4 July 1991
The Governor Hong Kong
KCMG
270-2484
MHA
UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
1.
89/HK0241/1 172
Thorne's letter of 12 April 1989 to you enclosed a copy of the Convention which (apart from a change in the financing article) was subsequently adopted by the General Assembly (copy enclosed). Thorne's letter also outlined the areas where we felt the United Kingdom would have difficulty when reconciling the text with existing UK legislation.
2. In FCO telno 13 to Anguilla we undertook to revert to territories when the areas that would need to be covered by UK reservations when ratifying had been finally decided. We undertook to consult with you separately.
3. The Whitehall scrutiny of the text has now been completed and you will see from the enclosed press statement the areas of the Convention that are likely now to be covered by reservation when the United Kingdom ratifies. Immigration features as one of those areas and this means that when the United Kingdom presents its periodic reports to the Monitoring Committee they will not be able to challenge us on our compliance with the Convention in the area of immigration. We are not able to finalise the drafting of the reservations themselves until we know how you and the other Dependent Territories wish to have your concerns met by reservation or interpretative declaration.
4. I should mention that we are under considerable domestic pressure to ratify quickly and with as few reservations as possible. Could I now ask you therefore to let me know, if possible by the middle of September, the areas where Hong Kong will need to be protected by reservation or declaration along with suggested texts.
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