in consultation with States, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, non-governmental organizations and other relevant stakeholders, on legal, administrative, economic, physical and any other barriers to access to universal birth registration and possession of documentary proof of birth, as well as on good practices adopted by States in fulfilling their obligation to ensure birth registration, and to submit it to the Human Rights Council at its twenty-seventh session;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
Intensifying global efforts and sharing good practices to effectively eliminate female genital mutilation 2014, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Reaffirming that female genital mutilation is a form of discrimination, an act of violence against women and girls and a harmful practice that constitutes a serious threat to their health, including their psychological, sexual and reproductive health, which can increase their vulnerability to HIV and may have adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes as well as fatal consequences for the mother and the newborn, and that the abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, including girls and boys, women and men,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Infants
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Strengthening efforts to prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage 2015, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Further urges States to strengthen their efforts to ensure free birth registration, including free or low-fee late birth registration, by means of universal, accessible, simple, expeditious and effective registration procedures, without discrimination of any kind, and marriage, divorce and death registration as part of the civil registration and vital statistics systems, especially for individuals living in rural and remote areas, including by identifying and removing all physical, administrative, procedural and any other barriers that impede access to registration and by providing, where lacking, mechanisms for the registration of customary and religious marriages;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women 2012, para. 1
- Paragraph text
- Reaffirming its strong commitment to the full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (“Cairo Programme of Action”), adopted in 1994, and the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, adopted in 1995, the outcomes of their review conferences and commitments regarding the reduction of maternal, newborn and child mortality and universal access to reproductive health, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the 2005 World Summit Outcome, reaffirming its resolution 54/5 of 12 March 2010 and recalling other relevant United Nations resolutions, in particular Human Rights Council resolutions 11/8 of 17 June 2009, 15/17 of 30 September 2010 and 18/2 of 28 September 2011,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995, para. 277a
- Paragraph text
- [By Governments and, as appropriate, international and non-governmental organizations:] Promote an educational setting that eliminates all barriers that impede the schooling of married and/or pregnant girls and young mothers, including, as appropriate, affordable and physically accessible child-care facilities and parental education to encourage those who have responsibilities for the care of their children and siblings during their school years to return to, or continue with, and complete schooling;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Fourth World Conference on Women
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 1995
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2017, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Expressing concern that unregistered individuals may have limited or no access to services and the enjoyment of all the rights to which they are entitled, including the rights to a name and to acquire a nationality, and rights related to health, education, social welfare, work and political participation, and taking into consideration that registering a person's birth is a vital step towards the promotion and protection of all his or her human rights, and that persons without birth registration are more vulnerable to marginalization, exclusion, discrimination, violence, statelessness, abduction, sale, exploitation and abuse, including when they take the form of child labour, human trafficking, child, early and forced marriage, and unlawful child recruitment,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women 2012, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the need for greater coordination and commitment to improving access to health services for women and children through a primary health-care approach and the provision of proven and well-known evidence-based interventions and to reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality and morbidity, including through a continuum of services, including family planning, prenatal care, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care and post-partum care, including for those living in poverty and in underserved rural areas,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS 2014, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Stresses the importance of Governments, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and other United Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes developing and implementing strategies to improve infant HIV diagnosis, including through access to diagnostics at point of care, significantly increasing and improving access to treatment for children and adolescents living with HIV, including access to prophylaxis and treatments for opportunistic infections, and promoting a smooth transition from paediatric to adult treatment and related support and services, while taking into account the need to put in place programmes focused on delivering services to HIV-negative children born to women living with HIV, as they are still at high risk of morbidity and mortality;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women 2012, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon those Member States that have made commitments to advance the Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, undertaken by a broad coalition of partners in support of national plans and strategies, to implement their commitments to significantly reduce the number of maternal, newborn and under-age-five deaths, as a matter of immediate concern, including, as appropriate, by scaling up a priority package of high-impact interventions and integrating efforts in such areas as health, education, gender equality, water and sanitation, poverty reduction and nutrition, and encourages those States that have not yet done so to consider making such commitments;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995, para. 106l
- Paragraph text
