Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, CRC/C/4, 14 November 1991.
I. SESSIONS
Regular sessions
2. Regular sessions of the Committee shall be convened at dates decided by the Committee in consultation with the Secretary-General of the United Nations (hereinafter referred to as "the Secretary-General"), taking into account the calendar of conferences as approved by the General Assembly.
Special sessions
(a) At the request of a majority of the members of the Committee;
(b) At the request of a State party to the Convention.
2. Special sessions shall be convened as soon as possible at a date fixed by the Chairperson, in consultation with the Secretary-General and with the other officers of the Committee, taking into account the calendar of conferences as approved by the General Assembly.
Place of sessions
Notification of opening date of sessions
(a) Any item decided upon by the Committee at a previous session;
(b) Any item proposed by the Chairperson of the Committee;
(c) Any item proposed by a member of the Committee;
(d) Any item proposed by a State party to the Convention;
(e) Any item proposed by the Secretary-General relating to his functions under the Convention or these rules.
Provisional agenda for special sessions
Adoption of the agenda
Revision of the agenda
Transmission of the provisional agenda and basic documents
Term of office
Beginning of term of office
Filling of casual vacancies
2. If, in the unanimous opinion of the other members, a member of the Committee has ceased to carry out his or her functions for any cause other than absence of a temporary nature, the Chairperson of the Committee shall notify the Secretary-General, who shall then declare the seat of that member to be vacant.
3. Pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 2 of this rule, the Secretary-General shall request the State party which had nominated that member to appoint another expert from among its nationals within two months to serve for the remainder of his or her predecessor's term.
4. The name and the curriculum vitae of the expert so appointed shall be transmitted by the Secretary-General to the Committee for approval by secret ballot. Upon approval of the expert by the Committee, the Secretary-General shall notify the States parties to the Convention of the name of the member of the Committee filling a casual vacancy.
5. Except in the case of a vacancy arising from a member's death or proven disability, the Secretary-General and the Committee shall act in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 1, 3 and 4 of this rule only after receiving from the member concerned written notification of his or her decision to cease to function as a member of the Committee.
Solemn declaration
"I solemnly declare that I will perform my duties and exercise my powers as a member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously."
Position of the Chairperson in relation to the Committee
Acting Chairperson
Replacement of officers
2. The Secretary-General shall provide the Committee with the necessary staff and facilities for the effective performance of its functions under the Convention.
Statements
or its subsidiary bodies.
Servicing of meetings
Keeping the members informed
Financial implications of proposals
Interpretation from an official language
Interpretation from an unofficial language
Languages of records
Languages of decisions and official documents
Issue of communiqu�s concerning private meetings
Participation in meetings
2. Representatives of other competent bodies concerned, which are not included among those in paragraph 1 of this rule, may participate in public or private meetings of the Committee or its subsidiary bodies, when invited by the Committee to do so.
All such participants may, within three working days of the receipt of such records, submit corrections to the secretariat in the languages in which the records have been issued. Corrections to the records of the meetings shall be consolidated in a single corrigendum to be issued at the end of the session concerned. Any disagreement concerning such corrections shall be decided upon by the Chairperson of the Committee or, in the case of continued disagreement, by decision of the Committee.
Distribution of summary records
2. The summary records of private meetings shall be distributed to the members of the Committee and to other participants in the meetings. They may be made available to others upon decision of the Committee at such time and under such conditions as the Committee may decide.
Distribution of official documents
and 3 of this rule, reports, decisions and all other official documents of the Committee and its subsidiary bodies shall be documents for general distribution, unless the Committee decides otherwise.
2. Reports and information furnished to the Committee by the specialized agencies, the United Nations Children's Fund, or other United Nations organs and competent bodies pursuant to article 45, subparagraph (a), of the Convention and to rule 70 shall be distributed by the secretariat to all members of the Committee and, if so decided by the Committee, to members of its subsidiary bodies, States parties concerned and other participants at the meetings. Such reports and information shall normally be made available to the Committee in the language in which they have been submitted, unless otherwise decided by the Committee or the Chairperson.
3. Reports and additional information submitted by States parties pursuant to article 44 of the Convention and to rules 66 and 69 shall be documents for general distribution.
Powers of the Chairperson
2. The Chairperson, subject to these rules, shall have control of the proceedings of the Committee and over the maintenance of order at its meetings.
3. In the course of the discussion of an item, the Chairperson may propose to the Committee a limitation on the time to be allowed to speakers and on the number of times each person may speak on any question, and the closure of the list of speakers.
4. The Chairperson shall rule on points of order.
5. The Chairperson may also propose adjournment or closure of the debate or adjournment or suspension of a meeting. Debate shall be confined to the question before the Committee, and the Chairperson may call a speaker to order if his or her remarks are not relevant to the subject under discussion.
