Our mandate: no child left behind - UNICEF

UNICEF has a mandate to uphold the rights of all children. We work to ensure every child is protected, healthy and educated, focusing on the children left ... Skiptomaincontent SearchUNICEF Fulltextsearch Max Page Ourmandate:nochildleftbehind UNICEFhasamandatetoupholdtherightsofallchildren.Weworktoensureeverychildisprotected,healthyandeducated,focusingonthechildrenleftbehindbywidereconomicandsocialprogress. Availablein:Englishрусский Ourmandate UNICEFhasamandatetosafeguardtherightsofallchildren,everywhere.Thatmandateisrootedinthe1989ConventionontheRightsoftheChild (CRC),whichsetsoutuniversalandindivisiblerightsthatapplytoeverychild,andtheSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs)adoptedbyworldleadersin2015,whichapplytoeverycountry. Inthe21countriesandterritoriesinEuropeandCentralAsiawherewehaveprogrammes,ourfocusisonthechildrenwhoareoverlookedandleftbehindbyeconomicandsocialprogress.Eveninthemostprosperousnations,therearealwayschildrenwho,becauseofwhoandwheretheyare,donotgetthechildhoodtheydeserve- andtowhichtheyareentitled undertheConvention.  WeremindgovernmentsintheregionofthecommitmentstheyhavemadetoallchildrenthroughtheCRCandtheSDGs andhelpthemmonitortheirprogress. UNICEF/UN038640/Pirozzi TheConventionontheRightsoftheChild  AdoptedbytheUNGeneralAssemblyin1989,theConventionontheRightsoftheChild(CRC)haschangedthewaychildrenareviewedandtreated–i.e.,ashumanbeingswithadistinctsetofrightsinsteadofpassiverecipientsofcharity.Itrecognizesthatchildhoodisavulnerabletime,andthatchildrenneedspecialcareandprotection.  TheCRCisthefirstglobalsetoflegallybindingrightstoapplytoallchildren.Ithasbeenratifiedbyeverycountryonearth,withtheexceptionoftheUnitedStates,makingitthemostwidelyratifiedhumanrightsagreementinhistory. Throughits54articles,theCRCsetsminimumstandardsforchildren’swell-beingateachstageoftheirdevelopment.Itappliestoeveryoneundertheageof18(thedefinitionofachild),regardlessoftheirgender,origin,religion,disability. TheCRCisguidedbyfourfundamentalprinciplesthatapplytoeverychild. Non-discrimination(Article2).  Thebestinterestsofthechild(Article3).  Survival,developmentandprotection(Article6).  Participation(Article12).  OptionalProtocolstotheUNConventionontheRightsoftheChild TheUNGeneralAssemblyadoptedtwoOptionalProtocolstotheConventionontheRightsoftheChildin2000:toprotectchildrenfrominvolvementinarmedconflictsandfromsexualexploitation.Since2014,athirdOptionalProtocolhasenabledchildrentoreportviolationsoftheirrightsdirectlytotheCommitteeontheRightsoftheChild,whichmonitorscompliancewiththeCRC. Formoreinformation: TheConventionontheRightsoftheChildTheOptionalProtocols TheSustainableDevelopmentGoals The17SustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs)adoptedbyworldleadersin2015applytoallcountries,andtoeverycitizenwithinthem.TheSDGsaimtoensureequity, witheveryonehavingthesamesafeguardsandlifeopportunitieswithineverycountry- richorpoor- by2030.    Theachievementofall17SDGswouldimprovelifeforeveryone, childrenaswellasadults.However,someoftheSDGsandtheirrelatedtargetsareparticularlyrelevantforthewell-beingofchildren.  Goal1:Nopoverty  1.2.Halvetheproportionofmen,womenandchildrenofallageslivinginpoverty. Goal2:Zerohunger  2.1.Endhungerandensureaccessbyallpeople,includinginfants,tosafe,nutritiousandsufficientfood.  2.2.Endallformsofmalnutrition,includingachievinginternationallyagreedtargetsonstuntingandwastinginchildrenunderfiveyearsofageby2025. Goal3:Goodhealthandwell-being 3.2.Endpreventabledeathsofnewbornsandchildrenunderfive.  Goal4:Qualityeducation  4.1.Ensurethatallgirlsandboyscompletefree,equitableandqualityprimaryandsecondaryeducationleadingtorelevantandeffectivelearningoutcomes  4.2.Ensurethatallgirlsandboyshaveaccesstoqualityearlychildhooddevelopment,careandpre-primaryeducationsothattheyarereadyforprimaryeducation. Goal5:Genderequality  5.1.Endallformsofdiscriminationagainstallwomenandgirlseverywhere  5.2.Eliminateallformsofviolenceagainstallwomenandgirls  5.3.Eliminateallharmfulpractices,suchaschild,earlyandforcedmarriageandfemalegenitalmutilation. Goal8:Decentworkandeconomicgrowth 8.7.Takeimmediateandeffectivemeasurestoeradicateforcedlabour,endmodernslaveryandhumantraffickingandsecuretheprohibitionandeliminationoftheworstformsofchildlabour,includingrecruitmentanduseofchildsoldiers,andby2025endchildlabourinallitsforms.  Goal16:Peace,justiceandstronginstitutions 16.2.Endabuse,exploitation,traffickingandallformsofviolenceagainstandtortureofchildren.  Formoreinformation: SustainableDevelopmentGoals UnitedNations