- [By Governments, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations and employers' and workers' organizations and with the support of international institutions:] Give particular attention to the needs of girls, especially the promotion of healthy behaviour, including physical activities; take specific measures for closing the gender gaps in morbidity and mortality where girls are disadvantaged, while achieving internationally approved goals for the reduction of infant and child mortality - specifically, by the year 2000, the reduction of mortality rates of infants and children under five years of age by one third of the 1990 level, or 50 to 70 per 1,000 live births, whichever is less; by the year 2015 an infant mortality rate below 35 per 1,000 live births and an under-five mortality rate below 45 per 1,000;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- Fourth World Conference on Women
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 1995
Paragraph
Rights of the child 2004, para. 17c
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States:] To design and implement programmes to provide social services and support to pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers, in particular to enable them to continue and complete their education;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Commission on Human Rights
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Infants
- Year
- 2004
Paragraph
Rights of the child 2005, para. 20b
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States:] To design and implement programmes to provide social services and support to pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers, in particular to enable them to continue and complete their education;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Commission on Human Rights
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Infants
- Year
- 2005
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2015, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- Reminds States of their obligation to register births without discrimination of any kind and irrespective of the status of the parents of the child, and also reminds States that birth registration should take place immediately after birth, and that late birth registration should be limited to those cases that would otherwise result in a lack of registration;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2015, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Welcomes the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law, which documents the wide range of barriers to access to universal birth registration and the good practices adopted by States in fulfilling their obligation to ensure birth registration;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2015, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Urges States to identify and remove physical, administrative, procedural and any other barriers that impede access to birth registration, including late registration, paying due attention to, inter alia, barriers relating to poverty, disability, gender, nationality, displacement, illiteracy and detention contexts, and persons in vulnerable situations;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2015, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Encourages States to request technical assistance, if required, from relevant United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes and other relevant stakeholders in order to fulfil their obligation to undertake birth registration as a means of respecting the right of everyone to be recognized everywhere as a person before the law;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2017, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing that free birth registration and free or low-fee late birth registration are part of a comprehensive civil registration system that facilitates the development of vital statistics and the effective planning and implementation of programmes and policies intended to promote better governance and to achieve internationally agreed development goals,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2017, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing also that non-governmental organizations, professional associations, the media, the private sector and other members of civil society, including those involved in public-private partnerships, can also contribute to the improvement and promotion of community awareness of birth registration in a manner that reflects national priorities and strategies,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
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A world fit for children 2002, para. 37.6
- Paragraph text
- [To achieve these goals and targets, taking into account the best interests of the child, consistent with national laws, religious and ethical values and cultural backgrounds of the people, and in conformity with all human rights and fundamental freedoms, we will carry out the following strategies and actions:] Special emphasis must be placed on prenatal and post-natal care, essential obstetric care and care for newborns, particularly for those living in areas without access to services.
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2002
Paragraph
Access to medicines in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health 2016, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing that universal health coverage implies that all people have access without discrimination to nationally determined sets of the needed promotive, preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative essential health services, and essential, safe, affordable, efficacious and quality medicines and vaccines, while ensuring that the use of these services does not expose users to financial hardship, with a special emphasis on the poor, vulnerable and marginalized segments of the population,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
The human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation 2017, para. 4i
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States:] To enhance efforts to substantially reduce the share of untreated wastewater released into the environment and to ensure that plans and programmes for improving sanitation services take into account the need for appropriate systems for the treatment of sewage produced, including disposal of infant faeces, with the aim of reducing the risks to human health, drinking water resources and the environment;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2014, para. 48k
