UN Human Rights Council 55th Session.
Annual Full-Day meeting on the Rights of the Child.
Panel discussion 2 - Child rights mainstreaming in the United Nations.
Intervention by Lithuania on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic states.
14 March 2024
Thank you, Mr. President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic states – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, and my own country Lithuania.
Every year we discuss most pertinent issues that children face around the world. These discussions are even more valuable when we make an effort to include child participants and take their opinions into account.
The international community has an obligation to provide a safe and prosperous future for the next generation. The only way forward is for the United Nations system and states to effectively implement policy framework on strengthening a child rights-based approach.
We believe that investment in child rights expertise, capacity building programs, and human rights education are crucial elements for child’s development and overall advancement of human rights and freedoms.
Children are not just dependent on adults - they are active members of society, often taking a role as human rights defenders, and their voices, ideas and participation in public life and decision-making are just as important as those of adults.
However, children often face great personal risk, repressions and legal, administrative and practical barriers to participate in civic activities. It is an alarming trend that all of us should take into account.
Dear Panelists,
In your view, how can states more efficiently accelerate implementation of child rights-based approach among international organizations?
I thank you.