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	Leading Child Rights Organizations call for a second revolution in Child Rights by Joining Forces Alliance   June 2019   Thirty years after global leaders promised to protect the rights of all children, millions are not in school, face poverty, exploitation, violence, neglect, and abuse. A new report, A Second Revolution: 30 years of child rights, and the unfinished agenda, says it is time for the global community to fulfil the broken promises of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UN CRC).   Produced by the Joining Forces Alliance - an alliance of the six leading child-focused organizations - the report makes the case for a new era of commitment for children.   Alliance members say that governments must take bold action to target the children who continue to suffer, often the result of discrimination based on gender identity, race, caste, religion, disability or sexual orientation.   'There has been real progress for children since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but we cannot overlook the millions who have been left behind', said Meg Gardinier, Chair of the Joining Forces CEO Oversight Committee.   'It is the most vulnerable children the world overlooks - those facing extreme poverty, the young living in fragile states, refugees, and children with disabilities. When it comes to translating commitments into lasting change, we have fallen short and we must do better. This is a moral, legal and economic failure that the world can ill afford'.   A few global statistics reflect the challenges that remain. Each year:   Over 5 million children die from preventable causes, and nearly half of these deaths are attributable to undernutrition; 95,000 children a year - 70% of them boys - are murdered, and 15 million adolescent girls report experiencing forced sex; and 64 million children lack access to primary education.   The report highlights key factors that contribute to the gaps in progress, including a lack of investment in services that are critically important for children.   For example, most countries fall well short on spending the 5-6% of GDP to ensure universal coverage of essential health care. And foreign aid, which many of the poorest countries rely on, is falling short in critical areas such as health and education.   Another factor is the lack of quality data. Governments tend to rely on data that reflects national averages, making it difficult to identify the needs of specific children and to monitor progress. Disaggregation of data by gender, age, disability and locality, is increasingly important as many rights violations are concentrated amongst disadvantaged groups of children.   The Joining Forces Alliance is calling on governments to embrace and act on all parts of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.   This must include: Implementing legislation, policies, budgets, and programmes that are inclusive of all children; Promoting the rights of all marginalised children and championing gender equality; and supporting children's meaningful participation and upholding their rights to freedom of expression and opinion.   Giving children a real voice and listening to and heeding their views will be crucial for progress. Children are still widely treated as passive recipients of decisions taken by adults, despite that fact that children's right to participate is one of the core principles of the UN CRC. Barriers exist at every level of society, from a lack of recognition in law and policy; limited adult capacity to facilitate child participation in meaningful ways; and a lack of access to justice for children needing to challenge violations of their rights.   "Listen to us, said Lucia, a young person from Spain who was interviewed as part of the report process. 'There are many people who think that when you are a child, your opinion will be ridiculous. Or that it doesn't make sense, or that it isn't worthy. Even if it's good. Because as you're a child, your opinion isn't worth it'.   # Joining Forces is a collaboration between the six leading NGOs working with and for children under the age of 18 (ChildFund Alliance, Plan International, Save the Children International, SOS Children's Villages International, Terre des Hommes International Federation, and World Vision International).   * To read the full report and recommendations: http://child-rights-now.org/ Visit the related web page
	Children's rights and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda by United Nations Office for Human Rights (OHCHR)   The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda embodies the highest aspirations for a bright future for the world's children, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a crucial opportunity to realize their rights in all countries. Children are the main future beneficiaries of this Agenda, and fulfilling their rights by reaching those who are the furthest behind is a prerequisite for achieving the SDGs overall.   In spite of near-universal ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, millions of children around the world continue to be left behind and their rights denied, particularly those who are the most discriminated against or living in precarious situations of vulnerability - such as children on the streets, in institutions or in migration situations.   Children also suffer the impacts of poverty, violence, inequality and exclusion disproportionately, due to their sensitive phase of life and development.   An approach to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in which children's rights and wellbeing are placed front and center is not only a human rights imperative, but can catalyse sustainable development by breaking down the transfer of poverty and exclusion from one generation to the next.   As such, progress can be accelerated by prioritizing children's rights in action plans on the SDGs, as a child rights-based approach multiplies future development gains.   Following a meeting of the Human Rights Council to explore how the 2030 Agenda can help to advance children's rights, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was requested to provide inputs on this matter to the global reviews of progress taking place under the High Level Political Forum, in broad consultation with stakeholders.   The High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is the global body tasked with reviewing progress on the SDGs convened annually in New York. It conducts a review of progress and challenges on the basis of Voluntary National Reviews and extensive stakeholder inputs, focusing on a different theme and set of goals each year.   In 2019 the High Level Political Forum undertook its review on the theme of 'empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality'. It is also the year that marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, presenting a key moment to renew commitment and actions towards realizing the rights of children in all countries.   In this context, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights submitted a Child Rights Report to the HLPF, based on broad consultation, including with children themselves.   The report highlights the human rights risks and challenges that children face in the theme and goals under review, as well as good practices that can be applied at national level to leave no child behind: http://bit.ly/35BGqRR   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Children/ThematicReports/Pages/2030SDA.aspx   2019 Social Forum - The promotion and protection of the rights of children and youth through education   In 2019 the Social Forum will take place in October in at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The focus of the meeting is on the promotion and protection of the rights of children and youth through education.   Education is both a fundamental human right in itself, and an essential means by which children and youth are empowered to claim their rights and become agents of change for sustainable development. It serves as a powerful tool to break down cycles of exclusion, and will be central to the overall achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.   The 2030 Agenda defines a holistic vision for education under SDG 4, emphasizing the need to ensure lifelong learning, to reach those left behind, and to activate the key role of education in realizing sustainability and human rights.   All children and youth have an equal right to a quality education regardless of their gender, family income level, migration, disability or other status.   Yet today millions are excluded from education and the transformative opportunities that it generates: - according to the UN data, more than half of children and adolescents are not meeting minimum literacy and numeracy standards, and deep disparities persist based on gender, location and other circumstances.   Moreover, global trends of increased conflict, situations of emergency, climate change and migration have profound implications. The gaps between the reality on the ground and the imperative to realize the right to education for all children and youth calls for a paradigm shift, with solutions aiming at reaching those being left behind while ensuring that education becomes 'fit for the future'.   The Social Forum will cast light on how the rights of children and youth can be protected and promoted through education, and how it can fulfil its transformative potential.   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/SForum/Pages/SForum2019.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/SForum/Pages/SForum2019Statements.aspx Visit the related web page
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