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.
No comments:
Post a Comment