Statement by India at the 37^th Session of Human Rights Council (26 February-23 March 2018) on Agenda Item 3: Annual Full-Day Meeting on Protecting the Rights of the Child in Humanitarian Situations, delivered by Dr. A. Sudhakara Reddy, Counsellor (Legal). [Geneva, 05 March 2018]

Mr. President,

We thank the panellists for their useful comments on this important topic.

2. India attaches greater importance to the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. India is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child which is the first instrument to incorporate a range of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights including some aspects of humanitarian situations.

3. Under the Convention, Children have been conferred the basic human rights, including certain specific rights according to their special needs. Therefore, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a composite instrument comprising of a group of rights borrowed from several other international treaties, applicable to children in different situations.

4. It is worth recalling that the humanitarian situations involving armed conflicts are dealt with by the Convention. Under Article 38 of the Convention States undertake to respect for rules of international humanitarian law applicable to children in armed conflicts. It is further supplemented by Optional Protocol to the Convention to ensure that children under the age of 18 shall neither be recruited nor conscripted into the armed forces. India is a party to the said Protocol.

5. In 2013, India adopted the National Policy for Children to help in the implementation of various programmes and schemes for children. The policy gives top priority to right to life, health and nutrition, and attaches greater significance to child development, education, protection and participation.

Mr. President,

6. We reaffirm our commitment to national and international efforts for promoting and protecting the rights of children. India recognises the importance of the rights of the children in all situations for their harmonious development.

I thank you