Plan International - Girls' Rights Platform - Girls' rights are human rights: Positioning girls at the heart of the international agenda

Stressing the primary role of national Governments in providing protection and relief to all children affected by armed conflicts,

Deeply concerned that children continue to account for a considerable number of casualties resulting from killing and maiming in armed conflicts including as a result of deliberate targeting, indiscriminate and excessive use of force, indiscriminate use of landmines, cluster munitions and other weapons and use of children as human shields and equally deeply concerned about the high incidence and appalling levels of brutality of rape and other forms of sexual violence committed against children, in the context of and associated with armed conflict including the use or commissioning of rape and other forms of sexual violence in some situations as a tactic of war,

Acknowledging that the implementation of its resolution 1612 (2005) has generated progress, resulting in the release and reintegration of children into their families and communities and in a more systematic dialogue between the United Nations country-level task forces and parties to the armed conflict on the implementation of time-bound action plans, while remaining deeply concerned over the lack of progress on the ground in some situations of concern, where parties to conflict continue to violate with impunity the relevant provisions of applicable international law relating to the rights and protection of children in armed conflict,

Stressing its determination to ensure respect for its resolutions and other international obligations and applicable norms on the protection of children affected by armed conflict,

Recalling the statements of its President of 29 June 1998 (S/PRST/1998/18), 12 February 1999 (S/PRST/1999/6) and 8 July 1999 (S/PRST/1999/21),

Expressing its appreciation to the informal Working Group established pursuant to resolution 1265 (1999) for its work,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 19 July 2000 on the implementation of resolution 1261 (1999) on Children and Armed Conflict (S/2000/712),

Bearing in mind the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the primary responsibility of the Security Council under the Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security,

Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly on 25 May 2000 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict,

Emphasizing the need for all parties to ensure that mine clearance and mine awareness programmes take into account the special needs of women and girls,

Recalling its resolution 1314 (2000) of 11 August 2000,

Reaffirming also the need to implement fully international humanitarian and human rights law that protects the rights of women and girls during and after conflicts,

Reiterating its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and, in this connection, its commitment to address the widespread impact of armed conflict on children,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General of 26 November 2002 on the implementation of, inter alia, its resolution 1379 (2001),

Expressing its deep regret that civilians account for the vast majority of casualties in situations of armed conflict,

Reaffirming that ending impunity is essential if a society in conflict or recovering from conflict is to come to terms with past abuses committed against civilians affected by armed conflict and to prevent future such abuses, drawing attention to the full range of justice and reconciliation mechanisms to be considered, including national, international and “mixed” criminal courts and tribunals and truth and reconciliation commissions, and noting that such mechanisms can promote not only individual responsibility for serious crimes, but also peace, truth, reconciliation and the rights of the victims,

Welcoming the inclusion of women in peacekeeping missions in civil, military and police functions, and recognizing that women and children affected by armed conflict may feel more secure working with and reporting abuse to women in peacekeeping missions, and that the presence of women peacekeepers may encourage local women to participate in the national armed and security forces, thereby helping to build a security sector that is accessible and responsive to all, especially women,

Reiterating its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and, in this connection, its commitment to address the widespread impact of armed conflict on children,

Reiterating its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and, in this connection, its commitment to address the widespread impact of armed conflict on children;

Stressing the importance of comprehensively protecting children in all situations of armed conflict,

Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of all States in accordance with the Charter,

Noting also relevant provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court;

Reiterating its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and, in this connection, its commitment to address the widespread impact of armed conflict on children,

Stressing that the fight against impunity and to ensure accountability for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other egregious crimes has been strengthened through the work on and prosecution of these crimes in the international criminal justice system, ad hoc and mixed tribunals as well as specialized chambers in national tribunals; and recognising in this regard the contribution of the International Criminal Court, in accordance with the principle of complementarity to national criminal jurisdictions as set out in the Rome Statute, towards holding accountable those responsible for such crimes, and reiterating its call on the importance of State cooperation with these courts and tribunals in accordance with the States’ respective obligations,

Noting also relevant provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,

Affirming that women’s political, social and economic empowerment, gender equality and the enlistment of men and boys in the effort to combat all forms of violence against women are central to long-term efforts to prevent sexual violence in armed conflict and post-conflict situations; and emphasizing the importance of the full implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) while noting the ongoing work on a set of indicators for the implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) and subsequent resolutions on women and peace and security, and recognizing UN-Women’s efforts in this area,

Stressing that civil society can play an important role in advancing efforts to sustain peace,

Reaffirming the important role youth can play in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and as a key aspect of the sustainability, inclusiveness and success of peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts,

