Joint letter on the impact of the UN liquidity crisis and the UN80 Initiative on children’s rights to Permanent Missions to the United Nations in Geneva and New York and the Secretary-General of United Nations:

Excellencies,

We, the undersigned civil society organisations, individual experts, national human rights institutions and ombudspersons working for the promotion and protection of children’s rights worldwide, express great concern over the cancellation of meetings – the May pre-session, as well as the September session and pre-session – of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC Committee) due to the ongoing UN liquidity crisis. 

We reiterate our concerns expressed in the joint letter of April 2024. These cancellations, together with the discontinuation of hybrid modalities, severely undermine the CRC Committee’s ability to fulfil its core mandate and significantly impair the opportunities for civil society, particularly children themselves, to participate meaningfully in the monitoring of States’ implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is particularly alarming as children around the world are increasingly impacted by a convergence of crises, from deepening poverty and economic shocks to climate change, armed conflicts, and the breakdown of essential health and education services. 

The UN80 Initiative, launched in March 2025 by the Secretary-General, presents a critical opportunity to strengthen the UN’s human rights pillar. As emphasized in the joint civil society letter, measures aimed at increasing efficiency must not come at the expense of human rights protections.  The human rights pillar of the UN must retain a strong and visible focus on children’s rights—anchored in sustained financial investment and political commitment.  

To ensure the UN maintains its commitments and capacity to uphold children’s rights, the Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming should serve as a central guiding framework for any reforms undertaken under the UN80 Initiative. The Guidance Note has mandated the mobilization of the UN system to collectively strengthen and elevate a shared UN child rights agenda across all pillars – peace and security, human rights and development -, including through meaningful and effective child participation, adequate budgeting and coordinated implementation across all mandates. 

We urge you to ensure that any reforms proposed in the name of efficiency do not weaken the protection and promotion of children’s rights, including the mandates and mechanisms tasked with protecting these rights, as well as the UN operational capacity to support Member States in fulfilling their human rights obligations. We call on you to safeguard the mandates and operational capacities of the CRC Committee, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children and on Children and Armed Conflict, and UNICEF. These entities represent crucial avenues through which children can access the UN directly as rights-holders and agents of change. Undermining these mechanisms through de-prioritization and resource cuts would close vital spaces for accountability and participation. 

Reforms should capitalise on and better coordinate existing mandates, mechanisms, and expertise to avoid duplication, maximise synergies, and ensure cost‑effective action. Enhancing inter-agency collaboration and pooled resources for country-level human rights monitoring and technical assistance, including through shared capacity-building initiatives and tools – such as the online child rights training programme developed by UNICEF and made available to all United Nations entities –  is critical to strengthening system-wide staff capacity on child rights, providing more streamlined support to States and better leveraging of existing expertise without increasing costs. 

Finally, we urge you to ensure that any restructuring of the UN system preserves and strengthens the space for civil society engagement. As defenders of children’s rights, we too are facing severe underfunding that limits our ability to engage with the UN and to support children’s meaningful participation. In today’s global climate of backlash against human rights, it is more essential than ever that the UN stands firmly by its commitments to children and to civil society actors working to protect human rights. We further call on you to ensure that civil society is meaningfully consulted throughout the UN80 Initiative process, with special efforts made to reach underrepresented groups, including children. 

We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and stand ready to support efforts that uphold the rights of all children. 

Please accept the assurances of our highest consideration. 

Child Rights Connect with the following members and partners

 

List of signatories (as of 08.18.2025):

