Committee of Experts on Access to Origins
On 24-26 March, the Committee of Experts on Access to Origins (CJ-OR) held its third meeting to continue its work on the draft recommendation on the rights of donor-conceived persons to know their origins. This work is guided and supervised by the Council of Europe’s European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ) according to its terms of reference. As part of the meeting, the experts continued their discussions, drawing on feedback from the CDCJ and its Bureau, relevant jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and existing international standards, while engaging with issues of identity rights, privacy and evolving family forms. Child Identity Protection (CHIP) was privileged to attend as an observer promoting a child rights-based approach, considering the CRC Committee’s systematic recommendations to States parties, including members of the Council of Europe, on ensuring access to origins for children. CHIP advocated for the right to know one’s origins to be implemented from an early stage, including in relation to access to essential information such as medical history.
