In his 22 years of legal experience, Justice Vui Clarence Joseph Nelson of Samoa has been a staunch campaigner for the rights of the child.
And today, U.N.I.C.E.F. Pacific Office released a statement saying the appointment of Justice Vui 'is a well-deserved honour to be successfully elected to sit on the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), based in Geneva.'
Finalisation of the appointment is pending approval of the Chief Justice of Samoa, said U.N.I.C.E.F.
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Justice Vui is a Samoan national currently serving as the Sitting Judge of the Supreme Court of Samoa.
He is a patron of Pacific Island Lawyers Human Rights Network and Mentor and Supporter of the Samoan Victim Support Group.
In congratulating Justice Vui, UNICEF Pacific Representative, Dr Karen Allen said “We are certain you will be an asset to the
Committee, bringing your wealth of legal knowledge and rights-based perspectives on child and youth justice.”
Justice Vui has a track record of establishing the first Pacific based Young Offenders Act in 2007, followed by the Community
Justice Act 2008. He also set up the Olomoana Centre, to house young people in conflict with the law which gave them the opportunity to upskill them on a trade for productive engagement, when they returned to their community.
As one of the 18 independent experts, Justice Vui will spend six weeks annually in Geneva to monitor the implementation of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child by State parties. The CRC Committee also monitors the implementation of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention, on the involvement of children in armed conflict and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
“We in UNICEF believe, this augurs well for the children of the Pacific and their governments to have you sitting amongst experts that globally monitors implementation of the CRC by State parties. We know that you will make a difference globally to achieve results for the children of the Pacific and for children everywhere in the world,” said Dr Allen.
UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child and works in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
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