Thursday 12 March 2015

Children and their right to participate in the budget cycle


Oral statement made on the occasion of the Annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child on the topic of Investment in children 

(UN Human Rights Council 28th session, 12th March 2015) 


Mr President,

This statement is delivered on behalf of Plan International and 9 NGOs[1].

We welcome today’s debate and the space provided to discuss the right of children to participate in and influence budgeting decisions.

The Working Group on Investment in Children of the Groupe des ONG pour la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant[2] consulted over 2500 children from over 70 countries on their views and recommendations on investment in the realization of their rights. One important message was that realizing their civil rights - “having their views taken seriously” - was an area of critical under-investment.

Budget planning, allocation, spending and monitoring are crucial processes during which children’s views should be given due weight, in compliance with Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.[3] Evidence across regions shows that initiatives to include children in budgeting, particularly at local levels, have led to important budget shifts in favour of their rights[4]

Children should participate in all steps of the budget cycle in a manner that is meaningful, inclusive, collaborative and enabling.

“Meaningful” implies that the process is open, transparent, accountable, and easily accessible to children, providing child-friendly information and opportunities for participation according to their evolving capacities.[5]

“Inclusive” means that all girls and boys should have equal opportunities to be involved to ensure that budgets and spending are equitable. Issues affecting children of all ages need to be taken into account.

“Collaborative” requires efforts to bring children, civil society and governments together to jointly seek solutions for better budgets and spending.

“Enabling” allows children to speak their mind without fear. It means that their right to associate and organize is legally protected and that formal spaces for their participation are created. 

Children’s involvement in budgeting processes helps put their civil rights into practice and can contribute to budgets that are fair and just, while making public decision-making more transparent and responsive to children.

Thank you Mr. President.




[1] African Child Policy Forum, ATD Fourth World, Child Rights Coalition Asia, Groupe des ONG pour la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant, Defence for Children Costa Rica, Eurochild, International Baby Food Action Network, Redlamyc, Plan International and Save the Children.
[2] The Working Group includes African Child Policy Forum, Child Rights Coalition Asia, Groupe des ONG pour la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant, Defence for Children Costa Rica, Eurochild, International Baby Food Action Network, Redlamyc, Plan International, Save the Children and UNICEF.
[3] UN Convention on the Right of the Child, Article 12. CRC General Comment No. 5 on General Measures of implementation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, (2003), para 57.
[4] Some examples for child participatory budget planning, allocation and expenditure monitoring with children are: Action Aid: “Democracy Watchdogs – Youth-driven participatory monitoring and accountability in the Post-2015 development agenda” (2015): http://www.actionaid.org/publications/democracy-watchdogs-youth-driven-participatory-monitoring-and-accountability-post-2015- ; Plan International: Plan International’s submission for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights report for the March 2015 session of the Human Rights Council on the theme “Towards a Better Investment in the Rights of the Child” (2014). http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Children/TowardsInvestment/Plan3.pdf ; “Recife Participatory Budgeting with Children” http://www.vitalizing-democracy.org/site/downloads/1324_303_Case_Study_Recife.pdf ; Save the Children: Save the Children’s submission for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights report for the March 2015 session of the Human Rights Council on the theme “Towards a Better Investment in the Rights of the Child” http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Children/TowardsInvestment/SaveTheChildrenInternational.pdf
[5] Children Parliaments, municipal child and youth councils, student councils and similar public accountability mechanisms represent important investments taken by state parties to facilitate children’s participation and should be assessed as possible mechanisms for engaging children in budgeting processes.  

Investment in children - a key child rights issue

Oral statement made on the occasion of the Annual full-day meeting on the rights of the child on the topic of Investment in children 

(UN Human Rights Council 28th session, 12th March 2015)



Mr President,

This statement is made on behalf of the “Groupe des ONG sur la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant” and 10 NGOs.[1]

As highlighted by panelists today, the realization of children’s rights as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child costs money. Child-related laws and policies will remain empty promises unless accompanied by child-sensitive, equitable and sustainable public resource mobilization, allocation and spending.

Regardless of their income status, States need to mobilize sufficient domestic resources to realize children’s rights, including through progressive and effective taxation, and where necessary within the framework of international cooperation.

The realization of children’s rights without discrimination requires political commitment to equitable budgeting with priority given to the most deprived and excluded girls and boys.

In making fiscal and budgetary decisions, the best interest of the child should be a primary consideration. States should translate this principle into practice by conducting child rights impact assessments of their fiscal policies, budgeting and spending.

States should also take a life-cycle approach to budgeting, taking into account the specific and evolving needs of children of all ages and in all contexts in these processes.

States need to produce comprehensive and disaggregated data on children to inform planning and budgeting decisions. Allocations to children should also be made visible in budgets to enable stakeholders inside and outside of government to know how much is going to children and to ensure that children get their fair share.
 But it is not only about more money, it is also about ensuring that available resources are well spent. Transparent fiscal processes where citizens, including children, can participate throughout the budget cycle based on access to budget information is crucial to ensure accountability and to fight corruption. Children’s participation in these processes not only constitutes their right, it can also assist States to spend resources better.
In conclusion, we would like to ask the panelists for their views on how the UN and Member States, including through the Human Rights Council, can support States to invest more and better in order to realize children’s rights.

Thank you.



[1]  African Child Policy Forum, ATD Fourth World, Child Rights Coalition Asia, Groupe des ONG pour la Convention relative aux droits de l’enfant, Defence for Children Costa Rica, Eurochild, International Baby Food Action Network, International Council of Women, Redlamyc, Plan International and Save the Children.  

Monday 2 March 2015

Great success for the discussion evening 'Nestlé in Pakistan: The Baby Formula Scandal exposed' during the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights 2015

On February 27, 2015, during the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) held in Geneva, the movie Tigers was screened within the framework of a discussion evening entitled 'Nestlé in Pakistan : The Baby Formula Scandal exposed' organized in collaboration with IBFAN-GIFA.
The feature film Tigers is based on the true story of a former Nestlé salesman, Mr Syed Aamir Raza. He blew the whistle after the shock realization of the impact of his employer’s activities on children’s health. That decision had terrible consequences on its private life and he had then to seek asylum in Canada, where he spent long years away from its family before they could finally be reunited in exile.
Mr Aamir Raza attended the screening and took part in the debate that followed, together with Ms Yasmine Motarjemi (former corporate food safety manager at Nestlé and whistleblower) and Mr Mike Brady (Baby Milk Action/IBFAN UK). The co-author of the movie, Mr Andy Paterson, was also present and answered some questions about the preparation of the movie. The debate was moderated by Mr Alain Maillard, chief editor for Edito, and led to a very fruitful discussion with the public. 
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