Background

Inclusive social protection is an important and timely issue affecting the respect, protection, and fulfilment of the rights of the child around the world.

Human Rights Council resolution 49/20 on the rights of the child requests the High Commissioner to prepare a report on the rights of the child and inclusive social protection, to be presented to the Council at its fifty-fourth session. It also requests that the report be carried out in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, including States, the United Nations Children’s Fund, other relevant United Nations bodies and agencies, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, relevant special procedure mandate-holders, regional organizations and human rights bodies, national human rights institutions and civil society, including through consultations with children themselves.

Objectives

The report aims to explore (i) the legal and policy framework concerning the rights of the child and inclusive social protection; (ii) the main gaps and challenges facing children’s access to social protection and the impact of these on children’s rights; (iii) the elements of a child rights-based approach to inclusive social protection, (iv) good practices of inclusive social protection for children, and (v) measures to ensure the effective implementation of universal social protection for children, including through international cooperation.

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

In order to inform the preparations of the report, the UN Human Rights Office would has prepared a call for inputs for stakeholders to respond to concerning the focus areas of the report.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights invites all interested States, civil society organizations, international and regional organizations, national human rights institutions, academics and others, to provide written input to the following questions for this thematic report.
Respondents are requested to limit their comments to a maximum of 5 pages. Additional supporting materials, such as reports, academic studies, and other types of background materials may be annexed to the submission.

1. What social protection systems are in place for children in your country? Please provide examples of specific laws and regulations, measures, policies, and programmes directed at ensuring children’s access to inclusive social protection.
2. What are the main gaps and challenges to children’s enjoyment of social protection in law, policy, and practice in your country and the impacts on children’s rights ?  Please provide any relevant statistical or disaggregated data based on age, gender, disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity, migration status, or other categories. Please consider the specific situation of marginalized children and those in vulnerable situations in your response.
3. What are the good practices initiated by the Government to ensure that social protection benefits the rights of children in your country?
4. Are there examples of how measures and responses to alleviate poverty through social protection systems in emergency situations or, for example, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, have positively affected children’s rights, particularly to social security?
5. How can States deliver more effectively to ensure the effective implementation of universal social protection for children, including through international cooperation?

Call for inputs from children

We want to hear from children! Children can send their views, experiences, ideas, and suggestions on how children’s rights and inclusive social protection in different ways.

Children can contribute their views in three ways:

• By email or through an online form, in direct response to the UN Human Rights Office’s call for inputs.
• In focus group discussions organised by civil society partner organisations.
• In global online calls with the UN Human Rights Office taking place on 15 and 16 March. 

Process and timelines:

• From now, until 5 March 2023: support children by collecting their views and send their input to the UN Human Rights Office.
• 15 and 16 March 2023: support children to participate in an online dialogue with the UN Human Rights Office.

Our partner Child Rights Connect is supporting this process.

For more information:

• A child-friendly call for children to send their views directly to the UN Human Rights Office in English, French or Spanish
• A Facilitator’s Guide to help you facilitate focus groups discussions with children in English, French and Spanish. Adults or children might organise and lead focus groups, or do this collectively.
• A Power Point to help you explain the focus group activity to children in English, French and Spanish
• A focus activity documentation form (online) which you can use to share the outcomes of the activity in English, French and Spanish

You will find all the documents in this folder. All these resources can be adapted to suit your context!

Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions and please keep us informed if you plan to conduct consultations by contacting Child Rights Connect at submissions@childrightsconnect.org
Focal point at OHCHR: helen.griffiths@un.org

How inputs will be used

All inputs from Member States, National Human Rights Institutions and civil society will be made available on the OHCHR website