CHAPTER IV

HUMAN RIGHTS11dOptional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedureNew York, 19 December 2011Entry into force14 April 2014, in accordance with article 19(1).Registration14 April 2014, No. 27531StatusSignatories53Parties52TextUnited Nations, <i>Treaty Series </i>, vol. 2983, p. 135. <br><a href="/doc/source/docs/A_RES_66_138-Eng.pdf" target="_blank">A/RES/66/138</a>The above Protocol, which was adopted at the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly of the United Nations by resolution <a href="../doc/source/docs/A_Res_66_138-E.pdf" target="_blank">66/138</a> of 19 December 2011, opened for signature in Geneva, Switzerland, on 28 February 2012 and remains open for signature thereafter at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

ParticipantSignatureAccession(a), RatificationAlbania24 Sep 2012 29 May 2013 Andorra26 Sep 2012 25 Sep 2014 Argentina25 Jul 2012 14 Apr 2015 Armenia26 Sep 2019 24 Mar 2021 Austria28 Feb 2012 Belgium28 Feb 2012 30 May 2014 Benin24 Sep 2013 19 Aug 2019 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 2 Apr 2013 aBosnia and Herzegovina11 Jul 2017 17 May 2018 Brazil28 Feb 2012 29 Sep 2017 Cabo Verde24 Sep 2012 Chile28 Feb 2012 1 Sep 2015 Costa Rica28 Feb 2012 14 Jan 2014 Côte d'Ivoire24 Sep 2013 Croatia27 Dec 2013 18 Apr 2017 Cyprus27 Jul 2012 11 Sep 2017 Czech Republic30 Apr 2015 2 Dec 2015 Denmark<superscript>1</superscript> 7 Oct 2015 aEcuador24 Apr 2013 19 Sep 2018 El Salvador25 Jul 2013 9 Feb 2015 Finland28 Feb 2012 12 Nov 2015 France20 Nov 2014 7 Jan 2016 Gabon25 Sep 2012 aGeorgia19 Sep 2016 aGermany28 Feb 2012 28 Feb 2013 Ghana24 Sep 2013 Guinea-Bissau24 Sep 2013 Ireland24 Sep 2014 24 Sep 2014 Italy28 Feb 2012 4 Feb 2016 Kazakhstan 7 Feb 2023 7 Feb 2024 Liechtenstein24 Sep 2012 25 Jan 2017 Lithuania30 Sep 2015 3 Oct 2022 Luxembourg28 Feb 2012 12 Feb 2016 Madagascar24 Sep 2012 Maldives28 Feb 2012 27 Sep 2019 Mali28 Feb 2012 Malta18 Apr 2012 Marshall Islands29 Jan 2019 aMauritius13 Aug 2012 Monaco24 Sep 2014 aMongolia 4 Oct 2013 28 Sep 2015 Montenegro28 Feb 2012 24 Sep 2013 Morocco28 Feb 2012 New Zealand<superscript>2</superscript>22 Sep 2022 aNorth Macedonia23 May 2012 Panama16 Feb 2017 aParaguay26 Sep 2012 20 Jan 2017 Peru28 Feb 2012 6 Jan 2016 Poland30 Sep 2013 Portugal28 Feb 2012 24 Sep 2013 Republic of Moldova22 Sep 2023 aRomania13 Jun 2012 Samoa29 Apr 2016 aSan Marino26 Sep 2018 aSenegal 1 Oct 2012 Serbia28 Feb 2012 Seychelles24 Sep 2013 7 Jun 2021 Slovakia28 Feb 2012 3 Dec 2013 Slovenia28 Feb 2012 25 May 2018 Spain28 Feb 2012 3 Jun 2013 State of Palestine10 Apr 2019 aSwitzerland24 Apr 2017 aThailand25 Sep 2012 25 Sep 2012 Tunisia14 Dec 2018 aTürkiye24 Sep 2012 26 Dec 2017 Ukraine20 Nov 2014 2 Sep 2016 Uruguay28 Feb 2012 23 Feb 2015 AlbaniaDeclaration:“According to article 12, first paragraph of the Optional Protocol, the Republic of Albania hereby declares it accepts the competence of the committee to receive and examine the communications in which a State party claims that another State party does not meet its obligations under the instruments referred to in this paragraph [to] which the State is a party.”BelgiumUpon Signature<i>Declaration:</i>“This signature engages also the French Community, the Flemish Community, the German-speaking Community, the Walloon Region, the Flemish Region and the Brussels-Capital Region.”Upon Ratification<i>Declaration:</i>The Kingdom of Belgium recognizes the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to receive, pursuant to article 12 of the Optional Protocol, communications from a State party which claims that another State is not fulfilling its obligations.ChileDeclaration:The Republic of Chile declares, in accordance to article 12, entitled Inter-State Communications, of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, that it recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications in which a State party claims that another State party is not fulfilling its obligations under any of the following instruments to which the State is a party: the Convention; the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; and to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvement of children in armed conflicts.Czech Republic<right>20 May 2016</right>Pursuant to Article 12 (1) of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communication Procedure, the Czech Republic declares that it recognizes the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to receive and consider communications according to this article.FinlandDeclaration :“The Republic of Finland declares that it recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider inter-state communications made against it provided for in Article 12 of the Protocol.”GermanyDeclaration:“The Federal Republic of Germany recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications pursuant to Article 12(1) of the Optional Protocol.”Italy<right>1 December 2016</right>Declaration:“... pursuant to Article 12 (1) of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure, done at New York on 19 December 2011, the Italian Republic declares that it recognizes the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to receive and consider communications in which a State party claims that another State party is not fulfilling its obligations under the instruments referred to in this Article.”LiechtensteinDeclaration:"According to article 12 of the Optional Protocol from 19 December 2011 to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, the Principality of Liechtenstein declares that it recognises the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to receive and consider communications in which a State party claims that the Principality of Liechtenstein does not fulfil its obligations under any of the following instruments: the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, or the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography."MonacoDeclaration:Pursuant to Article 13, paragraph 7, of the Protocol, the Principality of Monaco wishes to indicate that it does not recognize the competence of the Committee provided for in the present article in respect of the rights set forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.Portugal“The Portuguese Republic declares that it recognizes the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child in accordance and for the purposes of article twelve of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, adopted in New York, on the nineteenth of December of two thousand and eleven.”San Marino<right>17 May 2021</right>Declaration under article 12The Republic of San Marino declares, in accordance with article 12 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, that it recognizes the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to receive and consider communications in which a State Party claims that the Republic of San Marino does not fulfil its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict or the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.SlovakiaDeclaration:“The Slovak Republic recognizes the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to receive and consider communications pursuant to Article 12 (1) of the Optional Protocol.”SloveniaDeclaration:“Pursuant to Article 12, paragraph 1, of the said Protocol, the Republic of Slovenia declares that it recognises the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to receive and consider communications in which a State party claims that another State party is not fulfilling its obligations under the instruments in this paragraph.”SwitzerlandDeclaration:Pursuant to article 12 (1) of the Protocol, Switzerland recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications under this provision.TürkiyeDeclaration:The Republic of Turkey declares with regard to the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child as provided for by the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, that the reservations and declarations it made to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in armed conflict and to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography fully retain their validity.UkraineDeclaration:Ukraine states that for the period of temporary occupation of a part of the territory of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol – as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation and until complete restoration of the constitutional order and effective control by Ukraine over such occupied territory, as well as over certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine, the application and/or implementation by Ukraine of the obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, as applied to the aforementioned occupied and uncontrolled territory of Ukraine, is limited and is not guaranteed.Cyprus<right>14 September 2018</right>With regard to the declaration made by Turkey upon ratification:“The Republic of Cyprus has examined the Declaration made by the Republic of Turkey on the 26th of December 2017, upon ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure (2011), limiting the competence of the Committee on the Rights of the Child to those States Parties which it recognizes and with which it has diplomatic relations. In the view of the Republic of Cyprus, this Declaration amounts to a Reservation.To this effect, the Republic of Cyprus would like to state that the Objections it has made in respect of the Declarations/Reservations of Turkey with regard to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in armed conflict and to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, fully retain their validity and apply equally to the Reservation of Turkey in respect to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure.”1With Territorial exclusion with regard to Greenland and the Faroe Islands.2With territorial exclusion in respect of Tokelau (See C.N.303.2022.TREATIES-IV.11.d of 22 September 2022.)