Recalling also the report on the Global Consultation on the Realization of the Right to Development as a Human Right,

Encouraged by some measures adopted by some receiving countries to alleviate the plight of women migrant workers residing within their areas of jurisdiction,

Noting with appreciation that the World Summit for Children sensitized the entire world to the plight of children,

Convinced that children affected by armed conflicts require the special protection of the international community and that there is a need for all States to work towards the alleviation of their plight,

Determined to safeguard children's right to life, and recognizing the duty and responsibility of Governments to investigate all cases of offences against children, including killing and violence, and to punish offenders,

Recognizing that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Centre for Human Rights of the Secretariat have important roles to play in the promotion and protection of the right to development,

Welcoming the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development which, inter alia, called upon all Governments to prevent all international trafficking in migrants, especially for the purpose of prostitution, and for the adoption by Governments of both receiving countries and countries of origin of effective sanctions against those who organize undocumented migration, exploit undocumented migrants or engage in trafficking in undocumented migrants, especially those who engage in any form of international traffic of women and children,

Taking note of the work of the Working Group on the Right to Development during its fourth and fifth sessions, held at Geneva from 15 to 26 May 1995 and from 27 September to 6 October 1995,

Noting with interest the initiative taken by non-governmental organizations to develop a disability index based on the Standard Rules, as well as other activities related to the Standard Rules and activities in support of the World Programme of Action,

Reaffirming the equal rights of women and men as enshrined in the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations, and recalling the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child,

Noting the importance of the organizations and bodies of the United Nations system in facilitating the advancement of women in development,

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

Recalling also the report on the Global Consultation on the Realization of the Right to Development as a Human Right,

Encouraged by measures adopted by some receiving States to alleviate the plight of women migrant workers residing within their areas of jurisdiction,

Reaffirming the Declaration on the Right to Development, which it proclaimed at its forty-first session,

Stressing the need to strengthen partnerships between Governments, international organizations and all sectors of civil society, in particular non-governmental organizations, in order to achieve these objectives,

Emphasizing the need for more concerted and sustained national, regional and international action on the alarming levels of trafficking in women and girls,

Acknowledging the economic benefits that accrue to sending and receiving States from the employment of women migrant workers,

Noting the need for improved coordination and cooperation throughout the United Nations system for more effective promotion and realization of the right to development,

Reaffirming also that gender equality is of fundamental importance for achieving sustained economic growth and sustainable development, in accordance with the relevant General Assembly resolutions and recent United Nations conferences,

[Recalling:] The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women, which, inter alia, call upon Governments to enact and enforce legislation against the perpetrators of practices and acts of violence against women, such as female genital mutilation, female infanticide, prenatal sex selection and dowry-related violence, and to give vigorous support to the efforts of non-governmental and community organizations to eliminate such practices,

Having considered the note by the Secretary-General on the right to development, prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 51/99 of 12 December 1996,

Reaffirming the equal rights of women and men as enshrined, inter alia, in the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child,

Recalling the important open debate and the statement made by the President of the Security Council on behalf of the Council on 29 June 1998 on the item entitled “Children and armed conflict”,

Urging all Governments to promote the speedy and full implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993, in particular, the section relating to freedom from torture, in which it is stated that States should abrogate legislation leading to impunity for those responsible for grave violations of human rights, such as torture, and prosecute such violations, thereby providing a firm basis for the rule of law,

Emphasizing the need for more sustained and coordinated national, subregional, regional, interregional and international action to combat trafficking in women and girls,

Recognizing the need to achieve gender equality so as to ensure a just and equitable world for girls,

Mindful that the Commission on Human Rights continues to consider this matter and, by its resolution 1998/72 of 22 April 1998, established a follow-up mechanism, initially for a period of three years,

Reaffirming the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children and the Plan of Action for Implementing the World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children in the 1990s adopted by the World Summit for Children, held in New York on 29 and 30 September 1990, notably the solemn commitment to give high priority to the rights of children, to their survival and to their protection and development, and reaffirming also the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, held at Vienna from 14 to 25 June 1993, which, inter alia, states that national and international mechanisms and programmes for the defence and protection of children, in particular those in especially difficult circumstances, should be strengthened, including through effective measures to combat exploitation and abuse of children, such as female infanticide, harmful child labour, sale of children and organs, child prostitution and child pornography, and which reaffirms that all human rights and fundamental freedoms are universal,

Recognizing that the informal sector is a major source of entrepreneurship and employment for women in developing countries and that data collection on its important contribution should be improved,

