Social Rights

Tackling child poverty and social exclusion across Europe is a core objective of the Council of Europe. The European Social Charter (ESC) serves as a fundamental instrument for the protection of social and economic rights throughout Europe and it contains provisions directly relevant to the fight against child poverty and social exclusion.

Reflecting this commitment, a session dedicated to "Combating child poverty and promoting the social inclusion of all children", will take place in Strasbourg on 3 April 2025, from 10:30 to 13:00. It is organised by the Council of Europe’s Social Rights Department in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development.

The event will bring together policy makers, legal experts and youth voices to explore how children's rights can drive systemic change. Notable speakers include Aoife Nolan, President of the European Committee of Social Rights, Benoit van Keirsbilck, member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, Saskia Kluit, Chairperson of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, and the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Olivier de Schutter. The session will address child rights frameworks and accountability mechanisms, examples of child rights-consistent law, policy and budget-making aimed at combating poverty and social exclusion, as well as the inclusion of children and their views in anti-poverty work and processes at the nation and international levels.

The session is organised as part of the Mid-term Review Conference of the Council of Europe’s fourth Strategy for the Rights of the Child. The session topic relates strongly with Objective 2 of this Strategy: ensuring equal opportunities and social inclusion. Against the backdrop of ongoing economic and cost of living challenges, the Ukraine conflict, and climate-related pressures, the event underscores the urgent need to consider how the international rights protections enjoyed by children in Europe can be leveraged to provide solutions to child poverty and social exclusion.