Ratify OP3 CRC

Ratify OP3 CRC offers on its website: advocacy documents, official documents, and general publications to help activists for children's rights bring this protocol and the ratification procedure to their nations' attention. The advocacy toolkit, available in English, French, and Spanish, contains background information about the campaign, an explanation of the key provisions of the new Optional Protocol, a glossary of key terms, and a list of abbreviations. Fact sheet 1 explains the reasons for the process of creating the Protocol, giving dates and quotations for use in advocacy campaigning. Fact sheet 2 explains the provisions in sections entitled "The Protocol"; "What it means", and "In practice". For example, in explaining the rules of procedure, the "in practice" section adds: "The Committee has just started its work on new rules of procedure regarding the new communications procedure. The aim of these rules of procedure will be to implement the provisions of the OP3 CRC in a child-sensitive way. The NGO [non-governmental oganisation] Group for the CRC will coordinate inputs from civil society and children and submit them to the Committee in due course."

The official documents section contains the UN documents in English, French, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, and Chinese. The general publications section includes answers to key questions in the same languages, in leaflet and document PDF formats. The key questions include, "How can you encourage your government to ratify the OP3CRC?" Answers include: raising awareness by sharing information, hosting events, and encouraging discussions at the national level; getting involved in one's state's ratification process and supporting national NGOs and children’s rights institutions; and informing one's national government about the importance of OP3 CRC and coordinating efforts with Ratify OP3 CRC.

Children, Rights

As of April 14 2014, 10 States had ratified OP3 CRC: Albania, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Gabon, Germany, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Thailand.

"The process that a State needs to follow to ratify an international treaty, such as OP3 CRC, is usually defined in the State’s Constitution. It differs from one State to another but is often launched by the executive power, namely the government, and finalised with the approval of the legislative power, namely the Parliament. Signature of an international treaty generally only requires the decision of the executive power. Once the decision has been taken to ratify OP3 CRC, an empowered representative of the State needs to sign the treaty at the United Nations Headquarters in New York," United States.