Keep Children’s Voices at the UN. Every child has the right to be heard.
Help make sure their voices reach the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Imagine having something important to say about your rights, your safety, your education or your future — but no opportunity to make your voice heard by those responsible for protecting them.
For many children around the world, this remains a reality. Every year, governments report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) on how they are implementing children’s rights.
In 2027, the UN CRC expects to review between 7 and 15 countries from different regions and to hold pre-sessional working group meetings with civil society organisations and children. These plans may change.
But governments’ reports alone cannot tell the whole story. The Committee also needs to hear from children themselves and from the organisations working alongside them.
For more than 40 years, Child Rights Connect has made sure their voices reach the UN CRC. Today, this essential bridge between children, civil society and the UN is at risk. Help us keep it open.
1. Why do children’s voices matter in UN reporting?
Because Children’s rights cannot be fully realised unless children themselves are heard.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises children’s right to express their views on matters affecting them.
The UN CRC monitors how governments fulfil their obligations under the Convention.
Through the CRC reporting process, civil society organisations and children can share independent information about the challenges they face, the progress achieved and the changes still needed.
These contributions help the UN CRC understand what is happening beyond official government reports and formulate recommendations to strengthen children’s rights.
How does CRC reporting work in practice?
Governments submit their reports. Civil society organisations and children send their own information and meet the UN CRC in Geneva, in a pre-sessional working group meeting. Children meet the UN CRC in dedicated meetings for children. The UN CRC then questions the government and later issues its recommendations.
But participating in this process is not always easy.
For many local organisations and groups of children, especially in under-resourced settings, barriers such as limited funding, lack of accessible information and difficulties navigating complex UN procedures can prevent their voices from reaching the UN CRC.
A child’s opportunity to be heard should never depend on where they live or the resources available to them. That is why Child Rights Connect helps civil society organisations and children prepare, connect and take part, and it is the work that your gift supports.
2. Building bridges between children and the UN
What does Child Rights Connect do?
Child Rights Connect works to ensure that children and civil society organisations can meaningfully engage with the UN CRC.
We support civil society organisations and children who plan to submit reports and take part in pre-sessional working group meetings, including those beyond our network, who contact us.
We help turn the right to participate into a practical opportunity by:
• Making information accessible: Providing guidance, tools and technical support to help civil society organisations and children understand UN reporting procedures.
• Strengthening civil society participation: Supporting the preparation and coordination of independent reports.
• Facilitating meaningful engagement: Helping children and civil society representatives connect with the CRC and share their experiences.
• Promoting child participation: Supporting children to prepare for and participate in meetings with the Committee.
• Keeping everyone informed: Acting as a communication focal point, sharing information on country reviews, pre-sessional working group meetings and the Committee’s adopted concluding observations.
“The preparation call helped children feel better prepared by giving them a better understanding of what to expect from the dialogue with the committee and which other organisations would be participating “- Female defender from Chile ( Child Rights Connect 2021)
3. Behind every report is a voice that matters
Our impact in 2025:
• 193 civil society submissions reached the Committee.
• 39 submissions were led or directly informed by children.
• More than 20% of all non-state submissions included children’s voices.
But these figures are more than documents. They reflect the effort of children, young people and civil society organisations working to ensure children’s realities are reflected in the country’s reviews by the UN CRC.
And behind every number is a real story.
“Thank you very much for all the support by the Child rights connect team for us to attend the CRC pre-session. It was a wonderful opportunity for all of us to be there for the session and present children’s realities in Sri Lanka to the committee directly. The post de-brief was really helpful to identify the way forward and will share the SWOT analysis with other CSOs soon.” — Sri Lanka Civil Society Delegation
These are examples from previous reporting cycles. They demonstrate why sustained support is essential as new countries continue to come before the Committee.
4. Why your support matters now.
Children are speaking up. Don’t let shrinking resources silence them.
Across the world, civil society organisations and international human rights mechanisms are facing growing financial pressures.
At a time when children’s rights are confronted by serious challenges, opportunities for meaningful participation must be protected.
When resources become scarce, smaller organisations and groups facing existing barriers may be among those least able to participate in international processes.
Child Rights Connect is no exception. Until 2025, this work was supported by core funding. That funding has ended. We remain committed to supporting civil society organisations and children in 2027, and we are turning to individual supporters, large and small, to help sustain the people who make this work possible.
Without continued support, essential activities such as technical guidance, reporting coordination and facilitation of child participation will come under greater strain.
We want children’s voices to remain part of the conversations that shape their rights and futures.
This is why your contribution matters.
5. What can your donation support?
Your donation can contribute to sustaining Child Rights Connect’s work supporting civil society organisations and children throughout the CRC reporting process in 2027.
CHF 25
CHF 50
CHF 100
CHF 250
These are suggested amounts. Every gift, large or small, helps sustain the work of Child Rights Connect to support participation of civil society organisations and children in the CRC reporting.
Child Rights Connect does not provide financial support for travel or accommodation. The Committee’s pre-sessional working group meetings and country reviews are conducted with the support of OHCHR.
6. Keep the door open: help children’s voices reach the UN
For more than four decades, Child Rights Connect has worked alongside children and civil society organisations to ensure that children’s rights remain central to international human rights accountability.
Our work is grounded in a simple principle:
Children are not the only people whose rights must be protected. They are rights holders whose voices, experiences and perspectives must shape decisions affecting them.
This World Children’s Day, stand with the children, young people and organisations working to make their voices heard.
Together, we can help ensure that independent information keeps reaching the UN CRC, civil society organisations can engage effectively, and children have meaningful opportunities to participate.
Because every child deserves to be heard.
HELP KEEP CHILDREN’S VOICES AT THE UN — DONATE TODAY
Can’t donate? You can still make a difference. Share this campaign with your friends, colleagues and networks.
By helping us reach more people, you can contribute to sustaining children’s participation in the UN child rights system.