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon all States to include the relevant provisions to protect children from discrimination and overcome inequalities and, in particular:] To design and implement programmes to provide pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers with education, including access to quality education, social services and support, to enable them to continue and complete their education and protect them from discrimination, as well as to ensure a healthy and safe pregnancy;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2015, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Calls upon States to raise awareness of birth registration continuously at the national, regional and local levels, including by engaging in collaboration with all relevant actors in public campaigns that raise awareness of the importance of birth registration for effective access to services and the enjoyment of human rights;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Birth registration and the right of everyone to recognition everywhere as a person before the law 2015, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Invites relevant United Nations bodies, agencies, funds and programmes and other relevant stakeholders to cooperate with States in providing technical assistance, upon request, and calls upon them to ensure that persons with no birth registration are not discriminated against in any of their programmes;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations Human Rights Council
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2010, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Welcoming the various national, regional and international initiatives on all the Millennium Development Goals, including those undertaken bilaterally and through South-South cooperation, in support of national plans and strategies in sectors such as health, education, gender equality, energy, water and sanitation, poverty reduction and nutrition as a way to reduce the number of maternal, newborn and under-five child deaths,
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2006, para. 12b
- Paragraph text
- [Urges all States to intensify their efforts in order to ensure the implementation of the right of the child to birth registration, preservation of identity, including nationality, and family relations, as recognized by law, by:] Raising awareness at the national, regional and local levels, whenever necessary, of the importance of birth registration;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Infants
- Year
- 2006
Paragraph
Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Intensifying our Efforts to Eliminate HIV and AIDS 2011, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Note with grave concern that, despite the near elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in high-income countries and the availability of low-cost interventions to prevent transmission, approximately 370,000 infants were estimated to have been infected with HIV in 2009;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2000, para. II.10
- Paragraph text
- Urges States to give particular emphasis to the prevention of HIV infection in young children and strengthen efforts to prevent adolescents and women from becoming HIV-infected, inter alia, by including HIV/AIDS prevention in educational curricula and educational programmes consistent with the epidemiology of the diseases in each State, and by supporting wide-scale voluntary HIV testing and counselling programmes for pregnant women, together with services for HIV-infected pregnant women to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus from HIV/AIDS-infected pregnant women to their children;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2000
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2002, para. II.12
- Paragraph text
- Urges States to give particular emphasis to the prevention of HIV infection in young children and strengthen efforts to prevent adolescents and women from becoming HIV-infected, inter alia, by including HIV/AIDS prevention in educational curricula and educational programmes consistent with the epidemiology of the diseases in each State, and by supporting wide-scale voluntary HIV testing and counselling programmes for pregnant women, together with services for HIV- infected pregnant women to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus from infected pregnant women to their children;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2002
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2003, para. 25c
- Paragraph text
- [Also calls upon all States:] To design and implement programmes to provide social services and support to pregnant adolescents and adolescent mothers, in particular to enable them to continue and complete their education;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2003
Paragraph
The rights of the child 2005, para. 12b
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and the international community to create an environment in which the well-being of the child is ensured, inter alia, by:] Taking all necessary measures to ensure the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and developing sustainable health systems and social services, ensuring access to such systems and services without discrimination, paying particular attention to adequate food and nutrition and assigning priority to activities and programmes aimed at preventing addictions, in particular addiction to alcohol and tobacco, and the abuse of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and inhalants and by, inter alia, securing appropriate prenatal and post-natal care for mothers;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Year
- 2005
Paragraph
Supporting efforts to end obstetric fistula 2008, para. 8a
- Paragraph text
- [Calls upon States and/or the relevant funds and programmes, organs and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates, and invites the international financial institutions and all relevant actors of civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and the private sector:] To redouble their efforts to meet the internationally agreed goal of improving maternal health by making maternal health services and obstetric fistula treatment geographically and financially accessible, including by increasing access to skilled attendance at birth and emergency obstetric care, and appropriate prenatal and post-natal care;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Resolution
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Infants
- Year
- 2008
Paragraph
Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Intensifying our Efforts to Eliminate HIV and AIDS 2011, para. 59l
- Paragraph text
- [Commit to redouble HIV-prevention efforts by taking all measures to implement comprehensive, evidence-based prevention approaches, taking into account local circumstances, ethics and cultural values, including through, but not limited to:] Ensuring that women of childbearing age have access to HIV-prevention-related services and that pregnant women have access to antenatal care, information, counselling and other HIV services, and increasing the availability of and access to effective treatment for women living with HIV and infants;
- Legal status
- Negotiated soft law
- Body
- United Nations General Assembly
- Document type
- Declaration / Confererence outcome document
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Infants
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph