A supporting event to the twenty-seventh special session of the General Assembly on children, the panel discussion was held on 10 May 2002 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. It underlined the importance of the international rule of law and gave concrete examples of its application at the national level for advancing the enjoyment of human rights of women and children, and highlighted the complementary application of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and their optional protocols.

Ms. Angela E.V. King, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, moderated the panel discussion. Panellists included Mr. Hans Corell, United Nations Legal Counsel; Mr. Jaap Doek, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child; Ms. Unity Dow, Justice, High Court of Botswana; Ms. Saida Labbene, Director-General for Children, Ministry for Youth, Children and Sports, Tunisia; Ms. Cecilia Pérez Diaz, Minister of Planning and Co-operation, Chile; Ms. Dubravka Šimonović, Minister Plenipotentiary, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations; and Ms. Regina Tavares da Silva, Expert, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.