Mainstreaming child rights in the UN system: what will it take for NGO child rights coalitions?

How can child rights organisations mainstream child rights in the UN system?

By: Allen D
Published by: NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child , 2005
Via: Eldis

This report presents the results and analysis of a survey conducted to develop understanding of what NGOs and child rights coalitions would need in order to mainstream children’s rights into the UN treaty body system.

The survey found that NGO and child rights coalitions that report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child have not, for the most part, made purposeful ventures into the reporting processes of other treaty bodies. This is in part due to them being relatively uninformed and under-resourced. If the NGO Group is to play a significant role in encouraging the child rights community in this direction there must be a purposeful strategy and additional resources.
The research also illustrates that mainstreaming means different things in different contexts. NGOs/coalitions regard mainstreaming as a strategy for raising children’s issues on the national agenda and creating a different ethos among and within NGOs. To achieve mainstreaming, the NGO Group must take on board these and other perspectives of partners and channel them in ways that serve both interests.

The paper concludes that whilst most human rights treaties make direct references to children, the question remains as to whether the level of debate and recommendations are sufficiently developed and far-reaching for children.