On 1-3 February 2022, during an online plenary session dedicated to the protection of the rights of children in migration, the Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF) approved a Draft Recommendation relating to Human Rights Principles and Guidelines on age assessment for children and adopted a Draft Explanatory Memorandum of Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)11 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on Effective guardianship for unaccompanied and separated children in the context of migration. Both finalised documents will be submitted to the Committee of Ministers in due course.

At the opening session, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Ms Leyla Kayacik, expressed her strong support for all the migration-related activities carried out by the CDENF and emphasised the crucial importance of this work for upholding the rights of migrant and refugee children. She also signaled the importance of CDENF’s work on age assessment and guardianship, which is also part of the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025), as children remain one of the most vulnerable groups in a migration and asylum context.