Child Participation
Every child has the right to contribute to the decisions that affect them
The challenges
Children need to be heard and heeded.
If our children are to help shape the world they want to see, the world they will inherit and lead, they need to play a key role in decisions affecting their future at all levels, from their schools and communities to the national, regional and global stage. Too often they remain locked out of these processes with adults deciding what is best for them.
It is also important that child and youth engagement and participation are meaningful and not undertaken as a box-ticking exercise where adults remain in effective control. Young people’s voices do not yet carry sufficient weight in areas that really matter to them.
The solutions
For UNICEF, the wants and needs of young people should be firmly at the centre of the local, national and global development agenda. Children need to be heard and heeded.
We have acknowledged the call from children and young people that they want their inclusion to have real weight and meaning and have worked with partners to make this a reality with subregional youth advocacy training events. UNICEF also facilitated children and youth engagement on a global level in May 2024, joining forces with the Ashley Lashley Foundation and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to cohost the landmark Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Children and Youth Action Summit. This preceded the main SIDS4 conference with which the Summit Commitment to Action was shared. We also pushed for young people to be involved in SIDS4 country delegations.
Given that climate action is so close to the hearts of many young people and will define their future, UNICEF has also been promoting children and youth engagement in climate-related processes such as Nationally Determined Contributions where countries make commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and national adaptation policies.
Every year we work with young people and partners on the Season of Child Rights which culminates with events on 20 November, World Children’s Day. These activities include the ‘One Minute for My Rights’ competition and the Annual Caribbean Child Research Conference. UNICEF also supports the development of activists in a formal youth advocates programme, as well as selecting and supporting a team of Child Rights Ambassadors.