Giving Compass' Take:

• This year is the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a commitment to the world's children. In the EU, there are many examples of children's participation in policymaking through children's parliaments and youth councils. However, children's involvement still varies widely among member states and is still a new concept for national agendas. 

• How can donors in the EU make an impact in supporting child participation? What kinds of policies are young people already engaging with on an international level? 

• Read about the recent climate change lawsuit spearheaded by Greta Thunberg and a group of young activists. 

November 20 marked World Children's Day and the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), a historic commitment to the world's children. Being the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, it set the legal framework and put children's rights firmly on the international policy agenda, transforming children's lives around the world.

While important to celebrate, it is also an opportunity to consider Article 12 of the UNCRC—the right of a child to participate in decision-making—and ask if enough progress is being made in this important area.

Child participation is the notion that, on all matters affecting them, children have the right to express their views and have them taken seriously, in accordance with their age and maturity. This could be, for example, active participation in the design or outcome of a decision (in a process initiated by adults), such as youth councils and children's parliaments.

In the policy sphere, children have demonstrated ample competency to influence policy with appropriate support. There is also evidence that child participation can contribute to positive changes in attitudes towards children and tangible improvements to children's circumstances or status.

In the EU context, the Council of Europe's 2012 Recommendation (PDF) to member states on the participation of children and young people, and the third Pillar of the 2013 Recommendation for Investing in Children further outlined a number of key principles of child participation.

Yet, despite many examples of good practices and initiatives adopted across the EU, a number of challenges remain. As children's participation is a relatively new item on the EU and national policy agendas, the level and the extent of children's participation vary markedly across Member States.

Read the full article about supporting child participation by Eleftheria Iakovidou at RAND.