On 18 September 2016, in the run-up to the UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland took part in a high-level event Carry Light for Children co-organised by the UN Children Fund UNICEF, the Estonian Mission to the UN, and the Council of Europe.

The goal of the event that brought together Heads of State, goodwill ambassadors, youth speakers and civil society representatives was to raise awareness about the perilous condition of children during flight and migration, and the urgent need to assist them.

Secretary General Jagland informed participants about a Europe-wide action plan that the Council of Europe expedites to help ensure that all migrant and refugee children can enjoy their fundamental rights, as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The plan includes putting in place child-friendly asylum procedures, ending the detention of migrant and refugee children, safeguarding their personal security and protection from criminals and guaranteeing access to education and appropriate accommodation and services, effective guardianship and age-assessment procedures, as well as the right to be reunited with their families.

According to the recently published UNICEF report "Uprooted", nearly 50 million children and young adolescents have migrated or been forcibly displaced; 28 million children have been driven from their homes by violence and conflict within and across borders, including 10 million child refugees; 1 million asylum-seekers whose refugee status has not yet been determined; and an estimated 17 million children displaced within their own countries.

These children face poverty, exploitation, violence and exclusion, and are in desperate need of essential services and protection. The event served to remind world leaders to put children first in their response to the refugee and migrant crises.

On September 19, the United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants opens in New York. Children’s rights are among the priorities of Estonian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in May-November 2016.

• Child Refugee Crises (UNICEF)
• Report by the Secretary General’s Special Representative on migration and refugees Ambassador Tomáš Boček on migrant children and refugees in Turkey
• Policy recommendations by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) on irregularly present migrants, including children
• Link to the photo gallery of the event