  1. Aba Woldetensae Gizaw Board Led Mothers and Children Charity Organization 
  2. Ability Bhutan Society (ABS) 
  3. ACFS Community Education and Feeding Scheme 
  4. Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC) 
  5. Alana Institute 
  6. All Human Rights for All in Iran 
  7. All Survivors Project 
  8. ARALMA, Asociación civil, Argentina 
  9. association ADO+ 
  10. Association de Protection des Droits des Enfants au Tchad (APDET) 
  11. Association of the Survivors of Makobola Massacres (ARMMK) 
  12. Association des Jeunes Futurs Cadres du Pays  
  13. Austrian National Coalition for the Implementation of the CRC (Netzwerk Kinderrechte Österreich) 
  14. Awareness for Child Trafficking Africa (ACT Africa) 
  15. Beyond Our Hearts Foundation  
  16. BLIND SA 
  17. Bureau International Catholique de l’Enfance – BICE 
  18. Caleb Foundation-Save Life with Pennies .INC 
  19. Centre for Child Law, South Africa 
  20. Child and Youth Friendly Governance Project 
  21. ChildFund Alliance 
  22. Child Rights Coalition Asia 
  23. Child Rights Coalition Cambodia (CRC-Cambodia) 
  24. Children and Young People Living for Peace (CYPLP) 
  25. Children First Canada 
  26. Children Not Numbers 
  27. Children’s Rights Alliance for England, part of Just for Kids Law 
  28. Citizens Commission on Human Rights Europe (CCHR Europe) 
  29. Collectif des Ligues et Associations de Defense des Droits de l’Homme 
  30. Comunidad de Derechos Humanos (CDH) 
  31. Conscience and Peace Tax International (CPTI) 
  32. Consortium for Street Children 
  33. Coordinadora de Profesionales por la Prevención de Abusos (CoPPA) 
  34. Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience 
  35. Corporación La Caleta 
  36. Dare To Rise 
  37. Defence For Children International – Canada 
  38. Defensoría de los Derechos de las Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes de la República Argentina 
  39. Dutch NGO Coalition for Children’s Rights | Kinderrechtencollectief 
  40. ECPAT International 
  41. Edmund Rice International 
  42. Environment Africa Zambia 
  43. Ethiopian Mulu Wongel Amagnoch Church Development Commission (EMWACDC) 
  44. European Link Coalition 
  45. Federation of NGOs for Children – FONPC 
  46. First Rights Project of Methoria 
  47. Fondazione Marista per la Solidarietà Internazionale ETS 
  48. Fundación Quitu Raymi 
  49. Fundación Raíces 
  50. Future Curious   
  51. Gabriel Foundation Organisation 
  52. Global Detention Project 
  53. Global Survivors Fund 
  54. Golammogo child care centre   
  55. Greek Helsinki Monitor 
  56. Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor, Armenia 
  57. Hope and Homes for Children 
  58. IBFAN CZ – International Baby Food Action Network Czech Republic (SpoKojení) 
  59. Ikamva labantwana development programme 
  60. iLANGA Ethiopia 
  61. Ann Skelton, Independent Expert, Former Chairperson UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 
  62. Intact Denmark 
  63. International Centre for Civil Initiatives “Our House” 
  64. International Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents (INCCIP) 
  65. International Federation of Social Workers 
  66. International Social Service 
  67. Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion 
  68. Instituto Promoviendo Desarrollo Social – IPRODES 
  69. Jelly Beanz Foundation 
  70. Keep The Dream196 
  71. Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) 
  72. KJ Therapy 
  73. Learning for Wellbeing Foundation 
  74. Loo Niva Child Concern Group-Nepal 
  75. Love for Children and Family Development Organization 
  76. Meremeta Community initiatives organisation 
  77. Molo Songololo   
  78. Motheo Training Institute Trust 
  79. Music for Every Child 
  80. NGO for Children Confederation   
  81. One Child One Family Hope and Homes for Children SA 
  82. People for Successful COrean REunification 
  83. Plan International Inc. 
  84. Plataforma de Infancia 
  85. Plateforme CDE Maroc 
  86. Regards de Femmes France 
  87. Roshni Homes Trust, Gujranwala, Pakistan 
  88. Rural Women Empowerment Network. 
  89. Save the Children 
  90. ShonaquipSE 
  91. SOS Children’s Villages Ethiopia 
  92. SOS Children’s Villages International 
  93. South African Disability Alliance 
  94. StopIGM.org / Zwischengeschlecht.org 
  95. The Central Union for Child Welfare 
  96. The Eastern Africa Child Rights Network (EACRN) 
  97. The Hands-on Generation 
  98. The Helix Foundation for Children and Youth 
  99. The Marian Rose Foundation 
  100. The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund 
  101. The Teddy Bear Foundation for Abused Children 
  102. Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) 
  103. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) 
  104. World Vision International