Building a Europe for and with children

Viewpoints and events

Viewpoints

From Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
"Children have the right to be heard and adults should listen to their views", Universal Children’s Day", 20 November 2007 in Warsaw
"Making international and regional human rights complaint/communication mechanisms child-friendly"
“Listen seriously to the views of children: viewpoint”

Children's participation is an on going process and not a one-off event. Children played a key role in the Monaco launch conference for the "Building a Europe for and with children" programme and the United Nations conference on combating sexual exploitation of children. They drafted their viewpoints into declarations on how to build a better Europe for children and on the steps they deemed necessary to combat sexual exploitation of children.

What children have told us 

Events

1-2 December in Helsinki, - First meeting of the Ad Hoc Advisory group on child and youth participation and Round Table discussion
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December 2008 in Strasbourg: Seminar on “Children and young people in care – What do YOUth think?" Young people, living or having lived in care institutions, drafted a set of recommendations on how to better put existing standards into practice and further develop the rights of children in out-of-home care.
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8-10 September 2008 in Stockholm: Seminar on “Meaningful and sustainable child participation”, an event of the Stockholm conference on “Building a Europe for and with children – towards a strategy 2009-11", 8-10 September in Stockholm
Seminar concept paper
Discussion guide 

Consultative meeting on children’s participation, 6 December 2006 in Strasbourg:
Outline paper