CRC/C/BOL/CO/4
page 4
12.
The Committee recommends that the State party revise and adopt the National Plan
of Action for Children covering all aspects of the Convention and in line with the outcome
document of the 2002 Special Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations “A
World Fit for Children” and its Mid-Term Review in 2007. The Committee strongly
recommends that this National Plan of Action for Children be time-bound and that it be
linked with the National Human Rights Action Plan, the Plan for Economic and Social
Development and the Plan for Eradication of Poverty, ensuring its multisectoral and
coordination nature. It further recommends that the State party provide the necessary
human and financial resources for this plan, and carry out the necessary monitoring and
evaluation efforts to regularly assess progress across sectors and identify gaps and
remedial actions.
Independent monitoring
13.
While noting the work undertaken by the office of the Ombudsman (Defensor del
Pueblo) for the defence of children’s rights, the Committee reiterates its concern that there is no
national independent mechanism accessible at all levels with a specific mandate to receive
complaints from children and regularly monitor and evaluate progress in the implementation of
the Convention.
14.
The Committee recommends that the State party establish a Children’s
Ombudsman either separate or as part of the existing office of the Ombudsman (Defensor
del Pueblo), accessible to children and their representatives at the national and local levels
for the reception and processing of complaints, making sure it conforms to the Paris
Principles and taking into account general comment No. 2 (2002) on the role of
independent human rights institutions. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that in
addition to investigating complaints, the Children’s Ombudsman have the responsibility to
monitor the implementation of and promote the Convention. The Committee also
recommends that the Ombudsman’s office continue reinforcing the local institutions such
as the Municipal Child Defence offices (Defensorías Municipales) and the Municipal Child
Commissions (Comisiones Municipales de Niñez y Adolescencia) and possibly adapt these to
the indigenous communities or establish community leaders (Defensores Comunitarios)
working closely with the Ombudsman.
Allocation of resources
15.
The Committee welcomes the efforts to improve the allocation of resources for children,
such as the conditional cash transfers in the areas of health and education, but is concerned that
budget allocations for children may need a longer-term perspective, which could be provided by
a comprehensive and time-bound national plan of action as part of the national development
strategy, as stated earlier, and an open and transparent process. It is also concerned at the
difficulty to track investment on children across sectors, departments and municipalities in order
to monitor and evaluate performance, as well as at the fact that areas such as child protection and
justice are not yet prioritized.