and the progressive groups struggling from inside them would be greatly encouraged. It was therefore important to achieve the widest possible consensus. Many delegations had said that the draft was a compromise text, the outcome of mutual concessions. It was clear from the Secretary-General's report (A/39/499 and Add.l and 2) that the difficulties standing in the way of the adoption of the convention were due to the attitude of certain States which had not taken part in the work of the Commission on Human Rights. His delegation believed that the opinions of those States which had difficulties in accepting articles 19 and 20 should be taken into account. What was essential was that the articles of the draft should be in accordance with international law and with the Covenants. His delegation shared the hope of many others that the convention could be adopted at the thirty-ninth session. 37. His delegation, like a number of others, intended to submit amendments to tl1e draft convention on torture to make it more acceptable to all Member States. 38. Mrs. LOEMBAN 'IOBING-KLEIN (Suriname), speaking on agenda item 97, said that despite the 10 principles of the Declaration on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 1386 (XIV), malnutrition, shortages of food and potable water, drought, inadequate education, abuse, and ill-treatment by their parents, were victimizing millions of children throughout the world. Suriname believed that to defend the rights of the child more forcefully the draft convention on the subject must be adopted as soon as possible. It therefore welcomed the idea of establishing an open-ended working group to carry out the necessary studies prior to the forty-first session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. 39. Suriname was in the process of drafting new regulations regarding children and 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the adoption of a convention on torture and the rights of the child, mentioning the importance of international law, Covenants, and the need for consensus among States. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting a discussion within the United Nations or a similar international organization. The topics of malnutrition, shortages of food and water, and ill-treatment by parents also hint at a focus on human rights and welfare.

**Category**
Health, Humanitarian aid and relief