eng - World Organisation Against Torture

the existing minimum age of criminal responsibilityand children in conflict withthe law.National Plan of Action10. The Committee welcomes the launchingof a National Strategic Framework Planfor the Development of Children 2001-2025, known as Child 21, and the holisticapproach adopted to address childrights issues and related progress andshortcomings. The Committee is concernedthat the existing monitoringmechanisms are insufficient to monitorand evaluate the implementation of thePlan in a coherent way. Furthermore, theCommittee is concerned about the limitedawareness of the Plan and its objectivesat the local level.11. The Committee recommends that theState party take all necessary measures,inter alia, by providing adequate human,financial and technical resources,for the full implementation of theNational Strategic Framework Plan forthe Development of Children 2001-2025 and ensure a rights-based, open,consultative and participatory process forthe implementation of the Plan, payingparticular attention to the implementationof the Plan at the local level. In thisregard the Committee recommends thatthe State party fully support the NationalCouncil for the Welfare of Children byproviding it with the necessary resourcesto enable it to effectively coordinate theactivities related to the implementationof the Plan and monitor and evaluate thisimplementation process. In addition, theState party is urged to promote as muchas possible the establishment of localcouncils for the protection of children,particularly in the cities, municipalitiesand barangays (smallest unit of localgovernment), provided with adequate resourcesto be important instruments inthe implementation of the Plan, in particular,and the Convention on the Rightsof the Child, in general. TheCommittee also recommends that theState party seek technical assistancefrom, among others, the United NationsChildren’s Fund (UNICEF), in thecourse of the implementation process.Independent monitoring12. The Committee welcomes the establishmentof the Philippines Commission on60