25 November 1981

Question of a convention on the rights of the child

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 33/166 of 20 December 1978, 34/4 of 18 October 1979 and 35/131 of 11 December 1980, Mindful of the vital link between programmes benefiting children and the observance of their rights, and a broader and more comprehensive framework of over-all economic and social development in conditions of peace,

Convinced that the fresh and necessary impetus to activities generated by the International Year of the Child should be maintained and that the new perspective it has created should be followed by appropriate action in the years to come,

Reaffirming the important role that the United Nations Children's Fund has to play in the subject matter concerned,

Aware of the importance of an international convention on the rights of the child for the protection of children's rights and improvement in their situation,

Having in mind Commission on Human Rights resolutions 20 (XXXIV) of 8 March 1978, 19 (XXXV) of 14 March 1979, 36 (XXXVI) of 12 March 1980 and 26 (XXXVII) of 10 March 1981, as well as Economic and Social Council resolutions 1978/18 of 5 May 1978, 1978/40 of 1 August 1978 and Council decisions 1980/138 of 2 May 1980 and 1981/144 of 8 May 1981,

Notes with appreciation further progress made in the elaboration of a draft convention on the rights of the child by the Commission on Human Rights prior to and during its thirty-seventh session,

1. Welcomes Economic and Social Council decision 1981/144 by which the Council authorized an open-ended working group of the Commission on Human Rights to meet for a period of one week prior to the thirty-eighth session of the Commission to complete the work of the draft convention on the rights of the child;

2. Requests the Commission on Human Rights to give the highest priority to the question of completing the draft convention;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to provide all necessary assistance to the Working Group in order to ensure its smooth and efficient work;

4. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-seventh session the item entitled "Question of a convention on the rights of the child".