Pay now, or pay later

“Are we going to pay now upfront, or are we going to pay much more later?” said Jane Connors, development expert at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in the opening speech of the HRC’s annual day on the rights of the child. Noting both the economic and ethical consequences of failing to adequately invest in children’s rights, Ms Connors alluded to States’ obligation to follow talk with action, emphasising that we need to “[p]ut our budgets where our commitments are”. 

Following a rights-based approach

The rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child allows policymakers to set the grounds for a rights-based approach to realising children’s rights in the context of investment, said  Mr Jorge Cardona, Member of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. He reminded States of their obligation to guarantee children's economic, social and cultural rights by mobilising sufficient budgets - but warned that these should not burden a country with debt, as it could be to the detriment of future generations. And if there are insufficient funds, then the State should pursue obtaining sufficient resources. Investment in children in some countries depends on external sources and funding, pointed out  Mr Yehualashet Mekonen of the African Child Policy Forum. Mr Cardona added that in approving budgets, special consideration should be given to auditing - but not on whether budgets have simply been spent, but if they have been spent efficiently. 

Impact assessment

Addressing the effects of budgetary cuts across Europe on the rights of children was the Dutch children’s ombudsperson, Mr Marc Dullaert. He noted that the cuts have damaged the availability of social services and programmes, which has particularly affected vulnerable children, as they are the most dependent on them. Speaking on behalf of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children, Mr Dullaert criticised the failure of the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund to conduct impact assessments of its economic policies, highlighting that one in five children in Europe are now at risk of poverty, which has impacted on their access to food, education and health, among others areas. 

Identifying children’s needs

The need to conduct data collection was reiterated throughout the day’s discussions in order to identify the specific needs of different groups. In particular, data collection was urged to raise the profile of vulnerable children, including those from poor, rural or ethnic backgrounds, and make their needs more visible. This would allow policymakers to determine a suitable budget to implement the rights of these children, said Enrique Vásquez of the Peruvian University Consortium.

What children think

States should invest in access to justice, protection, safety, combatting corruption, and in training public officials to listen to children, according to research on the views of children on how they think governments should spend public funds to implement their rights. A video was screened at the Council summarising the findings of an accompanying report, prepared by Queen’s University Belfast, which brings together the views of almost 2,700 children from around the world. The participating children identified rights issues that are not receiving sufficient funds, with support for families who cannot afford food and/or housing being the top concern for children in Africa and Europe. Children in Asia Pacific said being able to play in safe places was the most underfunded area, while those in Latin America and the Caribbean said it was protection from harm. Not having their views taken seriously was also an issue the participant children raised across regions. 

The mood was decidedly dour at a side-event organised by the NGO Committee on Development to discuss the post-2015 development goals. After commenting that David Cameron’s UK government was the main obstacle to producing a bold and progressive set of objectives, Dr Curtis Doebbler, of International-Lawyers.org added that “human rights organisations had lost the battle” when it came to influencing the post-2015 agenda. These remarks were countered by Cyril Ritchie, President of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Status with the UN, who argued that “small developments” had been made. Meanwhile, Krishna Ahoojaptel, co-president of the NGO Committee on Development, appeared to despair of the UN as a whole. She said there had been a “breakdown of structure” at the organisation. “Development as a concept seems to have disappeared,” she remarked, adding: “Why couldn’t we save Mosul?” 

• Special Rapporteur on violence against women: South Africa from 25 February to 7 March;
• Special Rapporteur on toxic wastes: Kazakhstan from 26 March to 8 April;
• Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Haiti: 23 February to 3 March 2015;
• Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children: Brazil from 20 to 30 April 2015;
• Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief: Lebanon from 23 March to 2 April.