Effective, representative, and inclusive child participation at the local level
A study on child and youth councils in UNICEF National Committee countries
Highlights
Local governments who wish to establish or strengthen formal participatory mechanisms for children are the target audience for this study. The material may be useful for countries of all income contexts. However, the study builds on evidence gathered from interviews undertaken in 2021 in 11 high-income countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, and Spain). We interviewed children and supporting adults who are actively engaged in child and youth councils in schools and at the local level.
Based on the research findings, the report provides practical suggestions that will enable local governments to fulfil better their obligations under Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide children the right to express their views on all matters of concern to them and to take seriously these views.
