The Belgian authorities and the Council of Europe’s children’s rights division are hosting a conference on “The Best Interests of the Child: a dialogue between theory and practice” in Brussels on 9 and 10 December 2014.
The event is being held as part of the Belgian chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. It is part of international efforts to promote children’s rights as the 25th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is marked all over the world.
The concept of the best interests of the child is one of the four general principles of the UN convention, which stipulates that: “In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration."
Over the two days, participants at the conference – representing public authorities, NGOs and researchers dealing with children’s rights issues – will take stock of how the notion of the best interests of the child is understood and applied in the international and national contexts, especially in family affairs. They will also seek to identify factors hindering its application, and to develop ethical, procedural and practical standards to support practitioners and policy-makers.
The main lessons drawn from the conference will be submitted to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
See also:
Children have rights: 25 years of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child