A call to action to leave no child behind

Eurochild signs a joint open letter in support of a 2019 Rights of the Child resolution on children without parental care. To join the statement, follow the instructions in the article!

A coalition of child-focused organisations and networks have created a 2-page statement calling for UN Member States to select the theme of children without parental care, as a focus for the 2019 Rights of the Child resolution, listing compelling reasons to do so.  

The UN GA Resolution on the Rights of the Child is a vital instrument that tackles pertinent issues relating to children, with detailed recommendations on how to protect them and their rights, but there has never been a Rights of the Child resolution that has specifically addressed the rights of children without parental care.  

Without access to quality and appropriate alternative care, children deprived of parental care and those at risk of losing it, often face a downward spiral of economic, social and structural exclusion, and marginalization with long-term consequences for them and their communities.

2019 is a particularly important year as it marks the 10th Anniversary of the Guidelines on the Alternative Care for Children (A/RES/64/142) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2009, providing a unique and timely opportunity for the UN General Assembly to address the issue of children without parental care. There have been significant achievements since then, and this would be an opportunity to take stock of the progress that has been made, and look at the impact that the Guidelines have had on the lives of children. 

Children without parental care are affected by a wide range of development issues included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and they are one of the most “left behind” groups of children. Therefore, if we want to achieve the SDGs and its principle to “reach the furthest behind first”, there needs to be a focus on children without parental care.

Read the statement

This statement will be presented to UN Member States soon to call for their action, and for them to select the theme of children without parental care in 2019.