Universal Children's Day: launch of Child Rights Manifesto

20 November, Brussels

Launch of the Child Rights Manifesto

To mark Universal Children’s Day, a Child Rights Manifesto is being launched at the European Parliament in Strasbourg today, by World Vision and a number of other child and youth focused organisations. The manifesto has been prepared ahead of the European Parliament elections in May 2014.

The Manifesto calls upon current and future Members of the European Parliament to become global champions of children’s rights and to ensure that every child can exercise the rights set out in the international UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Lisbon Treaty. Keynote speakers at the launch include Roberta Angelilli, Vice-President of the European Parliament, Yoka Brandt, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Marius Wanders, World Vision’s EU Representative and Jana Hainsworth, General Secretary of Eurochild.

According to Marius Wanders of World Vision, around 600 million children worldwide live in poverty. “By 2050, almost 70 per cent of the world’s children will live in poor and fragile countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo or Somalia” says Mr Wanders. “Children are central to the EU’s development work in these countries as they are disproportionately affected by poverty, emergency and conflict situations”. 

The Child Health Now campaign recognises that children, particularly children under the age of five, are disproportionately affected by poverty and inequality. Every year, 6.6 million children lose their lives to preventable causes such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and undernutrition. A terrible reality made worse by the fact that we know what each one of these major killers are, and the solutions to tackle them. What is missing is political will and action.

“On Universal Children’s Day and in advance of the European elections next year, World Vision calls upon Members of the European Parliament to make a difference to children’s lives by encouraging EU institutions and development partners to put children’s rights in all policies and actions, and by making sure that sufficient funding in EU humanitarian and development instruments is allocated to children” says Mr Wanders.

Recognising the value of young people’s participation

World Vision is also committed to promoting the participation of children in all decision-making that affects their lives. “We are calling on the EU and in particularly on Members of the European Parliament to recognise the value of children’s own views and experiences and to enable them to participate meaningfully in all decisions affecting their lives” says Wanders.

In order to raise awareness of the importance of child and youth participation in decision-making, World Vision is organising a high-level panel led by young people, on the issues of participation and   governance in the future global development framework that will replace the Millennium Development Goals. This panel will take place during the annual ‘European Development Days’ in Brussels on November 26th and 27th. World Vision has invited a young panellist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who at 16 years old advocates for child rights in her local community. The organisation will also bring two young people, from Indonesia and Armenia, who will engage with EU policy-makers on issues such as food security and social protection systems.

“It is very important that EU decision-makers are given an opportunity to see what a valuable contribution children and young people can make to current debates on issues such as food security, poverty eradication and governance” says Wanders. “On Universal Children’s Day World Vision is calling on EU institutions and especially the Parliament to support and promote the active involvement of children and young people in all decision-making that affects their lives.”

• More information about the Child Rights Manifesto HERE