The Convention on the Rights of the Child: implications for the health and well-being of Pacific children.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was unanimously adopted by the General Assembly of the UN on November 20 1989 and ratified September 2 1990. As of the writing of this article 163 countries had signed or ratified the convention indicating their commitment to the notion that there are universally accepted norms and prerequisites for any childs full development. More than 90% of the worlds children are already protected by its provisions and the world community had targeted 1995 for ratification by all states. The convention consists of 54 articles; 40 deal with the substantive rights of children while the rest deal with procedural matters to facilitate the implementation of the convention. It is unique in its treatment of civil political economic social and cultural rights in an integrated manner. Papua New Guinea Fiji the Federated States of Micronesia the Republic of Marshall Islands Vanuatu Western Samoa and Nauru in the past two years have signed onto the CRC. This paper examines the convention and describes how a number of the specific articles relate to child health thus outlining the commitments which countries have made to child health. The authors also demonstrate how the convention presents a platform and framework for advocating and monitoring childrens programs. The status of the convention in the Pacific is examined with discussion of how the convention can become the focal point for coordinated efforts to improve the situation of children in the region.