Since 2008, the European Union (EU) and its member States have been committed to applying a comprehensive and integrated human rights-based approach in all areas of EU external action, including EU development cooperation.
The 2009 Treaty on European Union (Treaty of Lisbon) contains an explicit commitment to protect and promote the rights of the child, and in 2011 the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy announced the promotion of the rights of the child as one of the Union’s three explicit foreign policy priorities.
Objectives
- This module introduces readers to the CRC, defines key terms and concepts and provides a framework for analysing and putting into effect the international legal and political commitments to child rights within a country context.
- In this module we will:
- Define child rights as the norms and standards for child well-being codified in international law
- Identify the key international and EU legal and political commitments to child rights, as well as the key considerations for engagement on child rights issues
- Identify the purpose, main components and methodology for conducting a child rights-based country context analysis
Target audience
This toolkit has been developed primarily for development professionals working in bilateral and multilateral donor agencies (such as European Union delegations, UNICEF, other UN agencies, regional development banks, the World Bank, and others). It is also expected that it will be useful for government and civil society professionals in countries addressing development challenges as well as for experts engaged in providing technical assistance in the design and implementation of development programmes. The intended audience includes policy makers and practitioners who are not child rights experts but need practical guidance on:
- How to operationalize international commitments on child rights within different phases and sectors of development cooperation programming and external action;
- How to support partner governments in implementing their commitments under international treaties and standards to protect, respect and fulfill children’s rights
You can download this toolkit for free here.