Emphasizing the importance of strengthening good governance through the building of more effective and accountable institutions for promoting sustained growth and enabling all people to benefit equally from development,

Taking note of the ministerial communiqué of the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council on the theme “The role of employment and work in poverty eradication: the empowerment and advancement of women”,

Noting also that the globalization process has had some benefits by providing opportunities for wage employment for rural women in new sectors,

Welcoming the cooperation established between the representative of the Secretary-General and the United Nations and other international and regional organizations, in particular the participation of the representative of the Secretary-General in the meetings of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and its subsidiary bodies, and encouraging further strengthening of this collaboration in order to promote better assistance, protection and development strategies for internally displaced persons,

Taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 1999/44 of 27 April 1999 on the human rights of migrants, and of its decision to appoint a special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants,

Recalling article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Being Subjected to Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and its resolution 39/46 of 10 December 1984, by which it adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and all its subsequent relevant resolutions,

Recalling its resolution 54/148 of 17 December 1999 and all previous relevant resolutions, including the agreed conclusions of the Commission on the Status of Women, in particular those relevant to the girl child,

Considering the relevant provisions of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993, and of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, adopted by the World Summit on 12 March 1995, and the outcome document of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly entitled “World Summit for Social Development and beyond: achieving social development for all in a globalizing world”, adopted at Geneva on 1 July 2000,

Recalling the need for coordination and cooperation throughout the United Nations system for a more effective promotion and realization of the right to development,

Reaffirming further the call for the elimination of violence against women and girls, especially all forms of commercial sexual exploitation as well as economic exploitation, including trafficking in women and children, female infanticide, crimes committed in the name of honour, crimes committed in the name of passion, racially motivated crimes, the abduction and sale of children, dowry-related violence and deaths, acid attacks and harmful traditional or customary practices, such as female genital mutilation and early and forced marriages,

Taking note of Commission on Human Rights resolution 2000/48 of 25 April 2000, on the human rights of migrants,

Recalling also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted on 25 June 1993 by the World Conference on Human Rights, and the United Nations Millennium Declaration,

Reaffirming further the Dakar Framework for Action adopted at the World Education Forum

Reaffirming the equal rights of women and men as enshrined, inter alia, in the Preamble to the Charter of the United Nations, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child,

Considering the postponement of the special session of the General Assembly on children due to exceptional circumstances,

Acknowledging the economic benefits that accrue to both the country of origin and the country of destination from the employment of women migrant workers,

Recalling the Universal Declaration on the Eradication of Hunger and Malnutrition,

Recognizing the need to achieve gender equality so as to ensure a just and equitable world for girls,

Expressing deep concern at the continuing reports of grave abuses and acts of violence committed against women migrant workers,

Recalling also the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which provides that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for her/his health and well-being, including food,

Recalling also all relevant United Nations conferences and the Declaration and Agenda for Action adopted by the World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, held at Stockholm from 27 to 31 August 1996, as well as the outcome documents of the recent five-year reviews of the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development,

Deeply concerned by the high human cost and suffering caused by armed conflicts, and recognizing the significant number of simultaneous security and humanitarian crises that the world currently faces, and the strain that this places on the resources of the United Nations' system,

Recognizing the significant contribution that women make to the economy and the major force that they represent for change and development in all sectors of the economy, especially in key areas such as agriculture, industry and services,

Bearing in mind also the need for a focused and consistent approach towards migrants as a specific vulnerable group, in particular migrant women and children,

Recognizing the positive contributions that migrants frequently make, including through their eventual integration into their host society,

Acknowledging that poverty, among other factors, represents a serious challenge to the full and effective participation and contribution of young people to society,

Welcoming the adoption of the Dakar Framework for Action at the World Education Forum,

Concerned at the number of illegal adoptions, of children growing up without parents and of child victims of different forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect within and outside the family,

Acknowledging the inclusion of gender-related crimes in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which entered into force on 1 July 2002,

Also noting with interest the appointment of experts by the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, in the context of the fight against extreme poverty,

Reaffirming the objective of making the right to development a reality for everyone, as set out in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, adopted by the General Assembly on 8 September 2000,

Recognizing also that Governments have a primary responsibility to educate young people and to create an enabling environment that will promote youth employment,

Welcoming the entry into force of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography,

Bearing in mind also the need for a focused and consistent approach towards migrants as a specific vulnerable group, in particular migrant women and children,

Recalling also the International Conference on War-Affected Children, held at Winnipeg, Canada, from 10 to 17 September 2000, and affirming the ongoing importance of the Winnipeg Agenda for War-Affected Children for all children affected by armed conflict,

