The mid-term review conference of the 4th Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027) has started in Strasbourg today. Organised under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, the two-day event will reflect on the achievements, address emerging challenges and recalibrate efforts to ensure that the rights of all children are upheld, empowering them to thrive and realise their full potential. Interactive sessions focus on the strategy’s core objectives: freedom from violence; equal opportunities and social inclusion; access to and safe use of technologies; child-friendly justice; giving a voice to every child, as well as children’s rights in crisis and emergency situations.
In his opening speech, the Minister of Education, Children and Youth of Luxembourg, Claude Meisch remarked, “Children's rights are universal and commit us all. To advance these rights, we need to share our knowledge and experiences across member States. The Council of Europe's expertise and commitment are essential in guiding our policies.”
Reaffirming unwavering commitment of the Council of Europe to the core objectives of the Strategy, the Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity of the organisation, Marja Ruotanen, noted that the conference is meant to be “a step towards building a world where children’s rights are protected, their voices are heard, and their futures are secured.”
The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid, spoke about ever increasing risks undermining children’s safety and welfare. In this context, she noted that the “the Council of Europe Strategy serves as a critical tool not only for advancing the protection but also the well-being, and empowerment of children in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UN Sustainable Development Goals”.
Addressing the conference via video message the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef underlined that “even as we take stock of our progress and achievements, we must continue to tackle head-on the challenges that remain to protecting and promoting children’s rights.”
Key topics include the importance of ensuring access to and the safe use of technology for all children, exploring their rights in the digital age, particularly in relation to artificial intelligence (AI). National good practices on digital technology will be showcased, and stakeholders will provide input on a child rights assessment tool on AI which is currently being developed by the Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF).
Another significant theme of the conference is equal opportunities and social inclusion with a focus on combatting child poverty. Concrete measures to protect children from poverty will be presented, highlighting synergies between the EU, the Council of Europe, and civil society. Children will share their firsthand experiences, a perspective that will also shape the conversation in a session on child-friendly justice. In that session, participants will examine the rights of children in contact with the law and provide their insights about the Council of Europe’s guidelines on child-friendly justice.
Violence against children is another key theme, with a special emphasis on age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education as an important preventive measure to combat violence, including risky or harmful behaviour by children. Children who previously participated in consultations will help guide the session along with other stakeholders, offering valuable inputs that will contribute to the drafting of a future recommendation to Council of Europe member states.
The conference will also highlight the importance of ensuring that children’s voices are heard in decisions about their health. A child-friendly guide on the topic will be launched, underscoring the need to consider children’s perspectives in shaping health-related policies. The last session will examine children’s rights in crisis and emergency situations, with a particular emphasis on access to education for children of Ukraine in Council of Europe member states. A Ukrainian child will share her lived experience, while experts and national delegates, will discuss ways to implement key recommendations from the mapping study on children of Ukraine’s access to education in Council of Europe member states.
The event is bringing together over 200 representatives of national governments, parliaments, international organisations, civil society, academia, child and youth delegates who will share their diverse perspectives, expertise and good practices, and reaffirm their collective commitment to the Strategy’s objectives and strengthening co-operation for a safer, more inclusive and child-friendly Europe.
