The Republic of Cyprus became on Friday the 25th country to sign the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communication procedure. H.E. Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations, signed the Protocol on behalf of the Government of Cyprus at a special ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York.
The new Protocol will allow children to bring complaints to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. Recognizing that children, just like adults, have access to international human rights bodies, this new instrument reinforces the international system of accountability for human rights, and is a major step towards the full protection of childrenʼs rights and the participatory approach of the CRC.
The Protocol, which was adopted at the 66th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations by resolution 66/138 of 19 December 2011, opened for signature in Geneva on 28 February 2012 and remains open for signature thereafter at United Nations Headquarters in New York.