Recalling and reaffirming the commitments relating to youth employment made at the major United Nations conferences and summits since 1990 and their follow-up processes,

Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly at its special session on children, on 10 May 2002, of the outcome document entitled “A world fit for children”,

Recognizing the need to achieve gender equality to ensure a just and equitable world for girls,

Taking note of the decision of the International Labour Organization to have a general discussion on migrant workers, based on an integrated approach, at the International Labour Conference to be held in Geneva in June 2004,

Recalling its resolution 57/218 of 18 December 2002,

Taking note also of Advisory Opinion OC-18/03, issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on 17 September 2003, on the juridical situation and rights of undocumented migrants,

Reaffirming the Charter of the United Nations and its importance for the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all,

Reaffirming further that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, and that they must be treated globally, in a fair and equal manner, on the same footing and with the same emphasis,

Stressing the importance of reversing the continuing decline of official development assistance devoted to agriculture, both in real terms and as a share of total official development assistance,

Reaffirming also all previous resolutions and decisions on the right to food adopted within the framework of the United Nations,

Convinced that each State must adopt a strategy consistent with its resources and capacities to achieve its individual goals in implementing the recommendations contained in the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action and, at the same time, cooperate regionally and internationally in order to organize collective solutions to global issues of food and nutrition security in a world of increasingly interlinked institutions, societies and economies where coordinated efforts and shared responsibilities are essential,

Recalling the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women,

Reaffirming all its previous resolutions on the rights of the child in their entirety, the most recent of which is resolution 67/152 of 20 December 2012,

Taking note with appreciation of the reports of the Secretary-General on progress made towards achieving the commitments set out in the outcome document of the twenty-seventh special session of the General Assembly and on the status of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the issues addressed in Assembly resolution 67/152, as well as the report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children and the report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, whose recommendations should be carefully studied, taking fully into account the views of Member States,

Acknowledging that human rights law and international humanitarian law are complementary and mutually reinforcing,

Resolved to ensure respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants,

Stressing the need to better understand the causes and consequences of extreme poverty,

Recognizing that the family is the basic unit of society and as such should be strengthened, that it is entitled to receive comprehensive protection and support, that the primary responsibility for the protection, upbringing and development of children rests with the family and that all institutions of society should respect the rights of the child and secure his or her well-being and render appropriate assistance to parents, families, legal guardians and other caregivers so that children can grow and develop in a safe and stable environment and in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding, bearing in mind that in different cultural, social and political systems, various forms of family exist,

Concerned by the fact that migrant children and adolescents who find themselves in a vulnerable situation by attempting to cross international borders without the required travel documents may be exposed to serious human rights violations and abuses that can threaten their physical, emotional and psychological well-being, and may also be exposed to crimes and human rights abuses committed by transnational criminal organizations or gangs, including crimes such as theft, kidnapping, extortion, physical abuse, sale of persons and trafficking in persons, including forced labour, and sexual abuse and exploitation,

Noting with interest the work of all human rights treaty body mechanisms on human rights in the administration of justice, in particular the adoption by the Human Rights Committee of its general comments No. 21 (1992) on humane treatment of prisoners deprived of their liberty, No. 32 (2007) on the right to equality before courts and tribunals and to a fair trial, and No. 35 (2014) on liberty and security of person, and noting with interest also the adoption by the Committee on the Rights of the Child of its general comments No. 10 (2007) on children’s rights in juvenile justice, and No. 13 (2011) on the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence,

Reaffirming that the best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in all decisions concerning the deprivation of liberty and, in particular, that depriving children and juveniles of their liberty should be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time, in particular before trial, and the need to ensure that, if they are arrested, detained or imprisoned, children should be separated from adults to the greatest extent feasible, unless it is considered in the child’s best interest not to be,

Profoundly concerned that the situation of children in many parts of the world remains critical as a result of the persistence of poverty, social inequality, inadequate social and economic conditions in an increasingly globalized economic environment, pandemics, in particular HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, environmental damage, natural disasters, armed conflict, displacement, exploitation, illiteracy, hunger, intolerance, discrimination, gender inequality, disability and inadequate legal protection, and convinced that urgent and effective national and international action is called for,

Expressing deep concern at the continuing reports of grave abuses and acts of violence committed against women migrant workers,

Encouraged by some measures adopted by some countries of destination to alleviate the plight of women migrant workers residing in their areas of jurisdiction,

Stressing the importance of reversing the continuing decline of official development assistance devoted to agriculture, both in real terms and as a share of total official development assistance,

Recalling also all its previous resolutions on the elimination of violence against women,