Points of order
Time limitation
When debate is limited and a speaker exceeds his or her allotted time, the Chairperson shall call him or her to order without delay.
List of speakers
When the debate on an item is concluded because there are no other speakers, the Chairperson shall declare the debate closed. Such closure shall have the same effect as closure by consent of the Committee.
Suspension or adjournment of meetings
Adjournment of debate
Closure of debate
Order of motions
(a) To suspend the meeting;
(b) To adjourn the meeting;
(c) To adjourn the debate on the item under discussion;
(d) To close the debate on the item under discussion.
Submission of proposals
Decisions on competence
Withdrawal of motions
Reconsideration of proposals
Adoption of decisions
__________
1/ The members of the Committee expressed the view that its method of work should normally allow for attempts to reach decisions by consensus before voting, provided that the Convention and the rules of procedure were observed.
Equally divided votes
Method of voting
Roll-call votes
Conduct during voting and explanation of votes
Division of proposals
Order of voting on amendments
2. A motion is considered an amendment to a proposal if it merely adds to, deletes from or revises part of that proposal.
Order of voting on proposals
2. The Committee may, after each vote on a proposal, decide whether to vote upon the next proposal.
3. Any motions requiring that no decision be taken on the substance of such proposals shall, however, be considered as previous questions and shall be put to the vote before those proposals.
Conduct of elections when only one elective place is to be filled
2. If the second ballot is inconclusive and a majority vote of members is required, a third ballot shall be taken in which votes may be cast for any eligible candidate. If the third ballot is inconclusive, the next ballot shall be restricted to the two candidates who obtained the greatest number of votes in the third ballot and so on, with unrestricted and restricted ballots alternating until a person or member is elected.
3. If the second ballot is inconclusive and a two-thirds majority is required, the balloting shall be continued until one candidate secures the necessary two-thirds majority. In the next three ballots, votes may be cast for any eligible candidates. If three such unrestricted ballots are inconclusive, the next three ballots shall be restricted to the two candidates who obtained the greatest number of votes in the third such unrestricted ballot. The following three ballots shall be unrestricted, and so on, until a person or member is elected.
Conduct of elections when two or more elective places are to be filled
2. Each subsidiary body shall elect its own officers and may adopt its own rules of procedure. Failing the adoption of such rules, the present rules of procedure shall apply mutatis mutandis.
Other reports
XV. REPORTS AND INFORMATION UNDER ARTICLES 44 AND 45 OF THE CONVENTION
Submission of reports by States parties
2. States parties shall submit such reports within two years after the entry into force of the Convention for the State party concerned and thereafter they shall submit subsequent reports every five years and such additional reports or information in the intervening period as the Committee may request.
3. The Committee, through the Secretary-General, shall indicate to the States parties the form and contents of reports or information to be supplied to the Committee, in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 of this rule.
Non-submission of reports
2. If, even after the reminder and other efforts referred to in paragraph 1 of this rule, the State party does not submit the required report or additional information, the Committee shall consider the situation as it deems necessary and shall include a reference to this effect in its report to the General Assembly.
Attendance by States parties at the examination of reports
Request for additional reports or information
Request for other reports or advice
2. The Committee may invite the specialized agencies, the United Nations Children's Fund and other competent bodies, as it may consider appropriate, to provide it with expert advice, pursuant to article 45, subparagraph (a), of the Convention, on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within their respective mandates.
3. The Committee may indicate, as appropriate, the time-limit within which such reports or advice should be supplied to the Committee.
Suggestions and general recommendations on a State party's report
2. The Committee shall transmit, through the Secretary-General, suggestions and general recommendations it has decided upon to the State party concerned for its comments. The Committee may, where necessary, indicate the time-limit within which such comments from States parties are to be received.
3. The Committee shall include in its reports to the General Assembly suggestions and general recommendations together with comments, if any, received from States parties.
Other general recommendations
2. The Committee shall include such other general recommendations in its reports to the General Assembly together with comments, if any, received from States parties.
General comments on the Convention
2. The Committee shall include such general comments in its reports to the General Assembly.
Transmission of States parties' reports that contain a request or indicate a need for technical advice or assistance
2. The reports and information received from States parties in accordance with paragraph 1 of this rule shall be transmitted along with observations and suggestions, if any, of the Committee on these requests or indications.
3. The Committee may request, when it considers it appropriate to do so, information on the technical advice or assistance provided and the progress achieved.
Rule 75
2. The Committee may also invite the submission of studies from other bodies on topics of relevance to the Committee.
XVIII. INTERPRETATION AND AMENDMENTS
Amendments
