It is a first! During the 57th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, the resolution on Equal participation in political and public affairs was adopted by consensus with for the first time dedicated paragraphs on children!

Over the course of the HRC57, which took place from 11 September until 11 October, Child Rights Connect focused on advocating for the civil and political rights of children. These rights, as protected by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child from article 12 to 17, continue to receive pushback from States and children’s opinion remain unconsidered in discussions of political nature.

To highlight the importance of these rights and to address any misconceptions on the right of children to participate in political and public affairs, Child Rights Connect took the initiative to organize a side event “Supporting children’s participation in political and public affairs” with the co-sponsorship of Save the Children International, World Vision International, Terre des Hommes International Federation, as well as the Permanent Missions of Canada, Czechia, Peru, Uruguay, the European Union, Mexico and the Netherlands to the United Nations Office in Geneva. The event sparked the interest of over 100 people joining in-person and online.

Key stakeholders took part in this conversation such as Joan, Andrea and Cristina, child representatives of the Consell Nacional dels Infants i Adolescents de Catalunya (CNIAC), Layla Amira Abi-falah from the Rule of Law & Democracy Section of OHCHR, Mikiko Otani the President of CRCnt and member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, Fernando Espinosa the Deputy Permanent representative of the Permanent Mission of Mexico and Patricia Benítez Lima the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Uruguay. The discussion provided insights into the challenges children face and highlighted best practices and recommendations for improving child participation in this context.

In the current world reality that most of children are not given voting rights, participation in decision-making process exercising the right to be heard, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly is critically important. Indeed, children are already actively participating in decision-making process at various levels through joining consultation, children and youth club or parliament, civil society organizations or even creating children or youth led organizations. Children’s activism and presence of child human rights defenders are increasingly visible in various forms and space, in particular, online.

Mikiko Otani, President of CRCnt and member of the CRC

Joan, Andrea and Cristina explained that despite its achievements, CNIAC also faces significant challenges such as having limited influence on authorities, insufficient resources, and difficulties in introducing new topics. The child representatives called for increased budget allocation and more engagement from authorities. Other speakers such as Ms. Abi-falah also stressed the need for meaningful, safe, and inclusive child participation in public affairs, highlighting how children are already involved in many sociopolitical movements around human rights, climate justice, and discrimination. She outlined key challenges children face, such as marginalization and the lack of recognition as full rights-holders. Ms. Otani called for the recognition of children as rights holders, urging States to support child participation through legislation, education, and resources. Her intervention highlighted the importance of supporting vulnerable children, such as girls, children with disabilities, and those in marginalized communities. This was also underscored by Mr. Espinosa who advocated for tools to strengthen girls’ leadership, autonomy, and access to sexual and reproductive health services. Find a summary of the discussion here and the recording of the event can be found here ID3351~1.MP4.

The key recommendations from the panel discussion are to:

  • Strengthen legal frameworks to guarantee children’s right to participate in public and political affairs.
  • Invest in participation mechanisms that include children’s voices at all levels of decision-making, ensuring that their contributions are acted upon.
  • Support children’s capacities by providing tools and resources, particularly for girls, to foster their leadership and active participation.
  • Enhance dialogue with authorities through regular meetings and feedback loops, ensuring that children’s input is consistently integrated into public policy.

The side event was also part of a broader advocacy effort to influence the resolution on “Equal participation in political and public affairs”. Multiple members of the core group, including the penholder of the resolution this year, the Permanent Mission of Czechia, supported our side event. Child Rights Connect closely followed and took part in the negotiations around the content of the resolution which this year concentrated on participation in elections. With the support of partners, the resolution included 2 paragraphs on children:

  • Recognizing that the right to education, including access to information and access to inclusive and quality human rights and civic education, has a transformative potential and is a multiplier right that supports the participation of children.
  • Recognizing also that the use of hate speech, both online and offline, to provoke stigmatization and violence, and which might constitute an attempt to restrict the full, meaningful, inclusive and safe participation of persons, including women and children and those belonging to groups vulnerable to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, poses a significant threat by creating a hostile environment that discourages individuals from fully and equally engaging in political and public affairs.
  • References to “youth” had also been replaced by “young persons” to underscore them as individual rights holders.

These are significant advancements, as previous resolutions on this topic did not mention children at all. We extend our thanks to the core group and partners for facilitating dialogue on this important issue and for their efforts in ensuring language on children was included in the resolution.

Child Rights Connect will continue to work closely with champion States to advance the understanding of children’s civil and political rights at the Human Rights Council and to address any misconceptions that may exist on these rights and how children can exercise them.