During the 2024 Annual Meeting of UN Special Procedures, Child Rights Connect together with members delivered the following statement calling for a taskforce of interested mandate holders to develop a practical framework to implement the Secretary Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming:

30th Annual Meeting of Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Chairs of Working Groups

This is a joint statement on behalf of Child Rights Connect, World Vision International, Save the Children International and Plan International. 

We would like to thank the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures for organising this exchange with civil society. 

We recognize and commend the valuable work of the UN Special Procedures in promoting and protecting human rights and the steps made toward integrating child rights across the mandates. In this regards, the Secretary-General’s Guidance Note on Child Rights Mainstreaming provides a robust framework for embedding children’s rights into the core of the UN’s work, across all three pillars of the UN system. It specifically calls on special procedures to:

  • systematically consider children in their work, including mainstreaming child rights in their reports and country visits; as well as 
  • support the safe and meaningful participation of diverse groups of children in such human rights processes and the preparation of your reports, including by providing child-friendly and accessible information.

In this context, we are pleased to report on the briefing held earlier this week with several mandate holders to discuss practical approaches to mainstreaming child rights. We would like to extend our special thanks to the Chair of the Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, and the Special Rapporteur on the Sale, Sexual Exploitation, and Sexual Abuse of Children for their leadership in the discussion. Together with other participants they underscored the importance of safe, ethical, and meaningful child participation, ensuring that children are not only seen and heard but are also actively engaged in shaping the policies, strategies, and decisions that impact their lives.

Key examples of progress include the development of child-friendly resources such as videos, guidelines, and factsheets to make UN processes more accessible to children.  Mandate holders have also found innovative and cost-effective approaches to conduct child-friendly consultations during country visits and thematic reporting. Additionally, partnering with civil society organizations has proven valuable in supporting these efforts. Through such collaborations, mandate holders have established child advisory groups, co-created materials with children, and strengthened safeguards to protect children’s rights during engagements.

The safeguarding guidelines on child participation being developed by OHCHR will offer substantial support in this regard. 

We look forward to hearing your views today on how you plan to integrate child rights into your mandate. Additionally, we renew our call for Special Procedures to establish a taskforce of interested mandate holders to develop a practical framework to implement the guidance note and to ensure children can access and engage with Special Procedures directly and effectively; integrating a gender, age, and diversity perspective.