On 1-3 February 2022, during an online plenary session dedicated to the protection of the rights of children in migration, the Steering Committee on the Rights of the Child (CDENF) approved a draft Recommendation on “Human Rights Principles and Guidelines on age assessment for children in the context of migration” and 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 for final adoption in the near future, together with the draft explanatory memorandum of the draft Recommendation on age assessment, which is currently being finalised.

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 highlighted 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.