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Posters: A timeline of the Convention
Charting a course for children’s rights
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely, and quickly, ratified international human rights treaty in history. It recognizes all children as the holders of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. And it establishes an internationally accepted, legally binding framework for protecting these rights.
This set of standards and obligations is part of international law and has created a greater global commitment to safeguarding children’s rights. Application of the Convention and its optional protocols is monitored by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, whose members come from all regions of the world. Governments that have signed and ratified the Convention must make regular reports to the Committee on the status of children’s rights in their countries.
In honour of the 18th anniversary of the signing of the CRC, this timeline highlights the steps leading to its creation and charts outstanding developments to the present.
1959:
Drawing from the ‘Geneva Declaration’ of 1924 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
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1966:
Two new covenants are adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 16 December 1966...
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1978:
In 1978, non-governmental organizations used preparations for the International Year of the Child...
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1989:
Many years of work to develop a unified statement specifically to cover children are brought together...
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1990:
The World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children is signed...
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1991:
Article 43 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child called for the establishment of a Committee on...
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2000:
Two additions to the Convention on the Rights of the Child are adopted by the United Nations General Assembly...
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2000:
In September 2000 the United Nations met at the Millennium Summit to plan for the 21st century...
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2001:
In 2001, six organizations came together to announce their commitment to building a Global Movement for Children...
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 declares that the United Nations “shall promote … universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.', '1945 United Nations poster commemorating the signature of the UN charter.')){kind=link}
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 states, “Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock [marriage], shall enjoy the same social protection.”', '1948 Cover of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights document.')){kind=link}
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 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights focuses on protecting children from exploitation, and Article 12 states that primary education must be free for all people. Article 24 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights highlights the right of every child to be registered at birth and to have a name. On 23 March 1976, both of these covenants entered into force. They are specifically mentioned in the opening paragraphs of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.', 'UNICEF poster circa 1969.')){kind=link}
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2002:
Children made history on 8 May 2002, when two delegates from the Children’s Forum addressed...
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2005:
In its report on the outcome of the 2005 World Summit, the United Nations General Assembly calls on states to consider ratifying...
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2006:
The United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children was supported by...
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2007:
In 1989, world leaders created a global legal agreement to give special care and protection...
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. They also wanted to make sure the world recognizes that children have human rights, and the document they developed to achieve these goals is the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention has been ratified by 193 States; two United Nations member States have not yet ratified. An entire generation of children has grown and lived their lives under the protection of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which will be celebrated during November 2007.', 'UK Committee for UNICEF poster on the articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.')){kind=link}