Recalling its resolution 56/164 of 19 December 2001,

Recognizing that domestic violence against women is, inter alia, a societal problem and a manifestation of unequal power relations between women and men,

Bearing in mind also the relevant provisions of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, in particular the right to equal treatment before tribunals and all other organs administering justice, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular article 37, according to which every child deprived of liberty shall be treated in a manner that takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, in particular the obligation to treat men and women equally in all stages of procedures in courts and tribunals,

Recalling further the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in which the fundamental right of every person to be free from hunger is recognized,

Considering that every State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights must ensure to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction the rights recognized in the Covenant,

Noting with interest the extension for a period of two years of the mandate of the independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty,

Reaffirming the provisions concerning migrants adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development, the World Summit for Social Development and the Fourth World Conference on Women,

Bearing in mind the need for a focused and consistent approach towards migrants as a specific vulnerable group, in particular migrant women and children,

Reiterating its continuing support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development as a development framework for Africa,

Recalling also its resolution 40/144 of 13 December 1985, by which it adopted the Declaration on the Human Rights of Individuals Who are not Nationals of the Country in which They Live,

Taking note further of advisory opinion OC-18/03, issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on 17 September 2003, on The Juridical Condition and Rights of Undocumented Migrants,

Recognizing the increasing feminization of international migration, which requires greater gender sensitivity in all policies and efforts related to the subject of international migration,

Reaffirming further all other relevant outcomes of major United Nations summits and conferences relevant to the girl child, as well as their five- and ten-year reviews, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, and welcoming the declaration adopted on 4 March 2005 by the Commission on the Status of Women at its forty-ninth session,

Concerned that the girl child has furthermore become the victim of rape, sexually transmitted diseases and, increasingly, of HIV, which have a serious impact on the quality of her life and leave her open to further discrimination, violence and neglect,

Underlining the need for mainstreaming a gender perspective in all policies and programmes relating to children, and recognizing the child as a rights holder in all policies and programmes relating to children,

Recalling its resolution 59/202 of 20 December 2004, as well as all Commission on Human Rights resolutions in this regard, in particular resolution 2005/18 of 14 April 2005,

Convinced that each State must adopt a strategy consistent with its resources and capacities to achieve its individual goals in implementing the recommendations contained in the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action and, at the same time, cooperate regionally and internationally in order to organize collective solutions to global issues of food security in a world of increasingly interlinked institutions, societies and economies where coordinated efforts and shared responsibilities are essential,

Reiterating its continuing support for the New Partnership for Africa's Development as a development framework for Africa,

Recalling also its relevant resolutions, in particular resolution 37/52 of 3 December 1982, by which it adopted the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, resolution 48/96 of 20 December 1993, by which it adopted the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, and resolution 58/132 of 22 December 2003, as well as the relevant resolutions of the Economic and Social Council and its functional commissions,

Recognizing that access to basic affordable health care, preventive health information and the highest standard of health, including in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, is critical to women's economic advancement, that lack of economic empowerment and independence increases women's vulnerability to a range of negative consequences, including the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, and that the neglect of the full enjoyment of human rights by women severely limits their opportunities in public and private life, including the opportunity for education and economic and political empowerment,

Recognizing that enhanced trade opportunities for developing countries, including through trade liberalization, will improve the economic condition of those societies, including women, which is of particular importance in rural communities,

Aware that, while globalization and liberalization processes have created employment opportunities for women in many countries, they have also made women, especially in developing countries and in particular in the least developed countries, more vulnerable to problems caused by increased economic volatility, including in the agricultural sector, and that special support, particularly for women who are small-scale farmers, and empowerment are necessary to enable them to take advantage of the opportunities of agricultural market liberalization,

Recognizing the importance of timely and reliable data on disability-sensitive topics, programme planning and evaluation and the need for the further development of practical statistical methodology for the collection and compilation of data on populations with disabilities, and welcoming the initiatives of various United Nations agencies and regional groups in the area of collection of disability-related data and information,

Resolved to ensure respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants,

Recalling its resolution 58/185 of 22 December 2003 entitled “In-depth study on all forms of violence against women”,

Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,2

Recalling also the provisions concerning migrants contained in the outcomes of all major United Nations conferences and summits,

Recognizing the importance of incorporating a child-protection perspective across the human rights agenda, as highlighted in the outcome of the 2005 World Summit,

Welcoming the holding of the commemorative high-level plenary meeting devoted to the follow-up to the outcome of the special session on children on 11 and 12 December 2007,

Noting with appreciation the attention paid to children in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,