Children’s rights at the heart of the Global Compact on Refugees
Of all refugees worldwide, 52% are under 18. As children, they have specific needs linked to their age and condition that must be taken into account in the national and international policies and regulations on migration and refugees. A new publication supports governments in the integration of these considerations.
On the 17th of December 2018, 181 countries of the United Nations General Assembly approved the Global Compact on Refugees. This agreement aims to improve the situation of refugees in host countries by strengthening international cooperation and solidarity between states.
The Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts, co-chaired by Terre des Hommes International Federation (TDHIF) and Save the Children, created a new tool to assist governments in implementing the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) in a way that is child and gender sensitive. The publication “Implementing the Global Compact on Refugees for Children ; Examples of Child-Focused Work” demonstrates good practices used worldwide to address issues in the areas of child protection, education, access to services, building skills, empowerment and participation, sustainable solutions.
“The pandemic of Covid-19 has highlighted the vulnerability of refugee children and their families. If we succeed in ensuring their rights in implementing the GCR, millions of children on the move, their families and refugee and host communities will benefit dramatically”, said Caroline Horne, project leader at TDHIF.
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The Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts is a partnership of more than 30 agencies working together to ensure that children's rights are at the heart of the concerns of signatory governments and to ensure a continuum of care, protection and support for migrant and refugee children.
The Initiative is co-chaired by Save the Children and Terre des Hommes. Members include: Caritas Internationalis; Child Fund Alliance; Committee on Migrant Workers (CMW); Committee on the Rights of the Child; Cross-Regional Center for Refugees and Migrants; Defence for Children International (DCI); Destination Unknown Campaign; Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children; International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC); International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA); International Detention Coalition (IDC); International Organization for Migration (IOM); International Rescue Committee (IRC); International Social Service (ISS); Mercy Corps; the MHPSS Collaborative for Children and Families in Adversity; Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA); Mixed Migration Platform (MMP); Lumos; NGO Committee on Migration; Norwegian Refugee Council; Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); Plan International; Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM); Public Services International (PSI); Save the Children; SOS Children’s Villages; the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children; Terre des Hommes; United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); World Vision.
