Summary report. Study on the impact of the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child

The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre (IRC) has undertaken a research on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The present study documents the process set in motion by the CRC across regions. It considers the changes the CRC has promoted, with particular emphasis on national legal and institutional reforms. The study constitutes a contribution to the follow-up to the Declaration and Plan of Action of the General Assembly Special Session on Children (UNGASS) and its support to the Millennium Declaration and achievements of the “Millennium Development Goals” (MDGs). The Plan of Action adopted by the Special Session, highlights the importance of effective implementation of the CRC and calls for the development of national legislation, policies, action plans and other measures to promote and protect the rights of the child. Outcomes of the study will assist governments, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF and other relevant actors at national, regional and international levels, in furthering this important agenda. The study focuses on the general measures of implementation of the CRC in 62 countries, with particular emphasis on legal and institutional reforms at the national level aimed at ensuring the effective application and enforcement of the provisions of the CRC