The Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF) will conclude the first year of its mandate by holding its second plenary meeting online on 16-18 November 2020. During three days, the governments and observer organisations represented on the Committee will discuss a number of important issues, with the participation of several high-level officials and experts.

Mr Adrien Taquet, Secretary of State on children and families, at the French Ministry of Solidarity and Health, wiil address the CDENF on the preparation of the draft Council of Europe Strategy on the Rights of the Child for 2022-2027.

An exchange of views between with Ms Najat Maalla, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Violence against Children and the Committe will take place focusing on matters of violence against children as covered by the intergovernmental work of the Council of Europe.

The Committee will review the progress of implementation of the current Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021) and kick off its preparations for the next Strategy, including in the light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children.

Life projects for unaccompanied children, children’s best interests in situations of parental separation and care proceedings, systems for professionals to report violence against children, protection of children’s privacy, children’s participation in the decision-making process in the biomedical field, welfare and child protection challenges related to child returnees, schooling in COVID-19 times and related policies, will be just some of the key areas to examined by the CDENF experts.