In 2024, Child Rights Connect continued to lead efforts to embed children’s rights across the United Nations system and beyond. Building on the momentum created by the 2023 release of the UN Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming—a document made possible thanks to years of Child Rights Connect’s advocacy—this year marked a transition from commitment to implementation.

Through strategic partnerships, advocacy, and support for its members and Working Groups, Child Rights Connect helped drive real progress in how children’s rights are recognized, protected, and promoted across multiple levels of UN operations.

Strengthening the work of the UN Human Rights Office on children’s rights 

Child Rights Connect played a key role in influencing the biennial Human Rights Council resolution on the rights of the child (A/HRC/RES/55/29), which, for the first time, includes a dedicated section on child rights mainstreaming. The resolution calls:

  • On the UN and States to promote diverse and child-friendly participation modalities in decision-making forums at all levels.
  • On the Secretary General to strengthen the UN Human Rights Office’s capacity to mainstream child rights, with a focus on participation and safeguarding.
  • On the UN Human Rights Office to produce a report on child rights mainstreaming across the UN system, as a way to monitor the implementation of the Guidance Note.

This progress builds on the UN Human Rights Office’s March 2024 report on a child rights-based approach which offered clear recommendations — informed by Child Rights Connect and its members—, as well as on the 2024 Annual Day on the Rights of the Child, where Child Rights Connect actively supported children’s meaningful participation.

Elevating children’s rights in the Pact for the Future 

Child Rights Connect also engaged in advocacy around the UN Summit of the Future and its outcome document, the Pact for the Future. In a complex and closed consultation process, Child Rights Connect focused on:

  • Coordinating advocacy among members and ensuring information flow,
  • Co-organizing an official side event with partners including the CRC Committee and UNEP, where a child advisor from Moldova addressed participants on climate and child rights.

As a result of collective advocacy efforts, children’s rights were partially included in the final Pact—marking a modest improvement from earlier drafts, though still falling short of the robust action needed.

Building diplomatic support in Geneva 

In November, Child Rights Connect worked with its Working Group on Child Participation to convene a roundtable with Geneva-based Permanent Missions. The goal was to build stronger political momentum to mainstream children’s rights across the UN human rights mechanisms, in particular at the Human Rights Council. This roundtable:

  • Catalyzed renewed momentum to counter growing pushback on child rights,
  • Enhanced dialogue between UN actors, States, and civil society on coordinated strategies, and
  • Generated actionable ideas to ensure safe, ethical, and meaningful child participation, especially on sensitive issues.

This initiative exemplifies the role of our network in bridging civil society and diplomatic actors to sustain child rights at the core of multilateral human rights efforts.

Pioneering child participation within UN Special Procedures 

Child Rights Connect also helped advance child rights mainstreaming within the UN Special Procedures system. In partnership with its Working Groups on Child Participation and Children’s Rights and the Environment, Child Rights Connect supported the piloting of a long-term child participation mechanism with the Special Rapporteur on Climate Change in October.

This marked a significant shift — from previous ad hoc consultations to a more structured and sustained process that engaged children from the outset. Child Rights Connect facilitated consultations between the Special Rapporteur and a diverse group of children, including members of the Children’s Advisory Team, to help shape the mandate’s priorities. In their recommendations, published in multiple languages, the children proposed ways to ensure ongoing engagement. The Special Rapporteur has also shared her reflections on this process, affirming her commitment to keeping children’s voices central to her work.

In December, to promote this approach more broadly, the Child Rights Connect Working Group on Child Participation organized a briefing at the Annual Meeting of Special Procedures, where a call was made to institutionalize child participation across all mandates.

Strategic, System-Wide Impact 

Throughout 2024, we continued to move the child rights mainstreaming agenda forward across the UN system—ensuring that children are not only considered but actively involved in shaping decisions that affect them.

Whether by influencing high-level resolutions, engaging directly with UN mechanisms, or enabling children’s voices to be heard in international processes, Child Rights Connect continues to be a driving force in turning policy into practice—and ensuring that children’s rights are at the heart of global governance.