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Instrument and Note for signature. The departmental Legal Adviser, the Home Office, Scottish Office, Lord Chancellor's Department,
Department of Health, Department of Employment, Department of Social
Security and Ministry of Defence concur. I also submit a draft
PS/PS No 10 letter to inform the Prime Minister.
BACKGROUND AND ARGUMENT
Current Status of the Convention
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3. The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on
the Rights of the Child on 20 November 1989. It was opened for
signature, ratification and accession on 26 January 1990. The UK
signed on 19 April 1990 with a statement reserving the right to
formulate, upon ratifying the Convention, reservations or
interpretive declarations. The Convention entered into force on 2
September 1990. As of 1 December 1991 98 states had ratified the
Convention. Of these the majority had made reservations or
interpretive declarations either upon signature or ratification.
UK Decision to Ratify
4. Our intention to ratify has been announced several times in
the House of Commons. Following my submissions of 15 October and 7
and 29 November, Ministers agreed that we should proceed with
ratification of the Convention in two stages, the Instrument of
Ratification on behalf of the United Kingdom being extended to the
Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Dependent Territories at a later
date. No primary legislation has been required.
UK Reservations
5.
Mr Lennox-Boyd held a ministerial meeting on 20 February 1991 to
discuss possible areas of UK reservations with Ministers from
As a result of this meeting and
interested home departments.
subsequent inter-departmental discussions six reservations were
finally agreed. Te text of them is in the attached note which will accompany the Instrument of Ratification.
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